Evolutionists Call New Plant Epigenetic Study 'Heresy' - Jeffrey Tomkins, PhD

Evolutionists Call New Plant Epigenetic Study 'Heresy'

by Jeffrey Tomkins, Ph.D. *

New research has uncovered a hidden layer of trait-determining epigenetic information that resides outside the DNA sequence in plants. This new discovery challenges the evolutionary paradigms of the scientific community and their long-standing views on how organisms adapt to changing environments at the molecular biological level of the cell. In fact, some are even calling this recent research "evolution heresy."¹

For over the past 50 years, Darwinian evolutionists have attributed changes in an organism's traits to the specific DNA sequences that code for them. They never anticipated a hidden layer of epigenetic information overlaying the DNA code to be directly involved in how a plant interfaces with its environment.

Both plants and animals have genetic machinery that modifies the information and function of their genomes without actually changing their genetic code. This modification process is known as "epigenetics." One of the best studied of these epigenetic processes involves the chemical tagging of DNA nucleotides across the genome using methyl groups. These "methyl tags" are attached to cytosine nucleotides in specific patterns around genes and other expressed sequences by a specialized group of proteins called methyltransferases.

This methyl-tagging system (methylation) plays a key role in determining how and when genes are turned off and on along chromosomes. The specific placement and maintenance of these methyl tags is both dynamic and precise. When a cell divides and its DNA is replicated, the duplication of its methyl-tag patterns is also copied, and this complex systems engineering is only now beginning to be understood.

A recent study of the Arabidopsis plant adds to the emerging importance of epigenetics in adaptation.¹ In this project, researchers tested 80 different Arabidopsis strains that were nearly identical genetically, except for some that lacked a gene controlling proper DNA methylation patterns. Thus, the test focused on a large population of genetically similar plants that had both normal and aberrant levels of methylation in their genomes. The researchers tested the plants over several generations for flowering time and root growth.

The goal of the study was to determine if variability in these traits was passed along from generation to generation by genetic or epigenetic differences. They found that the DNA sequence in the regions of the Arabidopsis genome that control both flowering time and root length was identical for all 80 plants and did not contribute the observed variability. What they discovered was that the inherited variability for these traits was associated with methylation changes!

This whole scenario presents a variety of substantial problems for evolution...CONTINUE READING

Plant Power! Capitalizing on Chaos - Dr. Gary Parker

Rocky Mountain Creation Fellowship was privileged to have as their December 1, 2006 speaker, Dr. Gary Parker. The title of Dr. Parker's talk was "Plant Power! Capitalizing on Chaos."

Plants are stunning evidence of Creation and Dr. Parker will show us why in his presentation. The random motion of water molecules, under correct direction and in a properly designed system, can be converted to direct motion. Hence we get water moving in plants and even up the tall Redwoods.

Dr. Parker is a Professor of Biology at the Institute for Creation Research and an internationally renowned speaker on creation. He is also a speaker for Answers in Genesis. Once an atheist who taught evolution to his biology students, he was very critical of Christians who compromised by denying a literal reading of Genesis. By doing this he had hoped to convert them to evolution. But they turned the tables on him. Now as a Christian, he still is critical of those who compromise the Bible, but he now uses his knowledge of evolution to show how scientific facts have failed to support the theories put forth by evolutionists.

Parker was previously the head of the Science Department at Clearwater Christian College (CCC) in Florida. He also served for twelve years on the science faculty of the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) in the San Diego area. Dr. Parker has worked with Ken Ham, founder and Executive Director of AIG, at some of the well-attended Answers in Genesis seminars. He has also conducted citywide Understanding Genesis conferences. Gary was also co-presenter with Ken Ham in the popular video series, Answers in Genesis. He has appeared in numerous films and television programs and has lectured worldwide on creation. His most recent books are Exploring the World Around Us and The Fossils Book. Dr. Parker and his wife Mary are currently hosting a Creation Adventure Museum near Arcadia, Florida. They conduct Creation Workshops, fossil hunting and Canoe trips on the Peace River. The Family Program and Home School credit is provided by Mrs. Mary Parker, Museum Curator, field paleontologist and Dry Bones co-author.

Dr. Parker began his teaching career as a non-Christian and EVOLUTIONIST. The details of his spiritual and scientific conversion, From Evolution to Creation, include several comic incidents. For example, he was once a participant in a debate where his own science department defended the Bible against the Bible department, which defended evolution! Among his other publishing credits are five programmed textbooks in biology and six books in Creation Science (the latter translated into eight foreign languages).

Dr. Gary E. Parker is Chief Science Educator and Co-founder of Creation Adventures Museum.

Migration After the Flood - Dominic Statham | 2012 Creation Superconference

Dominic Statham answers the questions, "How did plants and animals spread around the world so quickly?"

Dominic Statham, B.Sc., D.I.S., M.I.E.T., C.Eng.

Biography

Dominic became a Christian as a student in the early eighties. Over the following years, he became convinced of the need to hold firmly to the Bible as the basis for Christian belief and practice. Intrigued by the endless media assertions that “evolution is a fact” and that “the Bible is wrong”, he decided to investigate the scientific issues for himself. He was astonished by the weakness of the arguments presented by evolutionists, and is now keen to help others realise that there is no conflict between science and Christianity, and that the Bible can be trusted from the very first verse.

Dominic has a particular interest in Christian ethics, and his conviction that the Bible is true stems, in part, from his growing appreciation of the wisdom contained in both the Old and New Testaments. These, he has come to realise, perfectly portray the nature of man—his spiritual and moral needs—and provide an understanding of godliness and rightful living that can be found nowhere else. He is convinced that no book is more needed or more relevant in our current age than the Bible.

Dominic is a Chartered Engineer and graduate of Loughborough University in the UK. He has extensive experience of both manufacturing and product development and holds a number of patents. As an employee of Rolls Royce, he worked on projects for the Panavia Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon and, as an employee of GKN, engineering drivelines for Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles. He is a speaker and writer for CMI-UK/Europe and the author of Evolution: Good Science? Exposing the ideological nature of Darwin’s theory.

See a sample video of Dominic Statham:

Articles

• Evidence for Creation now banned from UK religious education classes
• The myth of neutrality
• Natural rafts carried animals around the globe
• Does Christianity lead to true morality or just obedience from fear?
• Is God watching?
• Does CMI misrepresent evolution?
• ‘Keep religion out of science classes’
• Dawkins gloats over boost to evolutionary dogma in schools
• Is DNA coded information?
• Scrambling scripture
• A book review of The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate by John H. Walton
• Review of Creation the movie
• Darwin, Lyell and Origin of Species
• Is Intelligence allowed?
• Are we Nothing more than a bag of chemicals?
• A revealing insight into European and world politics
• Hawking claims that life can form by chance: Aliens probably do exist says top cosmologist
• Heads I win, tails you lose
• General and special revelation
• ‘Creation magazine is purposely inaccurate and distorts the truth,’ claims evolutionist
• Creationists are slightly bonkers, says award-winning BBC broadcaster
• The mystery of the mummy
• How scientific is our science?
• More nails in the coffin of ‘junk DNA’
• In an increasingly godless society … TRUTH MATTERS
• Biogeography
• Britain needs God
• Atheist heavyweights move to ban creationists
• Plants and animals around the world
• Why is England burning?

Intelligent Design of Plants & Bacteria - Billy Crone

(7/10) An Intelligent Creation: Design of Plants & Bacteria - Billy Crone
by Get A Life Media Ministries

About eighty years ago the Scopes Monkey trial seemed to become the driving force where evolutionary teachings were eventually put into our schools and prayer and Bible reading were taken out. At this time, the evolutionists claimed that Biblical Creationists were being intellectually bigoted by excluding evolutionary teachings. But now we actually have this premise in reverse. Evolutionists truly are being intellectually bigoted by excluding the scientific facts of Biblical Creationism. Therefore, the stage is once again set to for the battle of our origins and our minds. Some are even calling it the modern day Scopes Monkey trial. It's the battle over Intelligent Design. Therefore, this series, An Intelligent Creation takes a look at the hardcore scientific data that logically reveals how all of life was intelligently designed implyng an Intelligent Designer, namely God. These logical evidences include the evidence of the Universe, the Solar System, the Earth, the Human Body, the Animal Kingdom, the Plant Kingdom, and the Bacteria Kingdom and much more. An Intelligent Creation clearly reveals that an Intelligent God created us for an intelligent purpose; to live a life beyond our wildest dreams in Him!