Re: Junk DNA: A hypothesis

From: Jim McGinn (jimmcginn_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 01/21/05 

Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 13:44:05 -0500 (EST)

Larry Moran wrote:
> On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 11:37:00 -0500 (EST),
> jeffp <jeff@brilliantwebsites.com.au> wrote:
>
> > Over the course of evolution many engineering and biochemical
problems
> > have been resolved. As the environment changes, the need for the
> > resolution disappears and the well adapted solution to the old
> > environmental problem becomes a liability. So the expression
> > disappears. But does the encoding that generated it disappear?
> >
> > Occam's razor dictates that junk DNA should not continue to exist.
The
> > biochemical effort to replicate the entire genome over and over is
> > seemingly a waste of resources if such a large proportion of that
> > genome is just junk. Surely it would be a trivial mutation to dump
the
> > junk and save a significant amount of biochemical effort. So,
given
> > that it is still there, it is reasonable to presume that the junk
> > remains for some adaptive reason.
>
> Your reasoning is based on the assumption that every single thing in
nature
> is so perfectly adapted that it can't be improved.

I can't make any sense of this statement. It seems to me
that his reasoning is based on the supposition that
evolution is an efficient and intelligent process.

> You have identified what
> you believe is a maladaptive consequence of junk DNA (waste of
energy) so
> you assume that natural selection would have removed junk DNA. Do you
have
> any evidence to support your assumption that natural selection will
always
> lead to the optimum result?

It does generally strive to be more efficient/proficient.
Right?

> If so, how do you explain pseudogenes, wisdom
> teeth, hernias, and sore backs?

That it has not achieved perfection in all cases is not a
good argument against the supposition that it strives to
be more efficient/proficient.

> > Could it be that the junk DNA is a library of spare parts...a
warehouse
> > of previously resolved problems awaiting the next eon when its
> > re-expression might be of value?
>
> Nope. We've looked at junk DNA and it really is junk.

Wrong. You haven't a clue what you're talking about.
There is absolutely nothing about the evidence that is
not completely consistent with what Jeff is saying.
And there is a plethora of evidence that indicates that
"new" adaptations emerge fully (or almost fully) formed,
just as this theory predicts.

> This tells you that
> your basic understanding of evolution must be flawed since otherwise
you
> can't account for the existence of junk DNA. Why not consider the
possibility
> that evolution isn't as perfect as you imagine?

Who's imagining that it's perfect?

> Maybe natural selection
> isn't the only mechanism of evolution?

Maybe it is the only mechanism of evolution. Maybe people
that believe in other mechanisms lack an objective
understanding of reality?

Jim

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