The simple sea urchin genome contains 24,000 genes. The human genome only contains 25,000 genes. So why is the genome of such a tiny, simple animal so large? What are all of those genes doing?

The answer is that many of the sea urchins genes are doing little if anything for the sea urchin but these genes are absolutely necessary for more advanced life forms. For example the sea urchin has no eyes and yet it has much of the genetic programing for the complex eye. It has only the most rudimentary immune system and yet it has the genetic coding necessary to produce some of the components of the very sophisticate, adaptive type immune system of higher organism as humans. The shocking truth is that the eye and immune systems are only two of many other similar examples of enormously complex genetic information being carried unused or minimally used in almost every simple organism. So where did these simple creatures get this highly sophisticated genetic coding that is only fully expressed and used in the most advanced organisms?

But wait, there is an even more profound mystery here? Sea urchins appear in the fossil record early in the Cambrian Explosion about 490 million years ago. So much of the genetic coding for organs like the eye and immune system were already present tens of millions of years before they were ever expressed. This means that these simple critters already contained much of the genetic coding for the most advanced organs right from day one (or if you are Biblically inclined, Day 3). According to the dominant Darwinian evolutionary model, genes cannot be selected for unless they have some immediate adaptive advantage. How then is it possible for the huge amount of genetic information necessary for these advanced organs to be present in creatures that do not express and use these organs?

The Darwinian reply is that these genes must have been doing something different, but useful, in the past. However, this is a very weak argument because it has almost no evidence to support it, and is not likely to garner any in the future. These genes represent massive data bases and are unlikely to have developed to preform some other now lost function.

Some argue that the presence of this under used, under expressed genetic material is an enormously strong indicator for advanced planning and intervention on the part of an intelligent agent in the unfolding of the biological history of the planet. The identity of this intelligent agent, whose name some dare not speak in public, is God. It is not unreasonable to conclude that no directionless, purposeless agent is capable of spontaneously producing the massive amounts of DNA coding necessary to pre-program these creatures for organs which they will not develop or fully use until the very distant future.

Dr. Michael Sherman has proposed a theory to the effect that, at some point prior to the Cambrian explosion, an organism appeared that contained all of the genetic coding for all multi-cellular organisms. He calls it the “Universal Genome”. This organism then proceeded to diverge through an evolutionary process to produce the panoply of creatures that inhabit the world today. He is also proposing a set of experiments to test the theory. For example the reptile genome contains the coding for the mammalian circulatory system. If these genes are activated, it may be possible to produce warm blooded reptiles. Another interesting test would be to remove these unused genes to see if any detrimental effects follow. If nothing detrimental to the organism happens, it is very strong evidence against the Darwinian claim an alternate utility.

It will be very interesting to watch this unfolding. Given the fact that these experiments have the potential of overturning the Darwinian paradigm, Dr. Sherman may have a great deal of difficulty in getting funding for his experiments.

Source:

“Universal Genome in the Origin of Metazoa”, Thoughts About Evolution, by Michael Sherman, Cell Cycle E-publications : www.landesbioscience.com/journals/cc/article/4557.