“Natural Selection Not The Only Process That Drives Evolution?”
I’m wondering what this means for evolutionary theory:
However, surprisingly, the patterns of molecular evolution in many of the genes they found did not contain signals of natural selection. Instead, their evidence suggests that a separate process known as BGC (biased gene conversion) has speeded up the rate of evolution in certain genes. This process increases the rate at which certain mutations spread through a population, regardless of whether they are beneficial or harmful.
[Link: Natural Selection Not The Only Process That Drives Evolution?]
It’s not random, and it’s not guided by selection—so what’s driving or directing it?
I don’t know, and I certainly don’t present it either as a problem for evolutionary theory or an advance for ID, because there’s not enough information here to go on. It’s not even clear how solid this finding is. It’s certainly intriguing, though.
I think this notion that it’s not “random” comes from the idea that whatever improves the ability to pass on genes is “selected.”
But, the initial genetic hiccup that causes the mutation is random, and since this natural selection is allegedly unguided, I think saying that it’s not mere chance is mostly smoke screen.