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Life's story: the one that hasn't been toldIs the debate over?LIFE'S STORY This is an excellent video in terms of its production quality, with a good standard of filming (matching TV standards) and with a pleasant voice-over. However, the cover is bound to raise questions. Aside from the sub-title (as above) which is hardly true, it claims that 'Now the debate is over!' Anyone who has been involved in the Creation-Evolution interactions of recent years knows that claim is not true either! I am not clear as to who the producers are - their website did not clarify that for me. The tape is in two independent parts. The first part considers the variety of life found in coral reefs, the process of symbiosis and the movement of sea creatures. Each aspect is well illustrated and helpfully discussed. The challenge presented is that biblical creation is a superior explanation of the origin of these features and that true science (what is that?) does not conflict with the Bible. While the reviewer agrees with their position, he has doubts about the detail of some of their claims in this and the next part with respect to evolution. The second programme begins in Africa and its aim is to show there is no evidence of evolution from one kind of animal to another kind. Again there are fascinating insights into various creatures such as ostriches, wildebeasts, giraffes and members of the big cat family. The differences between man and the apes are covered, but could be more thorough. Concepts such as instinct and irreducible complexity (indicating intelligent design) are introduced. The problem with producing programmes of this type (as the TV producers have found) is that it is easier to produce quick snapshots of various examples rather than developing a few features in depth. One example of this is the checking mechanism in DNA. This is referred to in the film but there is little explanation of the process. In fact there is a lot of research into this amazing feature which speaks to many of us as implying intelligent design. It is known that through various natural processes, each day the DNA (the chemical making up our genes) undergoes huge numbers of changes (mutations). It is also known that these generally involve neutral effects or losses of information. For example, Darwin pointed out that certain species of beetle on Madeira have lost the ability to fly. Though he was unaware of the mechanism, we understand that to be the result of a mutation. If mutations are inherently damaging, why do we not suffer from more obvious damage, especially as it would accumulate over several generations? One fascinating aspect of the protection system in the DNA is centred in the code itself. The code consists of 'three-lettered words' which specify a particular amino acid which must be placed into a protein chain. If the spelling is changed, it can result in an error in the transcription to the protein. (One such example is in the blood cell; a single spelling mistake results, for example, in sickle cell anaemia). But there is 'redundancy' within the code which means that often one spelling change does not result in such an error. Geneticists have found that the DNA, as it is replicated, has a checking process. There are probably several such systems. One that has been described recently involves an enzyme which sends an electrical signal along the DNA strand. When it finds an error, the signal stops and a correcting enzyme comes into action to replace the faulty code. This topic (on the self-correcting mechanism) was introduced into the film but it should have been dealt with in more detail. The programmes are generally good, but should be used with in conjunction with a knowledgeable speaker who can deal with issues arising. The producers should certainly redesign their cover to be more truthful! J.H. John Peet,
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