Evolutionary Assumptions are Unnecessary for Good Science

These news items make the case
that far from being necessary to
good science, evolutionary assump-
tions are entirely irrelevant

by John D. Wise, PhD

We can celebrate together the wondrous works of our Lord’s creative mind, the amazing gifts of rationality, curiosity, and the desire to do good imparted by God’s image in our souls. Scientists and medical researchers activate that divine spark when they concern themselves with discovering reality and improving human health.

Study reveals how our bones are repaired by stem cells (Stanford Reports, 6 June 2025). This article makes no mention of evolution. The discoveries presented here hold great promise to improve bone health post-surgery and in our aging population.

In the past, scientists studying bone formation and healing have focused on the role of ill-defined mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), found in bone marrow and elsewhere in the body. But clinical studies testing benefits of MSCs in bone health have largely come up empty.

If at first you don’t succeed …

Ambrosi and his colleagues suspected that a much rarer, harder-to-study type of cell embedded in bone tissue – called skeletal stem cells – may play a more central role.

To explore this idea, Ambrosi and collaborators … analyzed skeletal stem cells from ten regions of the developing human skeleton and compared them to cells from adult patients throughout life, including people with fractures that failed to heal and people with bone diseases.

No evolutionary assumptions necessary! Just good observational science following up on rational assumptions, bringing new facts to light.

They discovered four major subtypes of skeletal stem cells, each specialized for building bone, cartilage, supportive bone marrow stroma, or fibrous tissue providing scaffolding….

In youth, these skeletal stem cell subtypes are balanced in a way that supports strong, flexible bones. But as people age – or when healing goes awry after injury – the balance shifts….

“This shift is part of why bones become more fragile with age and fail to heal properly,” Ambrosi explained.

Bone Avengers: superheroes of skeletal repair! Click to watch the Short Reel about this article.

Understanding of God’s magnificent engineering can lead to new therapies and improved outcomes for millions suffering from the devastating consequences of the Fall.

To understand this change with aging, and the source of the different stem cell types, the team developed a new computational approach to analyze which genes were turned up or down in the different populations of skeletal stem cells. This let them pinpoint specific networks of genes involved in balancing the reduction and promotion of bone formation.

Armed with this insight, the researchers identified a combination of two small molecules that together pushed aged or dysfunctional stem cells back toward a bone-building state.

Praise the Lord for scientists on the cutting edge of new medical breakthroughs that may soon improve our lives! As an insulin dependent diabetic my own life has been radically enriched because of men and women like this. And, seeing as my beloved Jenny is about to undergo her second hip replacement surgery in as many months, this report on the healing of bone was of special interest to me!

“Wonderfully Made: The Bones” – watch this Short/Reel about these self-repairing materials.

Watch Illustra’s dynamic video about the human skeleton!

USC Dornsife reveals how protein droplets help cells master difficult DNA repair (University of Southern California, 6 June 2025). This article also never mentions evolution. Again, we see the amazing work done by scientists engaged in uncovering some of the ‘invisible things from the creation of the world.’

For me it is discoveries like those presented in this article that finally overwhelmed my credulity concerning evolutionary plausibility. When scientists thought, as Darwin did, about the “simple cell” as a blob of protoplasm morphing itself into a variety of forms, aggregating and becoming increasingly more complex over millions of years, evolution retained an air of rational plausibility. Those days are long over.

Our glimpses into the unfathomable depths of the nano-complexity that is Life as revealed to us by modern science collapse the whole Darwinian house of cards before our very eyes. This story gives us another layer of complexity to ponder.

In the cramped space of the nucleus of each of our 30 trillion cells lies 6 feet of DNA that must be routinely and meticulously maintained. A host of tiny machines proofread and repair it, like little mechanics who never sleep. Our very lives depend upon these nano-mechanics.

As a former mechanic for Sears Automotive (I’ve worn a great many “hats” in my life), I can tell you how very difficult it can be to make repairs in tight quarters. It often requires specialized tools, great patience, a steady hand, understanding and experience to get the job done. How often I wished to be able to pluck a damaged part from the complex and delicate car-chaos surrounding it! If only such a thing were possible.

Meet the protein called Nup98. Apparently this little multitool is every mechanic’s dream!

When DNA breaks inside the cell, it can spell disaster, especially if the damage occurs in areas of the genome that are difficult to repair. Now, scientists Irene Chiolo and Chiara Merigliano at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences have discovered that a protein called Nup98, long known for helping traffic molecules in and out of the cell’s nucleus, plays another surprising role: guiding the cell’s most delicate repairs and reducing the risk of genetic mistakes that can lead to cancer. Their findings were published in Molecular Cell.

… the researchers revealed that Nup98 forms droplet-like structures deep inside the nucleus. These “condensates” act as protective bubbles around broken strands of DNA in areas called heterochromatin — zones where the genetic material is so tightly packed that making accurate repairs is especially challenging.

In these small compartments, Nup98 can help lift the damaged section out of that dense zone and create a safer space where it can be repaired accurately, reducing the chance of genetic mix-ups that could lead to cancer. This amazing protein can also pack the damaged site in heterochromatin, so it can reach a different part of the nucleus where repair is safer.

In addition to these already stunning functions (I guess my having been a mechanic for five years was of some value? God only knew!), Nup98 also monitors the progress of the ongoing repair, like my old shop manager, Melvin. Since I was always the junior mechanic on the crew, Mel often had to keep me away from the more experienced and skilled mechanics doing the delicate work. When they’d finished, I could do the routine stuff. It could have been disastrous to have my hands working in the wrong place at the wrong time. Here we see a similar manager in the form of a protein watching over a difficult process of DNA repair in the cell.

The protein’s droplet-like condensates act as a temporary shield around damaged DNA, keeping out certain repair proteins that can cause trouble if they arrive too soon. One of those proteins, called Rad51, can accidentally stitch together the wrong pieces of DNA if it gets involved too early in the process.

“The Nup98 droplets keep Rad51 away until other mechanisms have done their work to line up the correct pieces,” Chiolo said. “Only once the damaged heterochromatin moves into a different nuclear space, Rad51 can safely finish the repair.”

By coordinating this carefully staged process, Nup98 helps cells avoid dangerous genetic rearrangements — a key part of maintaining genome stability.

Every time we blink, it seems, scientists discover new layers of complexity in our amazing cellular workshops.

“Creation in a Minute: DNA” – watch this Short Reel about DNA on our YouTube Channel.

Praise God for His infinite wisdom and Creative Genius!

Praise God for Science and for the scientists who seek knowledge of His creation!

I have taken some vicious swipes at science over the last few weeks in my writing for Creation-Evolution Headlines. This appearance of animosity, however, is profoundly misleading.

Scientists are too busy doing science to care much about worldviews and the philosophy of science. For that we ought to be thankful. Though a great many of them inhabit a worldview radically different from my own (see my 1 May 2025 and 8 May 2025 articles), at the level of the daily grind of scientific research, there isn’t much space for disagreement.

Facts, after all, are facts (29 May 2025).

Good science really should be about uncovering facts. The scientist as seeker of knowledge aligns well with God’s word: “The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge” (Proverbs 15:14). Scientific discoveries are now and have always been endlessly fascinating to me. I am grateful to anyone who brings new facts to the table.