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Press Release: Tuesday, October 18, 1994
NEW THEORY REFUTES EVOLUTION
A new scientific theory that explains the origin and
diversity of life on Earth, and that contradicts the widely
accepted fundamentals of Darwinian evolution, was announced today
by the theory's author from his research facilities in Madison,
Wis. The new theory, a culmination of 12 years of modern genome
research and investigations in molecular genetics, asserts that
the overwhelming majority of Earth's life forms originated
independently in the proverbial primordial pond, and that the
natural-selection mechanism described by evolution theory could
have produced only minor variations among basically similar
species. These conclusions dramatically refute all of the
prevailing theories of species evolution, first articulated by
Charles Darwin in 1859, which hold that all species have evolved
from only one or a few primitive single-celled ancestors in the
primordial pond, and that the rich variety of life forms on Earth
is a product of natural selection, a mechanism often
characterized by the phrase "survival of the fittest."
Dr. Periannan Senapathy, a molecular biologist and genome
researcher, announced the new theory in the form of a four-page
synopsis released today, and noted that a book-length explanation
of the theory, fully annotated with experimental data, computer-
generated models and other evidence to support his conclusions,
will be published next week by Genome Press, also in Madison.
"Many of the premises that feed the theory have already been
published, in separate pieces, for peer review in scientific
journals," Senapathy said. "But the unified theory as a whole is
entirely new, and more than a little radical, so naturally I'm
eager to hear the feedback from my peers."
The new theory, titled "Independent Birth of Organisms,"
rests primarily on two newly acquired insights, both of which
contradict orthodox evolution theory. First, the new theory
asserts that the genome, or "genetic program," for every distinct
organism is by nature permanently closed to any evolutionary-
scale changes. And second, the new theory contends and explains
how the random assembly of primordial chemical components into
genes and complete genomes was in fact statistically inevitable,
rather than highly improbable as previously believed.
All evolution theories rest on the assumption that only one
or a few primitive organisms emerged from the random chemical
reactions in the primordial pond. That critical assumption rests
in turn on an assessment of the chances that any organism could
have emerged from the primordial pond. Some researchers have
claimed that, statistically, the random assembly of primordial
components into even a single primitive genome would have been
virtually impossible, and that the origin of the first organism
therefore can be explained only by some fantastically improbable
accident. But the new theory contradicts that assumption, on the
basis of data obtained by the unprecedented application of
sophisticated statistical-analysis methods and modern computer
power to new insights into molecular genetics. "One dramatic
finding of my research is that the primordial pond actually
produced an abundant assortment of genes and fully formed
genomes," Senapathy said. "The diverse assortment of chemical
compounds in the primordial pond, combining and recombining under
an extraordinary range of extreme conditions, and over geologic
time, could have easily produced a full complement of gene
segments." Moreover, according to the new theory, the abundance
of genes in the primordial pond made the formation of multitudes
of viable genomes statistically inevitable. "Those genomes that
were meaningless perished instantly," explained Senapathy, "but
the many organisms coded by viable genomes became the prototypes
for all of the organisms that walk, swim, fly and flower over the
Earth today."
The new theory also deviates from accepted evolution
theories in its claim that the genome of every distinct organism
is forever closed to evolutionary-scale changes. "Independent
Birth of Organisms" agrees that natural selection can produce
minor variations of basically similar species, and notes that the
dozens of species of snails, for example, may well have evolved
by natural selection from a single snail ancestor. But the
genetic mutation of one organism into an entriely new organism,
even gradually over many generations, is virtually impossible,
according to the new theory. "Recent advances in our
understanding of genome mechanics, DNA sequences and genetic
mutations tell us that the genome of any given organism is much
more rigid than previously believed," Senapathy explained. "A
few adaptive mutations are statistically plausible, but on an
evolutionary scale genomes are essentially fixed and immutable."
Since receiving his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of
Science in 1979, Dr. Senapathy has been engaged in molecular-
level genome research, first at the National Institutes of Health
(1980 87), and then at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
(1987 90), before launching his own genetics R&D firm in 1990.
His work in molecular genetics and genome biology has included
significant contributions to the Human Genome Project
commissioned by the U.S. government, other advanced genome
research, and numerous publications in prominent scientific
journals.
"The doctrine of evolution carries such an obvious
intellectual and even aesthetic appeal, and has become so
ingrained in our culture, that many people, scientists included,
tend to forget that the theory was never proven," Senapathy
noted. "Evolution theory has prevailed simply because no better
theory has come along to challenge it, but science has amassed
plenty of evidence that evolution theories can't explain." As
examples, Senapathy cited the obvious gaps in the fossil record,
the sudden appearance of multitudes of new organisms all at once
in the fossil record--a phenomenon known as the "Cambrian
explosion"--and the complexities of advanced organ systems that
most scientists agree seem unlikely to have evolved by natural
selection. "Darwin himself conceded several inexplicable
problems with his own theory that remain unresolved to this day,"
Senapathy continued, "but virtually all of the contradictions
that have dogged evolutionists since Darwin are easily resolved
by this new explanation of the birth of organisms."
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