Surprising Discovery About DNA

70 years after Watson and Crick had their breakthrough insight

into the structure of DNA, another intriguing discovery is made.

the double helix of dnaNowadays, the core structure of DNA, the molecule that stores the genetic blueprint for life, is fairly well known. But this wasn't always the case.

The structure was first proposed by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953, and it involved "two helical chains each coiled round the same axis" (i.e. a double helix), while "the sequences of the atoms in the two chains run in opposite directions" and are "held together by... bases... in pairs." Their proposal was first published in Nature magazine on April 25, 1953.

This was a commendable and significant discovery, and helped pave the way for a better understanding of genetics and biology, the stuff of life itself.

In my free book Letter To The Atheists I proposed that the core concepts of genetics and biology have also been hidden in plain view, for thousands of years, in the Biblical story of Jacob and his time with Laban, which spans just five chapters of the book of Genesis (chapters 28 to 32).

These concepts include...

  • the structure of DNA
  • the nature of codons as information storage
  • the nature of the four DNA bases
  • the process of transcription from DNA to mRNA
  • the process of translation from mRNA to proteins, via ribosomes
  • Gene splicing, i.e separating the introns from the exons
  • the ideas of selection and mutation
  • the two error correcting processes necessary to preserve genetic information
  • Cell cycle checkpoints that prevent errors prior to cell division
  • The process of cell division
  • The idea of a whole gene, with introns, exons and other bits and pieces
  • The concept of crossing over (or recombination) in sexual reproduction
  • The idea of dominant and recessive genes (alleles).

I proposed that these concepts are hidden in analogy form, in that a series of events take place in the story, but that a large number of these events are also analogous to biological processes or concepts.

Of course, if there were only one or two analogies to be made, it could merely be coincidence. However, since at least a dozen can be found, all in the same story of Jacob and Laban, some of them being fairly complex, and each one taking us in a logical way through the core concepts of genetics and microbiology, this suggests it is not coincidence at all, but a deliberate pattern.

It's the kind of extraordinary evidence atheists are looking for. If there exists such a thing as a "Signature of God"... I think this cluster of analogies would easily qualify for being it.

I cover the first set of analogies in chapters 8 to 13 of Letter To The Atheists (Part 1), which can either be downloaded for free in PDF format, or you can read them directly online, starting from Chapter 8 and ending at Chapter 13.

In Chapter 13 I also address potential objections to this overall idea, such as the accusation that I am "reading into" the account, like seeing faces in clouds.

I have also put Chapter 59 online, which reveals the second set of analogies.

See what you think.

Will you at least consider this with a somewhat open mind? That's all I'm asking.

If I'm wrong about these analogies, all it will cost you is a little of your time, and you may may learn more about microbiology.

If I'm right, the implication is that the God of Jacob has gone out of his way to provide the kind of extraordinary evidence some of his fiercest critics (such as atheists) have been asking for.