Pseudogenes: Evidence Against the Design of Humans?

  • Pseudogenes present in great apes and humans

    • Beta globin

    • Enolase

    • Vitamin C

  • Assumes that God would never reuse previous designs

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It has been argued that the presence of apparently copied, non-functional DNA sequences (known as pseudogenes) support the theory of evolution and invalidate the idea that an intelligent Agent created life on earth. Until 2003, no function had been found for any pseudogene. However, like other classes of non-coding DNA, a regulatory function has been found for at least one mammalian pseudogene.1 This finding destroys the evolutionary argument that these genes are merely evolutionary mistakes.

The idea that God would not create pseudogenes or include them in a species template that contained a pseudogene makes a theological conclusion about the nature of God. More information can be found at Pseudogenes- Argument for Evolution and Against Design?.


Definitions

Pseudogene
A genetic sequence of apparently copied, "non-functional" DNA that supposedly originated from a once-functional gene.

References Top of page

  1. Hirotsune, S., Yoshida, N., Chen, A., Garrett, L., Sugiyama, F., Takahashi, S., Yagami, K., Wynshaw-Boris, A., and Yoshiki, A. 2003. An expressed pseudogene regulates the messenger-RNA stability of its homologous coding gene. Nature 423:  91-96.


Last Modified June 21, 2006