A little over thirty years ago, during the
eighties, some of the fundamental concepts of evolution seemed to be quite
clear. Let us look at a few:
- The DNA of every living being
is an encrypted message that perfectly describes how to build the
corresponding phenotype (the adult individual). All the information is in
the genes. (Mechanistic reductionism).
- Most DNA is unnecessary (junk DNA) and has been accumulated due to
errors and repetitions in the transcription of the genomes of living
beings.
- The best metaphor to represent
the organization of a genome is a set of beads
on a string.
- Genes are the repositories of inheritance, and each gene
specifies a biological function.
- Evolutionary processes take place through random mutations that act on a single gene, which are subject to natural selection, which results in small incremental increases in the adaptation of living beings to the environment.
