Engineered Complexity in the Microbial World

adaptations, bacteria, biology, Carolyn Hovde, Conference on Engineering in Living Systems, Dustin Van Hofwegen, E. coli, engineered complexity, Engineering, Evolution, evolutionary leap, genetic mechanisms, ID The Future, innovation, Intelligent Design, Jonathan Witt, Journal of Bacteriology, microbes, Podcast, Scott Minnich, University of Idaho
On a classic episode of ID the Future, host Jonathan Witt speaks with molecular biologist and professor Dustin Van Hofwegen about his research into the engineered complexity in microbial life. The two sat down at the yearly Conference on Engineering in Living Systems to discuss the event, which brings together biologists and engineers to study how engineering principles can be applied to living things, as well as Hofwegen’s article in the Journal of Bacteriology, co-authored with Carolyn Hovde and Scott Minnich, based on research conducted at the University of Idaho.  Hofwegen shares his research on the famous decades-long E. coli evolution experiment conducted by Richard Lenski, which showed the sudden appearance of an ability to utilize citrate after many generations. However, Van Hofwegen’s own Read More › Source
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Recurring Design Logic in Gene Regulation

Aliivibro fischeri, architect, autoinducer, autophosphorylation, bacteria, biology, CheB, chemical gradient, chemotaxis, CheW, CheY, common descent, design logic, diffusion rate, EnvZ, Evolution, genes, histidine, Intelligent Design, kinase, methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins, methyltransferase, OmpR, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, quorum sensing, recurring design logic, regulatory systems, two-component systems
A feature of biology that has struck me over the years is the phenomenon of recurring design logic, across systems that do not appear to be related by descent. Source
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Günter Bechly on Life’s Sudden Information Explosions

ancestral species, Avalon explosion, bacteria, biological explosions, body plans, Cambrian Explosion, common ancestry, descendant species, Evolution, genes, Günter Bechly, ID The Future, Intelligent Design, mammals, neo-Darwinian process, paleontologists, paleontology, placental mammals, Podcast, protein folds, Sarah Chaffee, Stephen Meyer, Triassic explosion
“There’s no reasonable way,” Bechly concludes, “to get from bacteria to mammals via evolutionary processes.” Source
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Darwin’s Zombies Are Still Shambling Along

Aleksandr Oparin, Antonia Monteiro, Antonion Lazcano, bacteria, butterflies, Evolution, fitness, genetic mutations, Heliconius, Icons of Evolution, inheritance, Intelligent Design, Jonathan Wells, Lepidopterans, mainstream media, materialism, MicroRNAs, moths, peppered moths, RNAs, Science (journal), selection, Stanley L. Miller, University of Singapore, Zombie Science
When will scientists and reporters learn not to trot out these falsified stories? Source
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ORFanID: An Online Search Engine for Identifying Orfan Genes

bacteria, bioinformatics, C. elegans, D. melanogaster, Discovery Institute, DNA, E. coli, Evolution, evolutionary paradigm, fungi, gene classification, genes, genomes, genomics, genomics analysis, H. sapiens, Intelligent Design, nucleotide sequences, O. sativa, ORfan genes, plants, PLOS ONE, S. cerevisiae, search engine, taxonomic groups, Z. mays
The existence of such genes is surprising given the hypothesis of universal common descent. Source
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Information Spreads in the Atmospheric Highway

aeromicrobiome, antibacterial resistance, bacteria, biology, cloud aerosols, clouds, Daisuke Tanaka, desiccation, Enceladus, Evolution News, France, Fumito Maruyama, fungi, Hunga-Tonga volcano, information, information storage, Intelligent Design, Michael Behe, Physics, Earth & Space, Pierre Amato, PLOS ONE, SEA, spores, Titan, Xavier Rodó
Genetic information gets around. In the troposphere — much higher above land than expected — bacteria and fungi hitch a ride to faraway places. Source
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Newly Discovered War Machines in the Immune System

ATP synthase motor, bacteria, bacterial cell wall, biology, body bag, caspase-4, Darwin’s Bluff, dimers, Evolution, Foresight (book), GBP1 proteins, guanylate binding proteins, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, immune proteins, infection, Intelligent Design, Irreducible Complexity, John MacMicking, kinesin, mere abstract, molecular machines, Mother Nature, natural selection, Origin of Species, pathogen, Robert Shedinger, terrorist, viruses, Yale University
A newly discovered defense against pathogens involves armor and bullets that render an attacker immobile and self-destructing. Source
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Co-Option and Protein Homology Don’t Explain the Evolution of the Flagellum

author, bacteria, bacterial flagellum, Brian Miller, co-option, coordination, Darwin Devolves, Darwin's Black Box, Emily Reeves, Evolution, evolutionary models, flagellar assembly, flagellar function, H. Allen Orr, indirect evolution, Intelligent Design, Irreducible Complexity, mental agent, Michael Behe, Nicholas Matzke, protein homology, proteins, Rope Kojonen, Stephen Dilley, synchronization, T3SS, The Compatibility of Evolution and Design, The Compatibility of Evolution and Design (series), Type 3 Secretory System
Rope Kojonen wants to join “design and evolution,” but only by setting aside some of the main features of the flagellum. Source
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The Superior Programming that Makes Plants Look Smart

animals, anthropomorphism, bacteria, behavior, biology, Chapman University, Curiosity rover, Darwinians, Duke University, ethylene, flowers, herbivores, Ian T. Baldwin, intelligence, Intelligent Design, ivy, leaf senescence, leaves, Life Sciences, memory, Michael Pollan, Nature (journal), nitrogen, programming, Richard Karban, self-awareness, strigolactone, synthetic organic chemistry, tendrils, tentacles, The New Yorker, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, trees, Wesley Smith
Two signaling molecules — strigolactone and ethylene — can work independently to begin the process of leaf senescence. Source
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