Ya think??
Posted on 08/31/2004 6:41:31 AM PDT by Michael_Michaelangelo
Humans march to a faster genetic 'drummer' than primates, UC Riverside research says
*Research runs counter to Darwin's theory of natural selection*
A team of biochemists from UC Riverside published a paper in the June 11 issue of the Journal of Molecular Biology that gives one explanation for why humans and primates are so closely related genetically, but so clearly different biologically and intellectually. It is an established fact that 98 percent of the DNA, or the code of life, is exactly the same between humans and chimpanzees. So the key to what it means to be human resides in that other 2 percent.
According to Achilles Dugaiczyk, professor of Biochemistry at UCR, one important factor resides in something called Alu DNA repeats, sometimes called "junk DNA." These little understood sections of DNA are volatile, and prone to sudden mutations, or genomic rearrangements. At times the results are beneficial in that they give rise to new proteins or an altered gene regulation. Sometimes the mutations result in the growth of a cancer tumor, or some other genetic defect.
The team, which also included Rosaleen Gibbons, Lars J. Dugaiczyk, Thomas Girke, Brian Duistermars and Rita Zielinski, identified over 2,200 new human specific Alu DNA repeats that are absent from the chimpanzee and most likely other primates.
"The explosive expansion of the DNA repeats and the resulting restructuring of our genetic code may be the clue to what makes us human," Dugaiczyk said. "During the same amount of time, humans accumulated more genetic novelties than chimpanzees, making the human/chimpanzee genetic distance larger than that between the chimpanzee and gorilla."
Metaphorically speaking, Dugaiczyk said, "Humans and primates march to the rhythm of a drum that looks identical; the same size, shape and sound. But, the human drum beats faster."
This chemical analysis of DNA structures also showed something else. The spread of the Alu DNA repeats was written into the chemistry of human chromosomes. The process was not random, Dugaiczyk said, and it was not subject to an environmental "natural selection," separating winners and losers as theorized by Darwin.
"We are not contending that natural selection does not exist, but that in this instance it is a chemical process within human chromosomes that explains why humans have an explosive expansion of DNA repeats, and primates do not," Dugaiczyk said.
Determining the genetic differences between humans and primates is important for several reasons, Dugaiczyk said, including advancing knowledge about how life developed and evolved on earth. Other benefits include making it easier to identifying human predisposition to genetic disease, by comparing humans with other primate species. A third possible benefit is to underline the importance of protecting endangered primate species.
Enjoy!
Science in action Ping.
Than how do you explain liberals?
"Humans march to a faster genetic 'drummer' than primates"
Uh, humans ARE primates. Maybe someone missed the word "other."
"humans and primates are ...so clearly different biologically and intellectually."
Not all of them, not all.
To many are 'rats. It has a toxic effect on them.
Not to mention the different spiritual component.
Humans are created in the image of God (and I contend that means the spiritual realm, not the physical).
Apes, chimps, etc are not "imago Dei".
Multispectral Galaxy Studies Contradict Theories 08/27/2004
The latest issue of Caltech’s magazine Engineering and Science1 has beautiful pictures of galaxies taken in ultraviolet by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), and in the infrared by Hubble’s sister, the Spitzer Space Telescope. Combining images of the same galaxy in visible, ultraviolet and infrared is helping astronomers figure out their structure, and as D. Christopher Martin claims, the origin and evolution of galaxies and stars. Why, then, at the end of the article, does he say this?
The interesting thing is that the history we have measured completely disagrees with some of the most recent models. (Emphasis added in all quotes.)He had just pointed out that “our early results seem to be telling us that star formation was much more vigorous in the past” and that “something has changed very radically about star formation since that time....”
"We are not contending that natural selection does not exist....."
How is this finding "counter to natural selection", as you claim?
It's not my claim. I quoted from the article.
Excellent article! It should have a thread of it's own.
Here we trace the evolution of AluYb8 repeats from a single origin at the roots of higher primates to a large increase in their number in humans.
In round numbers, 2200 AluYb8 elements came into existence within about five million years of the human lineage.
Counting only non-CpG mutations (CpG dinucleotides mutate abnormally fast33) gave a total of 2682 mutations/537,072 sites, or 4.99 £ 1023/site. Dividing this number by the rate of change in primate introns of 1.5 £ 1029/site per year,34 yields an estimated age of 3.3 million years for this Alu family. This is in fairly good agreement with the estimated five million years of separation of the human and chimpanzee lineages, but it also indicates that the AluYb8 family was dispersing throughout the entire period of the human lineage.
It's good to see the Creationists endorsing an article supporting the common lineage of humans and other primates and that supports the paleobiological time estimates.
I think I saw that episode on the X-Files...
Special creation, anyone?
"Primates" is a two syllable series of sounds used to refer to a number of animals that share some characteristics according to criteria assigned to that designation. Because of a belief that human beings are an advanced form of that classification of animals, the term is applied to human beings.
By the human beings who believe they are descended from "primates".
So what's our excuse?
Whussat? Can't hear you over these damn drums...
My excuse is that my parents made me play with one of these evil things:
Since then, I've had problems with both drummers and primates, but especially creepy primates with cymbals.
bttt
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