From Your Digest
Mostafa Cantor Zakaria, Worked with Genetic Algorithms
Updated Oct 23 · Upvoted by Keith Robison, Ph.D. In Molecular&Cellular Biology; in Biopharma since 1996 and John Scanlon, PhD Biology & Palaeontology, University of New South Wales (1997)
Originally Answered: Is it possible that no one is behind the fine tuning of the universe and the design of wonderful DNA, etc.?
Oh yes…
We’ve even demonstrated it, countless times. Here’s an interesting example:
This bizarre little contraption, named the “Evolved Antenna”, is the x-band unit that was deployed on NASA’s Space Technology 5 (ST5) satellites, back in 2006.
Unlike a regular antenna, this was designed using an Evolutionary/Genetic Algorithm:
A genetic algorithm is a search heuristic that is inspired by Charles Darwin’s theory of natural evolution. This algorithm reflects the process of natural selection where the fittest individuals are selected for reproduction in order to produce offspring of the next generation.[1]
The algorithm itself is actually quite simple (the full java code is actually included in the footnote). But in spite of its apparent simplicity, the output consistently outperforms human driven design, and often surprises experts.
To quote the abstract from the paper[2] on the design of the antenna:
Whereas the current practice of designing antennas by hand is severely limited because it is both time and labor intensive and requires a significant amount of domain knowledge, evolutionary algorithms can be used to search the design space and automatically find novel antenna designs that are more effective than would otherwise be developed.
It is pretty astounding what you can accomplish with a few basic rules and an infinite amount of time.
So yes, absolutely. If an algorithm with no knowledge of the subject can consistently outperform highly skilled human engineers by randomly combining different elements, I see no reason why something like DNA could not also be the product of randomness and circumstantial optimization.
Edit:
There seem to be quite a few people with suspiciously vacant profiles, using very similar arguments, commenting on this answer. In the spirit of good faith, I will put the answer here rather than responding to them one-by-one…
The question asks:
Is it possible that no one is behind the fine tuning of the universe and the design of wonderful DNA, etc.?
My answer demonstrates, Yes, it is Possible for a repeated, mechanical process of Randomization and Selection to produce highly sophisticated outputs without deliberate intervention by an intelligent designer.
Moreover, this process not only works, but is so reliable that programmers and engineers, simulating these principles on a computer, can use it to produce highly effective solutions without making any decisions on the final design.
How does this reflect on “The Universe” and “DNA”? Frankly this is not a subject that interests me nor am I in a position to give an authoritative answer, beyond what I have already written.
As for the comment on the selection process and “who set the rules” type of arguments, this is merely moving the goal posts and asking a different question...
Footnotes