My Father’s Genes – Part VI – DNA Diversity

As we proceed on into Part VI it is important that we try to understand some of the principles and mathematics associated with DNA so that we have a greater appreciation for how God designed all this structure for our benefit.

DNA Diversity

In Part III we learned that the DNA in each organism is chemically identical, but its arrangement in genes and chromosomes determines what the cell will become, e.g. animal, plant or human.

We also learned that there might possibly be over 200 TRILLION combinations of human DNA possible (3 billion times 70,000). There is also the possibility that the total number of possible combinations is not just a straight multiplication of the two numbers above, but rather something on the order of 200 trillion raised to the power of 70,000; i.e., a number exceeding my ability to comprehend, and perhaps yours as well.

As I write this I am sitting in a timeshare condominium situated adjacent to the 12th green of a golf course where I can watch the outside world through the dining room window as I write. Just observing the variety of God’s creation in this limited view puts me in awe of the diversity of DNA as I see the different kinds of trees, the green grass, the sand in the trap, the water in the hazard (complete with fountain) on the other side of the green, the blue jays and robins and squirrels, the multiplicity of plants and shrubs enhancing the beauty of the houses across the fairway, and then realizing that what is within my sight is only an infinitesimally small sample of God’s creation. Add to this the diversity of things I cannot see with the natural eye, such as the air we breathe and the electrons that enable my computer, and I quickly want to return to considering only human DNA before my mind completely explodes with such large numbers. Then I realize again that even the number of human DNA combinations is larger than I can get my mental arms around. It’s time to bring my mind back inside even as I watch the fallen rain rush down the cart path between the condo and the green as it obeys the drainage plan designed by the golf course architect and I thank God for such a beautiful, warm, dry and safe place to work this week.

When I began my professional life many years ago one of the things I learned was how to program a computer. The passing of time saw the evolution of programming methods, enabling programs to be written more efficiently and proficiently. Early programs depended solely on the whims and imaginations of the programmer for their efficiency and proficiency. Testing and debugging of programs became ever more complicated as programs grew not only in size but as the number of entry and exit points “grew like Topsy”, creating almost unmanageable numbers of program interaction combinations. Software scientists eventually developed what came to be loosely called the “theory of interactions”. Basically this said that the number of interactions in a program was not just the sum of the total number of entry points into the program, but was actually almost the number of entry points squared. This discovery spurred the development of functional program modules with only one entry point and one exit point, which greatly simplified testing and debugging programs since it so greatly reduced the number of interactions that required accountability.

These staggeringly large numbers that enable the diversity of humankind do not confuse our omnipotent, omniscient God. Adam and Eve were not “beta test” models, but were fully functional and complete “products”, including free will. It would appear that the supply of human DNA combinations is virtually inexhaustible.

We also learned in Part III that genetic structure is fully formed from the beginning, but is not effective until the egg is penetrated. This may help us understand the Psalmist who says “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.” (Psalm 139:13-16)

In the next Part we will undertake a careful and reverent look at “God’s DNA”, which we might or might not expect to impact our own “born again” status.