Genome complexity; epigenetics: Lamarck is back (Introduction)

by dhw, Saturday, September 01, 2018, 10:00 (2277 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: You claimed that Lamarckian change, as quoted above, fitted Tony’s ideas about species. These include advance planning and new organisms appearing out of nowhere. I have simply pointed out that Lamarckian change, as quoted above, makes no mention of advance planning or of new organisms coming out of nowhere. So how does it fit Tony's ideas about species?

DAVID: Ward's point is some species are really Lamarckian adaptations of existing species and therefore not a new species. Tony's 'staged advances' from existing forms is simply a similar thought pattern I think.

That concerns the definition of species, which I think we have all agreed on now as referring to organisms which cannot interbreed. I thought you were referring to Tony’s ideas about species being planned and appearing out of nowhere, so I’m glad we’ve clarified the misunderstanding.

TONY: DNA is incredibly complex and informationally dense. Epigenetics will likely prove to be incredibly complex and informationally dense as we understand it more. To have such incredible finesse and control, complete with safeguards and redundancies and repair systems is absolutely not possible by chance.

Until we get a supporter of the chance theory to join us, there will be no discussion on this. The only open question is how design comes about.

TONY: In the end, we will find periodic creation of flora and fauna in limited branches at the cusp of great atmospheric or geologic changes in which the arriving types play a significant roll in the further development of the earth, such as balancing CO2 and O2 and other gasses in the atmosphere, or perhaps bacteria creating oil resevoirs as a form of planetary lubricant to deal with the internal stresses caused by the start of plate tectonics.
I would lay even money that every single creature on this earth has some role, some fundamental function in the ongoing development of this planet. And that is something that CAN be tested.

And how do you propose to test the fundamental function performed by the millions of life forms (root types and their variants) that have disappeared?