Author: Jonathan McLatchie

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan McLatchie

Date
May 7, 2026

Categories
Genetics
Intelligent Design
Tagged
, amino acids, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, Artem Novozhilov, codon mapping, codons, combinatorial space, conscious intent, Eugene Koonin, evolution, fine-tuning, frozen accident, genetic code, intelligent creator, intelligent design, natural selection, optimality, prebiotic selection, proteins, standard code, trial and error, tRNAs}

The Combinatorial Abyss: Why the Genetic Code Defies Chance

_{Jonathan McLatchie
May 7, 2026

Genetics, Intelligent Design

6}

It is highly improbable that the genetic code could have evolved by gradual trial and error. Read More ›

Sanger Sequencing. 3D illustration of a method of DNA sequencing.

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan McLatchie

Date
May 6, 2026

Categories
Biology
Genetics
Intelligent Design
Tagged
, alternative reading frames, coding-sequence overlaps, codon-anticodon duplex formation, codons, constraints, DNA, fine-tuning, frameshifts, frozen accident, genetic code, Genome Research, hydrogen bond, hydrophobicity, mistranslation, nucleosomes, point mutations, protein sequences, purine, pyrimidines, random codes, RNA, specificity, splicing signals, translation, translation errors, tRNA, wobble position}

The Genetic Code: Two More Levels of Optimization

_{Jonathan McLatchie
May 6, 2026

Biology, Genetics, Intelligent Design

5}

We have surveyed multiple levels at which the genetic code, far from a “frozen accident,” appears highly optimized across multiple independent constraints. Read More ›

Male construction road worker holding a stop sign and directing traffic on the street. Traffic management

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan McLatchie

Date
May 5, 2026

Categories
Biology
Genetics
Intelligent Design
Tagged
, alternative codes, amino acids, aspartic acid, biology, codon family, codons, deletions, frameshift, frameshift mutations, genetic code, genetics, glutamic acid, indels, insertions, intelligent design, mapping system, nucleotides, optimization, parameters, stop codons, translation, triplets}

Stop Signals in Disguise: How the Genetic Code Guards Against Frameshifts

_{Jonathan McLatchie
May 5, 2026

Biology, Genetics, Intelligent Design

4}

A frameshift mutation occurs as the result of indels (insertions or deletions) of a number of nucleotides that is non-divisible by three. Read More ›

DNA sequencing result, visualisation. Researches in genetics

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan McLatchie

Date
May 4, 2026

Categories
Genetics
Intelligent Design
Tagged
, amino acids, anti-codon, BioSystems, codons, constraints, cysteine, degeneracy, error-impact, fine-tuning, frameshift mutations, genetic code, intelligent design, leucine, mutations, optimization, overlapping coding sequences, proteins, redundancy, Ribosome, RNA, triplets, tryptophan, tyrosine, wobble position}

Introducing the Remarkable Genetic Code

_{Jonathan McLatchie
May 4, 2026

Genetics, Intelligent Design

8}

The optimization of the genetic code for error minimization is made possible by the redundancy of the code. What is meant by redundancy? Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan McLatchie

Date
April 28, 2026

Categories
Evolution
Intelligent Design
Tagged
, acyl transfer, aldehydes, alphabet, amino acids, anhydrides, atoms, biosynthetic cost, codons, cyclisation, decomposition, DNA replication, esters, Francis Crick, hydrolysis, hydrophobicity, ketones, nitriles, polypeptides, protein core, proteins, purposeful selection, racemisation, side chains, solubility, stability, surface, teleology, The FEBS Journal, tRNAs}

The Set of Amino Acids Used in Life Is No “Frozen Accident”

_{Jonathan McLatchie
April 28, 2026

Evolution, Intelligent Design

6}

Significantly, these data indicate that the space of usable amino acids is severely constrained. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan McLatchie

Date
March 6, 2026

Categories
Biology
Evolution
Intelligent Design
Tagged
, aerobic lifestyle, Alphaproteobacteria, Arctic Ocean, Asgard, Asgard archaea, cell division, cells, cytokinesis, electron transport chain complex, ESCRT-III division, eukaryotes, eukaryotic signature proteins, FtsZ proteins, hydrogenases, hydrothermal vent, Loki’s Castle, Lokiarchaeota, mitochondria, mitosis, Nature (journal), Norse deities, Odinarcheota, polymerization, synthesis, Thorarchaeota}

Do the Asgard Archaea Hold the Keys to Eukaryotic Origins?

_{Jonathan McLatchie
March 6, 2026

Biology, Evolution, Intelligent Design

8}

In 2015, a new superphylum of archaea was reported, having been discovered through metagenomic sequences of sediments. Read More ›

footprints and a car in the snow, a car stuck in a large pile of snow

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan McLatchie

Date
February 27, 2026

Categories
Evolution
Intelligent Design
Tagged
, abiogenesis, bacterial flagella, biochemists, bioinformatics, debates, demarcation criteria, DNA, Douglas Axe, falsifiability, glacial-interglacial cycles, God of the gaps, ID the Future, irreducibly complex systems, Keith Fox, Michael Behe, Peter S. Williams, philosophers, predictions, protein folds, specified complexity, Stephen Meyer, Tim McGrew, type III secretion system, Unbelievable?}

Debating Intelligent Design, Critic Keith Fox Is Still Stuck on Old Talking Points

_{Jonathan McLatchie
February 27, 2026

Evolution, Intelligent Design

8}

With DNA replication, it is unclear what other systems any of the components might be co-opted from. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan McLatchie

Date
February 6, 2026

Categories
Evolution
Intelligent Design
Tagged
, Center for Science and Culture, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, citrate, Creation Myths, Daniel Stern Cardinale, Darwin Devolves, Discovery Institute, DNA, DNA replication, DNA replisome, Escherichia coli, evolution, generation turnover time, genome duplication, intelligent design, Irreducible Complexity, irreducibly complex systems, lizards, Michael Behe, multicellularity, mutation rates, mutations, natural selection, neutral mutations, Paramecium tetraurelia, placenta, population size, retrovirus, Richard Lenski, Rutgers University, Scott Minnich, tetherin, tetherin antagonism, type III secretion system, viruses, YouTube channels}

Irreducible Complexity: A Reply and Challenge to Daniel Stern Cardinale

_{Jonathan McLatchie
February 6, 2026

Evolution, Intelligent Design

14}

I invite Stern Cardinale to attempt to provide a plausible evolutionary explanation of the origins of a complex system such as DNA replication. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan McLatchie

Date
January 28, 2026

Categories
Evolution
Genetics
Intelligent Design
Tagged
, Africa, African sleeping sickness, APOL1, Daniel Melamed, diseases, engineering, genes, genetic mutations, genomes, germline genome, haploid, heterozygotes, HindIII, homozygotes, Israel, malaria, MEMDS, mutation DNA, Mutation Enrichment followed by Maximum Depth Sequencing, mutation frequency, mutations, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, randomness, restriction enzyme, sperm, sperm DNA, Trypanosoma brucei, University of Haifa, wild-type DNA}

Could Genetic Mutations Be Non-Random? New Evidence for Mutational Bias

_{Jonathan McLatchie
January 28, 2026

Evolution, Genetics, Intelligent Design

4}

The researchers examined the emergence of a mutation in the human APOL1 gene that confers protection from African sleeping sickness. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan McLatchie

Date
January 14, 2026

Categories
Fine-tuning
Intelligent Design
Physics
Tagged
, Bayesian inference, Bayesian reasoning, causal ramification, chance, cosmic design, fine-tuning, fine-tuning arguments, improbability, intelligent design, Journal for General Philosophy of Science, King’s College London, multiverse, observation biases, philosophy, physical laws, physicists, physics, probability, Roberto Fumagalli, theism, universe}

New Peer-Reviewed Paper Defends Cosmic Fine-Tuning Argument

_{Jonathan McLatchie
January 14, 2026

Fine-tuning, Intelligent Design, Physics

11}

Fumagalli does not in the end state whether he himself lands on the multiverse hypothesis, cosmic design, or unknown physics as the best explanation. Read More ›