Future Science Area Articles
The original plan for the WindowView Science Area calls for still other articles to be posted here. The following topics will be added over time. For now, the following list of topics appears with a statement concerning the relevance of each issue.
A) Life's Hierarchy: As noted previously the 'tree of life' fails to capture the hierarchy that life forms exhibit as separate groups of organisms without the linking branches of the tree. Also, species do evolve and evidence for changes at the species level can be documented, but at levels above species a "typological model holds almost universally." (Denton (ETC) Page 105) This article will focus on how an alternate approach serves to arrange life in a hierarchy without many of the assumptions used by evolutionists. The hierarchy itself is somewhat like the organizational arrangements we've been taught, but with an interesting twist... one that may hold a reality to further insights on life, its origins, and a perspective worthy of further consideration.
B) Biological Extinction: Extinction 'events' have been documented by geological and fossil records. Asteroid or meteor impacts—globally or locally—have had their impact on life at various points in earth's history. This article will examine some of the implications of these events in light of assumptions made for evolution over time. We often hear about the great extinctions of life (e.g., dinosaurs) but rarely are we reminded how these events cause problems for the time frames of gradualistic evolution.
C) Stasis: Change and a constant propensity for random variations have been considered at the root of evolution's success. But life forms have an ability to resist change. Stasis can be defined as: "A condition of balance among various forces; motionlessness." In biological terms, stasis incorporates cellular and organismal mechanisms to maintain and sustain not only an organism, but also a species. The molecular repair mechanisms that serve to preserve the genetic code beckon consideration of a most basic feature in life forms. Instead of change promoting possible routes of further evolution, organisms have preservation mechanisms that run counter to evolution's possible path.
One of the interesting points to glean from plants and any animal species that are preserved in the fossil record, is their maintenance over time. You can go to a botanical garden today and see a plant called a cycad. You might think of these as something looking like a dwarf palm trees, but that's a close approximation for a description of a remarkably old species. Fossils bearing impressions of cycads of long ago suggest this plant type has changed very little over time.
D) Genes: In many ways, scientists are just now getting to the point of learning the critical workings of the genetic code. Genes are specific elements within the code that direct, for example, production of specific proteins. But what is most interesting is that there are a few surprises here. If the DNA is like instructions on what to build, then where is the plan to tell a cell how to put together what its made? Like a house with lumber, sheet rock, and roofing materials all prepared, where are life's blueprints. The points we'll review here indicate science has a start but not the entire picture on how genetic information is stored and utilized. And there are some forms of 'heredity' (passing of information to offspring) that are outside the scope of the DNA! Twists and turns in this part of our exploration add interesting perspectives that don't fit the standard story on evolution.
E) Death (by design): Call the notion simplistic or silly: But ask: Why death? Why should a natural part of a life history be an end to that organism's history on earth? Considering there may well be no good reason for evolution to tailor death into life's cycle... for that would be ascribing some form of forethought to a chance process... why death? Predators, injury, or catastrophic illness that result in death is not hard to understand, but here you will be challenged to go one step further. If the life of a plant or animal were to remain constant, why not an indeterminate life span? In fact, plants may be closer to having indeterminate life spans, yet even with the characteristics of stasis noted above, animals face an end that seems as much designed into life as any other facet of being. We'll think 'outside the box' a bit in this article to add to the window's view.
F) Test Hypothesis, a Scientifically Testable Approach to Creation Events, Design, etc: Is it possible for scientists to research topics in relation to creation? Ah, before you think we are going off into unsound territory, we'd like to remind you that this question may not be so far fetched! In part, this research is already a reality to the astrophysicists who explore the 'big bang' and astronomers who research the universe for its secrets. Even the original Darwinian school on evolution was dealing with life's origin in response to the concept of creation.
What is recently recognized by some scientists is the proposition of opening research fully to question and test in areas that are assumed unworthy of the scientific endeavor. But is the assumption restrictive and thus short sighted? The many perspectives examined in the WindowView suggest there is more to recognize than the standards story. Thus there must be more to research than what is limited to the confines of the standard story. Examples of interpreting scientific data in light of expectations (a bias) as opposed to following conclusions flowing from an empirical and objective effort strongly suggest we've been missing something.
G) Cells: Cells are a basic functional unit of life. Within these compartmented volumes are contained a number of systems and subsystems that work in consort with one another. Scientific research papers will often describe a particular feature or pay highly focused attention on only one aspect of a cell function. But step back to take in the big picture. These are not casual relationships, but a highly tuned set of relationships that we are encountering. This article will explore special topics that fit with other WindowView discussion on complexity and design.
H) Evidence For Life on Mars: Everyone is excited about the prospect or hopes for evidence for life from someplace beyond the earth itself. This article will review a few points that are associated with past and present discussions on this topic. Interestingly, we can suggest here that life forms on Mars may be easily found if the proper exploration is made. But the real question we need to keep in mind is: "Do the life forms on Mars originate there or elsewhere?" We've already suggested certain characteristics and requirements for life. Life origins are not easily defined. Just thinking life arrived on earth from somewhere else in space does not solve the inherent problems for the possible evolution of life anywhere else inn the universe. In fact. Evidence for life forms—active or not—on Mars, may well be nothing more than evidence for microbes (the likely example) being transported from earth to Mars. Ancient impacts (e.g., asteroid or meteor) or volcanic activity causing the ejection of earth matter into space may seed our nearest planetary neighbor. A return of evidence for life on Mars millions of years later can be assumed of unique origin... but that may be wishful thinking. In the mean time, there is no conclusive evidence for life on Mars. But we would not be surprised if it were found.
There is perhaps much more to add to the WindowView with regard to science. Some added content will be added from time to time, on various related topics, in the Gallery. The main goal was to cover enough of the view to provide perspectives that get you thinking in a new light! The articles posted today, along with future articles, is enough to start. There is always more to explore!
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