About the cell

The world of the cell is a problem for Darwin’s take on evolution.

The previous post about the microscope was intended to draw the reader’s attention to the world of biochemistry, microbiology, and the cell. It was not possible in 1869 for Charles Darwin to have even an inkling of the world that was revealed to us in the twentieth century. In his lifetime and after, and through the early part of the twentieth century, the electron microscope had not been developed. However, as that technological marvel blossomed a world hitherto unknown, invisible to biologists became visible. This means today that Darwin’s view of how life progressed in a gradual step-by-step progression has to account for a micro world of staggering complexity.

Because of what was revealed by the electron microscope the cell could no longer be understood as a blob of protoplasm. Biochemist Dr. Michael Behe tells us that a cell has different compartments that you can compare to rooms in your home. There are transport systems that move material from one place to another. DNA is found in the cell’s nucleus. If you could extract the strand of DNA from one of your cells it would be around 2 meters long! I could go on and on and on in describing the mind-blowing aspects of the cell, but anyone can get a look at this on the internet. (It might be a good idea to stop reading right now and go look).

In The Naked Darwin I offer a critique of Darwin’s views on evolution based on the advances in science since 1859. Darwin’s argument was made in a world of, what we can now say was, biological ignorance. I emphasize that scientific knowledge has so enlarged our understanding of biology that his argument, born in ignorance of so much, is no longer tenable.

Along the way I share with readers how Darwin arrived at his views. It may surprise many to learn that the politics and social policies of his day, as well as his antipathy to the Christian religion of mid-nineteenth century England, played a very large role in his arriving at The Origin Of Species By Means of Natural Selection Or The Preservation of the Favoured Races In The Struggle For Life.

If you are looking for a slim volume to help you get up to date on where the conversation is going today, I recommend you get a copy of The Naked Darwin.