AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion

News & Events: Public Lecture

Genome Lineages and the Evolution of Life
4 November 2004

 

Analyses of complete genomes are providing unprecedented insights into the evolution of eukaryotes and prokaryotes. For example recent analyses of four complete genomes have shown that both prokaryotes and eukaryotes contain two types of genes, and both types have different inheritances. One class of genes, informational genes (genes primarily involved in translation, transcription, replication, etc.), is a deeply diverging lineage which has been transferred in a tree-like pattern. In contrast, operational genes (genes primarily involved in housekeeping), have been inherited by horizontal transfer. These findings are rapidly changing our perceptions of the evolution of life and potentially have implications for a religious understanding of life and its history.

Keynote Speaker:

• James Lake, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California - Los Angeles
  

Respondent:

• Antje Jackelén, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Systematic Theology/Religion and Science, Lutheran School of Theology - Chicago, Director of the Zygon Center for Religion and Science
  

Coverage:

Listen to Dr. Lake
Listen to Dr. Jackelén
Listen to a discussion of this lecture