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From my scientific background as a physical biochemist
who, for nearly three decades in the mid-20th
century, was much involved in unravelling the
relation of the double-helical structure of DNA
to its solution properties, I have long had an
interest in the relation of genetics to biological
evolution. The sequencing of DNA and proteins
in a large range of species from bacteria to Homo
sapiens has now crowned the previous strong
evidence for the historical interconnectedness
and a common origin of all living organisms and
for evolution. The role of natural selection
in this process is proven dominant, though I
do not exclude the possibility that other natural
factors*, widely discussed at the moment, may
also be operative. The whole process is entirely
natural and explicable by the sciences without
requiring any special, non-natural, "lures" or
influences.
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Arthur
Peacocke is a physical biochemist and Anglican
priest who pioneered early research into the physical
chemistry of DNA and has since become a leading
advocate for the creative interaction between faith
and science. The 2001 winner of the Templeton Prize
for Progress in Religion, he is the author of Paths
from Science Towards God: The End of All Our Exploring
(2001).
