NATURAL GENETIC ENGINEERING

The original blog post identified four groups involved in the current evolutionary debate: staunch supporters of the modern synthesis, promoters of an extended evolutionary synthesis, advocates for intelligent design, and creationists. In the view of microbiologist James A. Shapiro, most people fall into only two groups: creationists and Neo-Darwinists (supporters of the modern synthesis). He does so by lumping proponents of intelligent design with creationists and promoters of an extended evolutionary synthesis with supporters of the modern synthesis. Shapiro’s theory of natural genetic engineering, supported by a relatively large body of scientific literature, is radically different. It claims that random variation (mutation) and natural selection has only a very limited effect on evolution.  Rather, a multitude of complex processes within cells respond to the environment and guide the evolution of lifeforms.

The initial blog post cited a few of Shapiro’s publications, but essentially grouped his views with promoters of an extended evolutionary synthesis. That was not appropriate.  Shapiro has published many articles, papers and books on his theory of natural genetic engineering, and he has the support of many other scientists. In 2014, he established an association and website called The Third Way. The website identifies a large number of professional supporters, and also a list of books supporting the third way. Shapiro’s theory is complex, and much of his work is not easy reading for people who are not microbiologists. A relatively recent (2023) online essay attempts to summarize his thoughts on Natural Genetic Engineering. In just a few words, his message is that people who think that random variations (mutations) and natural selection explain all the lifeforms on Earth are ignoring the obvious.

Bibliography:

Shapiro, James, A., Evolution without accidents; Despite advances in molecular genetics, too many biologists think that natural selection is driven by random mutations, 6 July 2023, https://aeon.co/essays/why-did-darwins-20th-century-followers-get-evolution-so-wrong

www.thethirdwayofevolution.com/people/view/james-a-shapiro

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