Psalm 119:73
“Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.”
Genes carry the biological information to make specific living things. Evolution says that simpler living things evolved first, and more complex life evolved later. This would lead us to believe that more complex living things would have developed more genes. The creation approach suggests that each creature was designed with the genetic material necessary for its survival in its intended environment. As a result, the genetic complexity of living things would be related to the way it lives, not to its place in a supposed evolutionary hierarchy.
Evolutionary scientists today are puzzled with the publication of the completed genome of the common fruit fly. The fruit fly has a nervous system, complex body plan and even an immune system and is the first animal to have its genome mapped. The puzzle arises with the discovery that the fruit fly has between 13,000 and 14,000 genes. The lowly roundworm, said by evolution to be among the first land creatures, should be genetically simple-yet, it has over 18,000 genes. The genetic differences between the worm and the fly speak of design. The sightless worm relies on smell to make its living, so it has about 1,000 genes involved in its olfactory system. The sighted fly relies much less on smell and has less than 100 genes for detecting scents.
This simply illustrates that truly scientific findings will never contradict the Bible by supporting evolution. Author: Paul A. Bartz
Prayer: Help me, dear Father, to live as You designed me to live. Amen.
Notes: Science News, 6/10/00, pp. 382-383, “Fly Genome Creates a Buzz.” Photo: Side view of fruit fly. Courtesy of Karl Magnacca. (CC BY-SA 2.5)
