polyfunctional-dna

HURDLE NUMBER 55. THE POLY-FUNCTIONAL DNA HURDLE.

The next quote is from the book Genetic Entropy and The Mystery of The Genome (classroom edition), by Doctor J. C. Sanford (A Cornell University professor, with a Ph. D. in Genetics), published by F.M.S. Publications, 3^rd edition, 2008, pages 131 to 133:-

The author tells us that:- “Most DNA sequences are poly-functional.” The author explains that “This means that DNA sequences have meaning (ie:- “messages”) on several different levels.” What the author deduces from this is that any mutation (ie:- alteration) of any part of a DNA sequence, even if it could improve one of the “messages”, would be likely to distort or destroy the other messages. The author then provides an example:- You send a coded message. If the recipient reads the message FORWARDS, it conveys information. However, the message is cleverly contrived to convey some completely different message if read BACKWARDS. If the message is sent with an accidental typo (analogous to a mutation), it is just possible that the FORWARD READING MESSAGE might be improved. However, any such improvement will almost certainly be to the detriment of the BACKWARD READING MESSAGE.

In that case, the Darwinian notion that beneficial mutations can “upgrade” the informational content of a DNA sequence, thereby improving the function of some organ (in a particular individual animal) – runs into a stumbling block. This “improvement” in one of the DNA’s “messages” WILL ALSO DISTORT ANY OTHER “MESSAGES” conveyed by that particular DNA sequence. In other words, evolution cannot proceed in a beneficial direction by random mutations. Any beneficial effects will necessarily ALSO CARRY DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS.

On page 141 of the same book, the author provides a further example:- The word LIVE, when spelt BACKWARDS spells the word EVIL. If by a typo you alter the word LIVE to the word HIVE, you are still making sense in the FORWARD MESSAGE. However, the BACKWARD MESSAGE becomes HVIL, which is meaningless. In other words, you have altered one message, possibly advantageously, but you have destroyed the other message. Similarly, any mutation, even if it makes a “better message” on one “level”, WILL NECESSARILY DEGRADE MESSAGES ON ANOTHER LEVEL. If the DNA sequence conveys more than two “messages”, then ANY MUTATION WILL BE NECESSARILY HARMFUL. Even if one “message” is improved, all the other “messages” will become distorted. On this basis, EVOLUTION CANNOT PROCEED BY RANDOM MUTATIONS.