Junk DNA goodbye!: the battle with Dan Graur continues (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, May 09, 2020, 15:13 (1660 days ago) @ dhw

QUOTES: "If the human genome is indeed devoid of junk DNA as implied by the ENCODE project, then a long, undirected evolutionary process cannot explain the human genome. If, on the other hand, organisms are designed, then all DNA, or as much as possible, is expected to exhibit function. If ENCODE is right, then evolution is wrong." (David’s bold)

"He then admits in the talk that his goal is to “Kill ENCODE.”

DAVID: The 'no junk DNA' is important for atheists to fight as Graur explains. Despite Darwin's later protestations following his first edition that God did it, atheists need his natural evolution theory to stay intact.

dhw: We have discussed this over and over again. If ENCODE is right, and there is no junk, any self-respecting atheist should be able to say: there you are, natural selection ensures that only useful things survive. And just to keep the record clear: Darwin was an agnostic, and there is absolutely nothing in his theory of evolution that precludes the existence of God. Atheists are as guilty as theists in their constant misuse of that theory.

DAVID: You miss Graur's point. His atheism is based on chance as the only cause of evolution so there MUST be junk DNA which proves that point. I doubt there are atheists who think as you do.

dhw: You miss my point. If he is trying to prove that chance created life by rubbishing ENCODE’s findings, he won’t have much of a case, will he? Now please tell me what is wrong with my argument.

You are missing Graur's point. The key to his argument is chance mutations should fill DNA if most of them were useless and abandoned by natural selection.