I’ve always been a big proponent of the theory of evolution. It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s the only answer that doesn’t rely on supernatural forces to explain life. But in all the debates about it, it seems that those opposing it focus on two things: irrational religious convictions, and that it relies on random mutations which, when they’re not immediately fatal, are often irrelevant.
A new discovery could eliminate at least one of those arguments. A one-sentence summary of this one-page synopsis: these scientists have discovered that cells carry on a process of continual minute changes to correct externally-imposed imbalances — a kind of “evolutionary feedback control mechanism.” I don’t quite see how change information from the rest of the body is transmitted to the sperm and ova cells (required if the changes are to affect the next generation), but that’s a problem for future research.
I don’t see how this mechanism supports evolution, unless one goes by Lamark who posited that Giraffes have long necks because animals stretched their necks to reach leaves at the top of the tree. Keep trying though, maybe you guys will find “proof”. 😉
The page I linked to was apparently trying to distill sense from a “maddeningly vague press release.” According to a well-known evolutionary scientist, it’s probably garbage. (Thanks to GoddessJ for letting me know about that article.)