I believe that I needed to explore the possibility that pseudogenes (classical non-processed) are in fact defective non-functioning genes. The presence of pseudogenes can be explained within both paradigms, whether entropy is increasing (Creationary) or decreasing (Evolutionary). However, if every part of the cell does indeed have a specific purpose as is stated by some Creationists, It would be very hard to explain the presence of pseudogenes in the DNA of living organisms. At least with our present knowledge of pseudogenes.

At some point in the future, It is always possible that a function might be found for pseudogenes. However, because of the similarity in structure of these pseudogenes to normal genes, it seems unlikely that a creationary function of pseudogenes will be demonstrated. They just seem to have all the expected attributes of a defective gene.

In the literature today, there has been some reports that various pseudogenes do seem to have some kind of function. However, it must be remembered that in the creationary paradigm, just because a pseudogene affects some other cellular parameter, it does not mean that what we see is the original function as created from the Hand of God.

If life is slowly increasing in entropy, we would expect to find various genes with a weakened function or even having none of the original created function. In addition, some other accidental function could possibly be set up in the process. The cell is a highly reactive place with an untold number of reactions taking place all throughout the cell. If a gene has been modified, It seems likely that it's partially broken down presence will probably affect other processes in the cell by happenstance. These new so called functions may or may not be benificial to the cell.

So just because various pseudogenes are reported to have some function in the cell, is not sufficient enough reason to state that the original created function has been found.

Ever since I have read the initial report of the Human Genome project and their description of what they found (Nature 15 February 2001); I have become more excited knowing that the Human Genome (and the DNA of other organisms) shows great promise in giving us the evidence for the degradation of the genetic code since Creation week.

David Baltimore, in his paper Our genome unveiled, Nature 409, 814-816, 15 February 2001 notes that out of the, 3.2 Gigabases, that is the estimated total size of our genome; as much as 45% of our DNA is probably parasitic in nature. He states that "In places, the genome looks like a sea of reverse-transcribed DNA with a small admixture of genes. " He continues: "By contrast, the puffer fish - another vertebrate - has a genome that contains very few repeats. But it encodes a perfectly functional creature, so it seems likely that most of the repeats are simply parasitic, selfish DNA elements that use the genome as a convenient host."

I think this understanding that David has, in classifying this portion of the DNA as parasitic, can fit well within the creationary paradigm. We might expect the genetic DNA code of organisms to become more corrrupted as time increases. That is exactly what is illustrated in these sequences. The puffer fish helps to support the idea that these reverse-transcribed DNA sequences are not needed for a eukaryotic vertebrate genetic system to function. They are probably parasitic in natuure.

So, I believe that both classical non-processed pseudogenes and processed pseudogenes are the result of degradation from the original creation.

What would be the nature of the degradation in organisms? Would Island Speciation throw some light on this question. The Bible seems to suggest a few definite ways that man has degraded.

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WebMaster: Michael Brown
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Officially posted June 19, 1998
last revised January 1, 2010