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Pre-Adaptation and Intelligent Design

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One of the things that I find interesting from a design perspective is the existence of adaptive systems that don’t presently help them out. That is, they may have cellular response systems which help them in all sorts of scenarios which an ordinary individual is not subject to.

The problem for Darwinian evolution, is both how do you create and then maintain such configurations in absence of strong selection? Even if one were to grant the ability of strong selection to build complex features (I don’t), many of these systems have no selection whatsoever going on for the average individual. There are backup systems and backups of backup systems.

Evolutionists from a Darwinian perspective usually try to explain this away by saying, “well, at some point in the past, there was sufficient selective pressure to make this happen.”

Even granting that, there is now a new line of research that shows that organisms are adapted to environments for which they can be provably not to have previously experienced: namely, space.

A group of researchers noted that cells began altering their gene expression immediately in altered gravity environments. That’s right, you were designed (there is literally no other word) to be able to adapt to other gravity conditions. You body immediately detects this change and then alters gene expression appropriately.

Comments
johnnyb @12:
Gordon – sorry about the delay in responding – just going back over my old articles and noticed your comment.
No problem, and... the same goes for me. :-)
I didn’t go through all the details, and I’m curious why you think it is decreasing its effectiveness, but the reason why it is probably an adaptation is because it begins with regulatory DNA, which then cascades to switch genes on-and-off. This is a classic adaptational process. We may not be familiar with how each part of it applies to the situation, but the safe bet in biology is to presume that regulatory processes that are reliably linked with stimuli are beneficial for that stimuli.
The reason I think these changes are decreasing the immune system's effectiveness is that something is decreasing its effectiveness, and the changes they're cataloging are the only candidates I see for the cause of that decrease. More specifically: there's no inherent need for the immune system to do anything different in space than it does on land. It shouldn't need to adapt. Ideally, it should do exactly the same thing in space that it does on land. But that's not what happens: in space, it reacts differently (and less effectively) to infections. Now, it's possible that this decrease in effectiveness is due to something other than the changes studied in this paper, and that without the changes its effectiveness would be even worse. But I don't see any evidence for either of these things. (The authors do describe this as adaptation -- or at least the capacity for adaptation -- but I don't see evidence.) I agree that the changes studied look like a complex regulatory system, but they also look like a complex cascading failure in an existing complex system. And the net result, a decrease in effectiveness, seems to support the "cascading failure" hypothesis.Gordon Davisson
August 2, 2017
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[...] V. fischeri may help modulate the host stress responses under modeled microgravity. This study provides a window into the adaptive responses that the host animal and its symbiont use during modeled microgravity. [...] the presence of symbiotic bacteria help maintain homeostasis of the innate immune and oxidative environment of the host animal during modeled microgravity conditions.
Transcriptomic changes in an animal-bacterial symbiosis under modeled microgravity conditions Giorgio Casaburi,1 Irina Goncharenko-Foster,1 Alexandrea A. Duscher,1 and Jamie S. Fostera, Sci Rep. 2017; 7: 46318. doi:  10.1038/srep46318 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5385879/pdf/srep46318.pdf
Complex functionally specified informational complexityDionisio
August 1, 2017
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It is well known that oocytes and zygotes have a strong DNA repair capacity [...]
Healthy offspring from freeze-dried mouse spermatozoa held on the International Space Station for 9 months Sayaka Wakayama,a,1 Yuko Kamada,b Kaori Yamanaka,c Takashi Kohda,d Hiromi Suzuki,e Toru Shimazu,e Motoki N. Tada,f Ikuko Osada,f Aiko Nagamatsu,g Satoshi Kamimura,b Hiroaki Nagatomo,a,h Eiji Mizutani,b Fumitoshi Ishino,d Sachiko Yano,g and Teruhiko Wakayama Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 114(23): 5988–5993. doi:  10.1073/pnas.1701425114 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5468614/pdf/pnas.201701425.pdf
Complex functionally specified informational complexityDionisio
August 1, 2017
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Wanna volunteer for a trip? :)
Space agencies considering a mission to Mars (to visit or colonize) will want to consider these and other ethical questions in order to better ensure the safety and well-being of their crews.
Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kid: ethical implications of pregnancy on missions to colonize other planets. Schuster H1, Peck SL Life Sci Soc Policy. 12(1):10. doi: 10.1186/s40504-016-0043-5 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4996799/pdf/40504_2016_Article_43.pdf
Dionisio
August 1, 2017
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The harmful space environment is known to cause detrimental health consequences in humans. Omics studies might reveal unknown, and perhaps unique, pathways in response to the space environment.
Transcriptomics, NF-?B Pathway, and Their Potential Spaceflight-Related Health Consequences. Zhang Y1, Moreno-Villanueva M2,3, Krieger S4,5, Ramesh GT6, Neelam S7,8, Wu H9 Int J Mol Sci. 18(6). pii: E1166. doi: 10.3390/ijms18061166. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5485990/pdf/ijms-18-01166.pdf
Complex functionally specified informational complexityDionisio
August 1, 2017
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Due to their exceeding sensitivity to gravitational changes, cells of the human immune system represent an ideal model system to understand how gravity on Earth is required for normal cell function. [...] the detected regulatory processes are associated with a differentially expressed G-protein coupled receptor what might trigger further signal transduction processes. Currently, it is unknown, in which extent different levels of very low gravity are transduced into a cellular response. [...] the current knowledge about biological effects of gravitational changes in the frame of the very low gravity environment is very limited. [...] human cells are equipped with a robust and efficient adaptation potential when challenged with altered gravitational environments.
Dynamic gene expression response to altered gravity in human T cells Cora S. Thiel,1,2 Swantje Hauschild,1,2 Andreas Huge,3 Svantje Tauber,1,2 Beatrice A. Lauber,1 Jennifer Polzer,1 Katrin Paulsen,1 Hartwin Lier,4 Frank Engelmann,4,5 Burkhard Schmitz,6 Andreas Schütte,6 Liliana E. Layer,1 and Oliver Ullrich1,2,7,8 Sci Rep. 2017; 7: 5204. doi:  10.1038/s41598-017-05580-x https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5507981/pdf/41598_2017_Article_5580.pdf
Complex functionally specified informational complexityDionisio
August 1, 2017
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Gordon - sorry about the delay in responding - just going back over my old articles and noticed your comment. I didn't go through all the details, and I'm curious why you think it is decreasing its effectiveness, but the reason why it is probably an adaptation is because it begins with regulatory DNA, which then cascades to switch genes on-and-off. This is a classic adaptational process. We may not be familiar with how each part of it applies to the situation, but the safe bet in biology is to presume that regulatory processes that are reliably linked with stimuli are beneficial for that stimuli. The authors hold that view as well:
Due to the extensive and rapid alteration of gene expression associated with regulatory RNAs, we conclude that human cells are equipped with a robust and efficient adaptation potential when challenged with altered gravitational environments.
johnnyb
July 31, 2017
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Johnnyb, I still don't see why you think this is a sign of design. Yes, they showed that the immune system immediately goes through a number of changes under microgravity, but these changes decrease its effectiveness. I'd call that malfunction, not adaptation.Gordon Davisson
July 24, 2017
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johnnyb @9: Interesting observation. Thanks. The biological systems seem tightly associated with some kind of embedded variability framework / built-in adaptability framework that may explain some of the situations we see.Dionisio
July 23, 2017
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I think that there is a misperception here. Being predisposed to adapt is not the same thing as being perfect. This is what causes Darwinists to miss so much design (and occasionally ID'ers, too). Anytime they see anything that doesn't exactly match what they imagine would be a designed system, they think "can't be designed"). I agree that the immune system, in its present state, is not perfect for low-gravity situations. However, what the study showed, is that the immune system immediately starts adapting to low-gravity situations. This is not the same thing as saying that it is 100% equally effective in low-gravity situations, but rather that it has specific systems which enable compensation. This is utterly amazing.johnnyb
July 22, 2017
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We’re not even “designed” to live on the majority of our home planet, let alone space. So? Most cars don't work well underwater. Perhaps they weren't designed to do so. Most submarines don't work well on land. Perhaps they weren't designed to do so.Mung
July 22, 2017
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We were made to be good but with relatively* free will to choose not to. We chose not to. Had we stayed in Eden, none of the many problems we face in this world would have been an issue at all. Too late now. But there's hope. Ultimately we shall be eternally rejoicing in the presence of our Maker, by His grace alone, through saving faith in Christ alone. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Christ is Lord. Unfortunately then it will be too late for many who didn't accept the gracious offer to reconcile with our Maker. They proffered Frank Sinatra's popular song "my way" instead of God's way. Now, in the meantime, we can enjoy reading about the increasing number of scientific research discoveries shedding light on the wonderfully designed biological systems. (*) God's sovereignty is absolute. Our free will is subordinated to God's will.Dionisio
July 22, 2017
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We're not even "designed" to live on the majority of our home planet, let alone space. Our cells cannot repair DNA damage due to the vastly reduced amount of radiation that reaches the earth's surface, let alone the amount of radiation we would be exposed to on a mission to Mars. In many habited locations, the nights are cold enough to kill a human being unprotected by clothing and other technology. So, while intergalactic space would kill someone is seconds, the vast majority of places on earth would do so in a matter of hours. Our ability to survive here is due to us having created a life support system on our planet, in the form of clothes, homes, utilities, hospitals, etc. Most places on the primeval earth were death traps for humans. Even the Great Rift Vally in East Africa, where most of our species evolved, was infested with predators, parasites and organisms that spread disease. Most human beings died after being injured, drenched, started, poisoned and sickened. IOW, our ability to survive in these environments is not be due to us being "designed" to exist in them, but because we've created the necessary knowledge to adapt our environment to us.critical rationalist
July 22, 2017
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Available evidences show that the biological systems were made to be on this planet only. The embedded variability framework/ built-in adaptability framework supposedly work on this planet only. Anything else seems like speculation.Dionisio
July 22, 2017
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I haven't read the paper in detail (and probably won't -- I don't have the background to understand it properly), but from a quick look I got pretty much the opposite impression. They seem to be talking about the human immune system not being adapted for space. From the first paragraph of the introduction (with my emphasis):
Due to their exceeding sensitivity to gravitational changes, cells of the human immune system represent an ideal model system to understand how gravity on Earth is required for normal cell function.
And a couple of paragraphs on:
Since the early days of human spaceflight, an enhanced susceptibility to infections has been predicted for the Gemini missions and was observed during the Apollo missions, where astronauts suffered from bacterial and viral infections. First evidence suggesting disturbed cellular function arose from investigations of lymphocytes from astronauts of the Soyuz and Skylab missions, that showed a considerably decreased response to mitogenic stimulation during and after flight.
So far from being pre-adapted for space (and microgravity), the human immune system fails to work properly under these conditions. (And the point of the paper is to understand exactly what goes wrong in terms of gene expression.)Gordon Davisson
July 22, 2017
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Every day this fits better: What is IDvolution? IDvolution - God “breathed” the super language of DNA into the “kinds” in the creative act. This accounts for the diversity of life we see. The core makeup shared by all living things have the necessary complex information built in that facilitates rapid and responsive adaptation of features and variation while being able to preserve the “kind” that they began as. Life has been created with the creativity built in ready to respond to triggering events. Since it has been demonstrated that all living organisms on Earth have the same core, it is virtually certain that living organisms have been thought of AT ONCE by the One and the same Creator endowed with the super language we know as DNA that switched on the formation of the various kinds, the cattle, the swimming creatures, the flying creatures, etc.. in a pristine harmonious state and superb adaptability and responsiveness to their environment for the purpose of populating the earth that became subject to the ravages of corruption by the sin of one man (deleterious mutations). IDvolution considers the latest science and is consistent with the continuous teaching of the Church. http://www.idvolution.org Where Faith and Reason Intersectbuffalo
July 22, 2017
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The biological systems seem to possess built-in adaptability / embedded variability frameworks (BAF / EVF). Basically that's why the Galapagos finch appears with different beak shapes. Darwin grossly extrapolated that onto his macroevolution nonsense. Over a century later we're paying the consequences of that mistake.Dionisio
July 21, 2017
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Interesting topic. Thanks.Dionisio
July 21, 2017
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