Lenski's Citrate-Utilizing Bacteria - An Evolution Scandal
Peace be upon you
Dear brothers and sisters
This video is a continuation of
"It's a Goat, even if it Flies":
the 22nd episode of
"The Journey of Certainty"
The myth disciples tell you:
Evolution is driven by
unintentional processes
the most important of which
are genetic mutations
They say that bacteria, for instance,
"developed a new useful characteristic
through random mutations
in a limited timeframe
Accordingly, over billions of years
bacteria could have evolved
into all types of organisms
through random mutations;
among other processes
We'll delay the discussion on
"over billions of years"
and the validity of such an assumption
and delay our discussion
of the assumption
that if we prove that randomness
can grant bacteria beneficial traits
it also means that bacteria can
evolve by chance
into all the organisms that we see
We will discuss all this later
and focus on the main issue:
Can 'randomness' truly develop
new useful traits for bacteria?
The most famous experiment they cite
—as evidence— is that of Richard Lenski
on Escherichia coli;
an intestinal bacteria
abbreviated as E. coli
which Lenski's team
cultured in a lab for decades
Their focus point in this experiment
is that some bacteria
—after years of culturing—
developed the ability
to utilize citrates as food
What's the story behind this?
E. coli, like other
organisms, needs food
In the presence of
both glucose and citrate;
which would the bacteria
use as food?
If E. coli exists in an
oxygen-containing environment
such as the human intestines
it would feed on glucose
and not on citrate as it has
the necessary membranous transporters
for glucose uptake
while it doesn't have the
transporters for citrate uptake
Lenski put the E. coli
in laboratory flasks
and provided it with
glucose and citrate;
all in the presence of oxygen
Thus, presumably,
it should only feed on glucose
However, after years of culturing
Lenski was surprised to find
the bacteria in some flasks
growing and multiplying
at a faster rate
than in the other flasks
He searched for the reason and
found that it was able to uptake
and utilize the citrate
in addition to the glucose
Consequently, he published his findings
And what did the myth disciples deduce?
They deduced that the bacteria
developed the required
transporter proteins
through random mutations
to transport citrate through its membrane
and subsequently utilize it
Lo and behold!
Random mutations added
a new trait to bacteria
to aid its evolution
all within a couple of decades!
Accordingly
over billions of years
bacteria may have
—not only developed new traits—
but also evolved into new species
which would have evolved
to other new species
until millions of species
of living organisms emerged
all thanks to 'random' mutations; some
of which are then selected by 'nature'!
The myth disciples rejoiced!
They ran with this experiment!
Their publications trumpeted:
"Evolution is happening
right before our eyes!"
Before we continue the story;
do you know, dear viewers
what it means to produce a citrate
transporter through random mutations?
This citrate transporter is
composed of 487 amino acids
This means that its genetic code
is found in 1461 nucleotides
For it to emerge randomly means that
these nucleotides (these units) randomly
aligned in the exact sequence required
for producing the required transporter
which then randomly formed into the
specific three-dimensional structure
and placed itself in the precise position
on the bacterial cell membrane!
And these same 'random' processes
were reproduced in the same precise order
with the same 'randomness'
again and again!
All of this happened randomly;
unintentionally;
without a trace of the astronomically
huge numbers of failed trials
presumably made by 'randomness'
before producing the transporter protein
All the atoms on earth are not enough
for this to happen!
And I won't be exaggerating
as we'll show later, Allah willing,
So, even if the bacterium were
the size of the Milky Way
it still couldn't contain the products
of the failed trials
of different nucleotide arrangements
before reaching
the correct specific sequence
of this gene
—comprised of 1461 nucleotides—
and the resultant protein with
its unique 3D structure
What if I told you
that bacteria is so tiny
that millions of bacterium can fit
on the head of a pin?
Thus, every rational person knows that
the production of the citrate transporter
through randomness is logically impossible
However, the myth disciples tell you,
This mentally impossible thing
has been proven scientifically!
In other words: Question your mind
and believe the myth worshipers!
Give up your reasoning
and believe 'science'!
Can the mind really
contradict true science
as these enemies of reason
try to convince us?
Let's continue the story
dear viewers, to find the answer
They ran frantically with the experiment;
straight into a brick wall!
In 2012 Lenski published in "Nature"
what exactly happened with his bacteria
It was:
"Tandem duplication that captured an
aerobically expressed promoter
for the expression of a previously silent
citrate transporter."
The process was illustrated
in this important diagram
What does all of this mean?
Please pay close attention!
Let's use this illustration
of the E. coli bacterium
and this part of its genome
Normally, if it is in a place
containing oxygen
it picks up glucose rather
than citrate, as mentioned
because glucose provides
more energy than citrate
Well, how does it manage to pick up
glucose and not citrate?
There is a part of the bacterial genome
called a 'promoter'
where transcription enzymes gather
to read the genome
in this direction: left to right
After complex processes
specific proteins such as
glucose transporters are produced
Oxygen activates this promoter
while inhibiting this one:
meaning that it prevents the transcription
enzymes from reading the
citrate transporter gene
As a result
the bacterium will not be able to utilize
citrate in the presence of oxygen
In Lenski's experiment
the bacteria kept on growing
until it consumed all the glucose
Generally, bacteria are
highly flexible organisms
found everywhere
They decompose bodies
and clean our planet
That is their function;
so they adapt to different conditions
What did the E. coli bacteria do
to adapt to glucose deficiency?
Some of the bacteria was able
to copy the citrate transporter gene
and insert it between the genes
that are read in the presence of oxygen
i.e. after the oxygen-activated promoter
The bacteria inserted it
in exactly the right place;
because, if it was inserted
in the middle of Gene 1 or Gene 2
they would have been destroyed
and the bacteria would have died
Therefore, transcription enzymes
read the citrate transporter gene
and produced citrate
transporters from it;
giving the bacteria the ability
to take in citrates
What did the bacteria do
with the citrates? Don't worry!
All the enzymes needed to utilize citrate
originally exist in bacteria
Of course, we say that
the bacteria copied the gene
and inserted the copy
in the right place
However, such short phrases refer to
highly complex processes;
some details of which are still unknown
What has been discovered
is extremely complex,
precise, and miraculous
as we studied in
the advanced biochemistry
courses in our Ph.D. program
What do we call that?
What does every rational person call it?
What does every rational person call it?!
Wouldn't a rational person call it
an amazing pre-adaptation that proves
the existence of
an Ever-Magnificent Creator?
Guess what Lenski, its discoverer
and the followers of:
It's a goat, even if it flies called it?
'Exaptation'!
A word used by the myth disciples
as an alternative to 'pre-adaptation'
which might be interpreted teleologically
to denote intentionality
and teleology in existence!
Thus, to prevent you from
reaching the correct
conclusion from the word 'pre-adaptation'
and to block you from using your mind;
they mislead you with terminology!
So, Lenski concluded
that his experiment
indicates the importance of
'exaptation' in evolution
It's a goat, even if it flies!
We seek refuge in Allah
from useless knowledge!
This is the story of Lenski's experiment
All said, you can now understand
the meaning behind their expression:
"Tandem duplication that captured an
aerobically expressed promoter
for the expression of
a previously silent citrate transporter."
Translation: Tandem duplication
that captured
an aerobically expressed promoter
for the expression of
a previously silent citrate transporter
Where is the randomness here?!
In his book, titled "The Greatest Show
on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution,"
Dawkins cites this experiment
as evidence for evolution
This professor of evolutionary biology
lies to his readers
and deludes them into thinking
that E. coli can't normally use citrate
Moreover, he claims that what happened in
Lenski's experiment was random mutations
which introduced new genetic
information into the bacterial genome
without the intervention of a designer
He literally said,
"New information entering genomes
without the intervention of a designer."
As if the nucleotides in the bacterial
genome randomly and blindly lined up
in a particular sequence to
produce all that is necessary
to utilize citrate which
E. coli had no prior means to utilize;
whatsoever!!!
Dawkins lies through his teeth
throughout his book:
"The Greatest Show..."
His poor readers believe that
they are reading enlightening science
while Dawkins is ridiculing them
and taking them for fools!
Additionally, you encounter
the myth zealots among us
who still describe Lenski's experiment
as one of the strongest proofs presented
by atheist evolutionists who claim,
Chance can produce
complex biological systems.
So, this is the story
of Lenski's experiment
and we ask Allah to
make it easy for us
to discuss it in detail later on
as great evidence for the Creator's Power;
Glorious and Exalted is He
Peace and Mercy of Allah be upon you