Is origin of life research going round in circles, like the proverbial snake in pursuit of its own tail? This is ID the Future, a podcast that isn’t afraid to tackle the big questions about evolution and intelligent design. Today, host Eric Anderson chats with physicist Dr. Brian Miller about circular reasoning and other problems in origin of life research. They discuss the work of Stephen Meyer and James Tour, highlighting the information problem and the difficulties in natural chemical synthesis of life’s building blocks. Miller analyzes a new paper on the supposed order of amino acid recruitment into the genetic code, critiquing its underlying circular reasoning. Dr. Miller also explains the concept of causal circularity in biological systems and reveals why intelligent design provides a better explanation for the origin of life than an unguided evolutionary scenario. 

What happens when scientists assume the very thing they’re trying to prove? After studying countless articles purporting to explain the origin or transformation of life through natural processes, Dr. Miller has noticed certain patterns occurring repeatedly. One of the most common is employing circular reasoning. As they study a trait in living organisms, investigators assume an evolutionary origin. Then, imagination takes over as scientists envision the ancestral version of the trait as well as a series of possible amino acid changes that led to the evolving protein. Issues of plausibility take a backseat to an engaging evolutionary story. The research has to fit the prevailing narrative. This approach is clearly demonstrated in a recent PNAS article on the order of amino acid recruitment in the genetic code. Dr. Miller critiques the paper, finding the paper’s claim of having “resolved” the order to be overstated given the underlying assumptions.

Brian Miller then discusses the concept of causal circularity: when a necessary biological component requires the very system that produces it to already be in place. He illustrates the idea with examples such as ATP production needing enzymes that themselves require ATP, and the DNA transcription and translation machinery being composed of proteins that depend on transcription and translation for their creation. Miller also points to metabolic pathways where an amino acid is required for the enzymes that synthesize it. He argues that these interdependent systems present a significant hurdle for unguided natural processes and are more consistent with intelligent design, which can account for such complex, mutually dependent systems from the beginning. Download the podcast or listen to it here.

Dig Deeper

• Read the article that inspired this conversation!
• More conversation with Dr. Brian Miller is here.