For decades, we’ve thought the control center of life lies in DNA. But a new scientific framework is emerging that challenges that idea. It suggests that vast portions of the genome are immaterial and lie outside the physical world. Today, physicist Dr. Brian Miller shares his perspective on the cutting-edge, potentially revolutionary research of mathematical biologist Dr. Richard Sternberg, described in David Klinghoffer’s new book, Plato’s Revenge, on the immaterial aspects of the genome.

Immaterial? As in not material? It’s a daring proposition, to be sure, and one that has the power to change everything we understand about life. Sternberg’s proposal runs dramatically counter to the conventional physicalist view of the gene. But recent findings reveal that genetic and even epigenetic sources alone cannot account for the rich dynamism of life — not even close. Some other informational source is required.

Image source: Discovery Institute Press.

In this discussion, Dr. Miller shares several examples of the immaterial nature of life:

• The complexity of molecular biology, where genes can be located on different chromosomes at different times, and processes like splicing and nucleotide alteration defy the simple DNA-as-software analogy. As scientists analyze what controls these complex processes, they encounter an “infinite regress” of needed information.
• The challenges in developmental biology, where cells and tissues move and change in three dimensions. Mathematicians like René Thom have argued that controlling these complex shapes would require an “immaterial” mathematical or algebraic structure outside of time and space. Dr. Miller uses the analogy of a blindfolded marching band trying to create a complex map to illustrate how starting information alone is insufficient; there must be something constantly guiding and correcting development. This aligns with the research of biologist Michael Levin at Tufts University and Harvard, who discusses “top-down design” or “teleonomy” and how embryos exhibit creative problem-solving, using novel mechanisms to get back “on track” when perturbed.
• The non-algorithmic nature of life. Unlike a simple, solvable problem such as finding the shortest route (the “traveling salesman problem”), life processes, especially development, face “open-ended problems.” Embryos come up with “very creative solutions” to perturbations, using mechanisms they’ve never used before, which simple algorithms cannot account for. This suggests that life is fundamentally governed by something akin to cognition or decision-making.
• The mathematical impossibility of containing all necessary information for development within the physical zygote. Dr. Miller estimates the enormous number of “independent regions” and “stages” in embryonic development, leading to a billion or more transitions, each requiring far more information than the DNA or even all the molecules can provide. The sheer amount of information needed is a core part of the immaterial genome argument.

Dr. Miller also points out that Dr. Sternberg is not alone in questioning the materialist view; other visionary scientists, including famous figures historically, and more recently, top mathematicians like Robert Rosen (who argued life can’t be modeled algorithmically) and leading biologists like Michael Levin (who uses language similar to Sternberg, even discussing “Platonic forms” and “pansychism”), are recognizing the need for immaterial explanations. He notes a recent book from MIT Press that highlights how leaders in the field see “evidence of cognition, decision-making,” and “purpose” central to life.

These ideas point towards the earliest stages of the next great scientific revolution and have significant implications for the intelligent design debate. Download the podcast or listen to it here.

Dig Deeper

• Get your copy of Plato’s Revenge: The New Science of the Immaterial Genome.
• Listen to our recent conversation with David Klinghoffer about Dr. Sternberg’s research