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When Science and Belief Meet
Copyright 2019
DO NOT COPY WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION.
Over the weekend, I read parts of a book that had a profound impact on my own thinking. One point I think I have made very clear over the years is that, unlike many others who have devoted far more than my measly quarter century to science, I have not discovered that there is no G-d. Quite the contrary, everything new I see in the human cell gives me one more tiny glimpse into the startling beautiful mind of the Creator.
Within each invisible cell are tiny machines called ribosomes that read the code of DNA, somehow draw to themselves the ingredients of the recipe found there and put it together to form vital proteins. Yet there is no life in this machine. It is as dead as a rock. It does not have the capacity to “think” yet somehow it does. Who or what is directing these factories? Is it another lifeless, mindless piece of code? I seriously doubt it.
I suppose in a factory built by human hands, some great code within a computer could and probably already does direct the mechanics of production. But then we are left with the question “who wrote the code”?
My favorite protein is a cute little “guy” called a Kinesin, Mr. Kinesin to me. Mr. Kinesin is not alive. Again, a rock is more of a living creature than a Kinesin. But Mr. Kinesin has two legs that are jointed, two feet designed for walking. He has two arms with two hands designed for grasping. Somehow this lifeless creature knows exactly which protein to pick up in his arms and exactly where to take it for delivery, walking it to its critical location on those two perfectly formed feet. The human cell could not have evolved. Ribosomes and Kinesins are only two proofs that life could never have occurred in stages. What single cell organism could have conceived a need for protein factories and delivery “men” (for lack of a better term)? A mutation cannot account for machinery that can read and understand what it is reading. Mutations occur over time. So which part of a ribosome came first by mutation and why? Which mutation thought, “in a billion years I will need a factory for creating proteins”? The funny thing is that DNA, proteins, Ribosomes and Kinesins had to appear absolutely complete and at the exact same fraction of a second in time or we simply would not be here.
That is why I am not an atheist.
What does this have to do with Down syndrome? Everything. Absolutely every single thing. The science of Down syndrome is, beyond any other field, extraordinary. It is extraordinary because it produces a human being who should not even exist much less walk, talk, grow, think and survive. The biggest mystery about Down syndrome is how it is that with all of the chaos going on in over thirty billion cells all at the same time these children are absolutely human and most definitely alive.
A single gene mutation such as in Tay sach’s disease is devastating and equals a certain death sentence. A missing allele on one gene can render a developing fetus incompatible with life. Yet here we are, parenting a child whose genetic make up is far more disorganized than a deadly single allele mutation. Simply stated, our children are living, breathing, thinking miracles. We need to get that straight. You are not the parent of a defective human being. You are raising a miracle, who, though so incredibly complex and disorganized can think, learn and most important of all, love. Did evolution do that? I hardly think so.
The biggest problem with DS research is that most of it is secular and geared not at correcting genetic mishaps, but at the pie in the sky dollars gleaned from patents. Who cares if a drug works so long as you get your royalties? This attitude would not exist if science understood that they are not just unraveling misfolded proteins and disrupted pathways. They are looking at an astounding biochemical conundrum that should not produce life but somehow mysteriously does. And not just life but meaningful, productive, beautiful life. Your children are alive only by the grace of G-d, literally.
If secular scientists understood that behind all the wonders of a human cell stood a Creator, everything they do would have a far different purpose. If educational institutions stopped insisting that human life is nothing more than stardust, here by chance without purpose or meaning, what effect would that have on the lives of our children? Plenty. Rather than seeing people with Down syndrome as defective, educators might see them as people who gift them with a unique challenge to bring out the best of their training. The attitude instilled into students carries into their careers. How can we expect medical science to appreciate the mysterious beauty of Down syndrome if they believe all life is without meaning and purpose? Far too many in fields of medicine, education and science believe our children are mistakes who really should have been disposed of before birth, saving everyone the trouble of dealing with this mistake for the next fifty years.
But the theistic view is vastly different. We see something magical, glorious and oh so purposeful in these beautiful, miraculous super humans.
Do you know that only 20% of eggs with an extra 21st chromosome survives the first cell division? Of that 20% about 20% survive to fertilization? And of that 20% only 20% actually survive the first cell division following fertilization? What are the odds that you have that child in your life? Extremely slim. The only explanation is that your child is a fighter and fought for life from the split second of fertilization. In that regard and in that they can overcome not just one error that should have interrupted life but thousands, makes them super beings. Far stronger than you and I ever will be. For this and so much more, our children deserve admiration.
Twenty nine years ago, the believer in me saw a miracle, not a defective baby. I shared my thoughts with great minds like JP Spurlock and David Swenson, who also saw the miraculous, maybe for different reasons. Paul saw this as the father of a child with DS and Doc as the inquisitive mad scientist who valued life and found our children’s biochemistry fascinating. Ultimately, we believed we could make life better for these children through science, while careful not to alter who and what they truly are. Over the years, this has proven to be true. We can manipulate human genes. We can down regulate the most dangerous genes in DS by using nothing more than what G-d has provided. Food. Since genes are regulated by proteins and proteins ultimately come from food, then this is no great feat. It is simply a matter of finding which “food” can insert itself into a string of amino acids being put together by a ribosome and interrupt the creation of a protein. Or which food tells a gene to express itself when we are in need of greater amounts of certain proteins. That is TNI.
The concept and function of TNI is similar to a choreographed ballet. Each part dances it’s way into the human cell as if directed, finds its target and alters the biochemistry of the Down syndrome cell. But science alone cannot account for that. There truly is a Director of life within every living thing. And without Him, we can do nothing.
PLEASE NOTE This is not a scientific document. Statistics on the numbers of egg loss were taken from numerous sources but are not exact. Frankly, the figures are probably worse.
For more information on DS embryology, please read the following. Note, in one paper out of 71 pregnancies mentioned there were only 12 live births
Meiosis takes a heavy tole on gametes
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170801190429.htm
.Most defective eggs do not survive meiosis
https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/meiosis-humans
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/nondisjunction
https://www.cell.com/trends/genetics/pdf/S0168-9525(07)00395-2.pdf#back-bib17
https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/meiosis-humans
https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Trisomy_21#Some_Recent_Findings
https://www.verywellhealth.com/down-syndrome-and-miscarriage-2371302
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=90&ContentID=P02126
Wow! This is a amazing. I just knew our kids where here for a reason. I am a science and religious believer. They are here to change the world. Thank you for a wonderful interpretation.
They are most precious indeed.
I’m right there with you.
My sin is a gift from God. He is now 35.
What an incredible article! It has changed the way I see my baby with DS. I only wish the world could see that our babies are indeed miracles. Thank you God for the dedication of the TNI people.
I wish the same thing.
Unbelievable. We are going into a big IEP meeting on the 16th of this month. This meeting is to discuss if our DS child stays in this school or not, all because of money. I will be sharing this with them all. The teacher wants him, but the directors need to hear who Matthew is.
This article has now given me a different perspective. I never saw it like this. WOW
Thank you
The figures were compiled for a research project over 25 years ago. They are not specific but if you review enough documentation on embryology, you’ll see how my colleague came up with them.
In one study posted above out of 71 DS pregnancies there were only 12 live births.
This topic first came up before we published the very first study linking MTHFR mutations and DS pregnancies. The question was how a woman who had an MTHFR mutation could have normal children and no miscarriages. The answer is because a defective egg usually does not survive meiosis. You’d need to get out your calculator and take down all the statistics. These are not 100% accurate as they were compiled over 25 years ago.
Join TNI-Beginners Group on Facebook for more information.
Cells don’t divide until after fertilization!!
How do you think an ovum loses half of its chromosomes? It’s called first and second stage meiosis. Google it.
Where could I find the sources of these statistics, please?
It is a compilation of numerous sources on embryology. This topic first came up before we published the very first study linking MTHFR mutations and DS pregnancies. The question was how a woman who had an MTHFR mutation could have normal children and no miscarriages. The answer is because a defective egg usually does not survive meiosis. You’d need to get out your calculator and take down all the statistics. These are not 100% accurate as they were compiled over 25 years ago.
Do you know that only 20% of eggs with an extra 21st chromosome survives the first cell division? Of that 20% about 20% survive to fertilization? And of that 20% only 20% actually survive the first cell division following fertilization? What are the odds that you have that child in your life? Extremely slim. The only explanation is that your child is a fighter and fought for life from the split second of fertilization. In that regard and in that they can overcome not just one error that should have interrupted life but thousands, makes them super beings. Far stronger than you and I ever will be. For this and so much more, our children deserve admiration.
From the statement made above, I am looking for the resource where those percentages came from. Thank you!
It is a compilation of numerous sources on embryology. This topic first came up before we published the very first study linking MTHFR mutations and DS pregnancies. The question was how a woman who had an MTHFR mutation could have normal children and no miscarriages. The answer is because a defective egg usually does not survive meiosis. You’d need to get out your calculator and take down all the statistics. These are not 100% accurate as they were compiled over 25 years ago.
I have a 5 year old amazing son who has DS and I love to help bring information of the miracle of these children/adults to our community to help enlighten others about our gifts from God. I would love permission to copy your statement about the 20% of 20%… to my Facebook and Instagram pages.
The 20% is an estimate of the number of eggs that do not survive first or second phase meiosis. It is not based on research but on statistics we compiled prior to publishing a study in the late 90s. So long as you make note of this, please feel free to share it.
Not sure if I replied re: my article on Faith Meets Science, if not, please know I retired in 2020. Use anything from it you’d like
Hello!
It’s a wonderful article.
I would like to quote the paragraph about 20% in one of my Instagram posts. Of course, I will give you the proper credits for such inspiring and assertive words.
Thanks for sharing.
Feel free to do so, just be sure to mention the statistics come from a pre study estimation.
Great article! What is TNI? Can I know more about it please? Thank you
Targeted Nutritional Intervention. We utilize natural substances to down regulate over expressed genes in DS. Go to the menu, click on the word BASICS for the lessons in English. These explain the science complete with published studies.
Targeted Nutritional Intervention
May I share the article on Facebook??
Dixie-
Thank you for such a lovely publication. My wife and I have 4 children. Our one year old has Down Syndrome. While reading the comments above, and knowing that the data and studies need to be disclosed, do we have your permission to share this with family and friends?
Feel free to share but read the disclaimer first which tells you these are statistics, not studies.
Yes you do.
Absolutely fascinating.
May I please share a part of this ? I have a daughter with Ds and it being ds awareness month it would be a perfect start to the month.