© Cedarville University International Conference on Creationism. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of Cedarville University. Lightner, J.K. 2023. A review of CRS eKINDS predictive success and known genetic mechanisms affecting the prevalence of alleles in a population: meiotic drive as a competing explanation for patterns attributed to natural selection. In J.H. Whitmore (editor), Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Creationism, pp. 242-250. Cedarville, Ohio: Cedarville University International Conference on Creationism. A REVIEW OF CRS eKINDS PREDICTIVE SUCCESS AND KNOWN GENETIC MECHANISMS AFFECTING THE PREVALENCE OF ALLELES IN A POPULATION: MEIOTIC DRIVE AS A COMPETING EXPLANATION FOR PATTERNS ATTRIBUTED TO NATURAL SELECTION Jean K. Lightner, CRS eKINDS researcher 1 W. Firestorm Way #145, Glendale, AZ 85306 USA jklightner@hotmail.com ABSTRACT The CRS eKINDS (examination of kinds in natural diversification and speciation) research initiative has been highly successful, turning out eight full-length journal articles in less than six years. Using the history of Genesis to interpret scientific data, the project has made great strides in understanding patterns of diversity and adaptation from a biblical perspective. Two predictions were made related to how organisms adapt genetically. The first is that mutations are not random, as is commonly assumed, but rather are biased to be adaptive. This prediction was confirmed in a model plant species in 2022. The second prediction is that there are genetic factors designed to increase the prevalence of adaptive alleles. A brief overview of meiotic drive, especially biased gene conversion, is covered as a potential mechanism for accomplishing this. Taken together this implies that the commonly promoted evolutionary mechanisms of random mutation plus natural selection cannot account for the patterns we see in the world today. On the contrary, processes of diversification and adaptation require numerous, amazingly designed mechanisms, many of which we are only now beginning to understand. CRS eKINDS research highlights how the biblical narrative is useful in understanding biology and recognizing the amazing deeds of our awesome Creator. KEYWORDS eKINDS, biased gene conversion, meiotic drive, natural selection, predictions, adaptation, created kinds, diversification INTRODUCTION In 2016 the Creation Research Society (CRS) announced a bold new research initiative that was intended to catalyze biological research addressing key questions related to biblical and natural history (Anonymous 2016). Conceived by Dr. Kevin Anderson, then director of the CRS Van Andel Creation Research Center, and Dr. Jean K. Lightner, a CRS board member, this project has moved forward to become highly successful, turning out eight full-length journal articles by the beginning of 2022. In addition to those who launched the project, other researchers have been involved. Perhaps the most noteworthy is the famed ornithologist Dr. Jon E. Ahlquist, whose early molecular biology work with Charles Sibley in the late 1970s through the 1980s led to important advances in the field of avian taxonomy (Sibley and Ahlquist, 1990). Dr. Ahlquist became a creationist later in life and was thrilled to lend his expertise to advance the creationary understanding of our world (personal communication) until he moved on to see his Maker in 2020. Also involved is Dr. Matyias Cserhati, whose bioinformatic skills have been a valuable asset. The name of this research initiative is eKINDS, which stands for examination of kinds in natural diversification and speciation. This research was deemed critical because the standard evolutionary-based view of diversification is neither consistent with observational evidence nor the biblical narrative (Table 1). Diversification has been observed to occur much faster than random mutation and natural selection would logically allow. For example, in domestic species, there are hundreds and sometimes thousands of breeds or cultivars that have arisen within hundreds to thousands of years (FAO 2015; Janick and Moore 1996). Rapid speciation also appears to have occurred in many birds (Lightner 2013). Rapid diversification and speciation are consistent with the biblical timeline, but we need to understand the underlying basis of it. To aid in this process eKINDS was structured to address three basic questions. The first question is “which organisms today are descended from the same created kind?” This is a basic question of baraminology, the study of created kinds. This field of study is derived from history presented in Genesis, where God created plant and animal life “according to its/their kind(s)” (Genesis 1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25), and uses the anglicized form of the Hebrew word for (he) created (bara) and kinds (min) to distinguish itself. This broad field is well established (Friar 2000, Wood et al. 2003, Wood 2006). The eKINDS project was able to make a modest contribution to this field through the extensive knowledge and research done by Ahlquist on landfowl (Ahlquist and Lightner 2019). We also emphasized the importance of using multiple lines of evidence to establish what organisms constitute a probable baramin (created kind), a point that has been made elsewhere (Thompson and Wood 2018, p. 219). 9th 2023
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