by Chris Steele

Although not many of us would claim to be a scientist, we would not deny the importance of the sciences in our every day lives. For the most part we received a smattering of science back in high school or college. That may have been a long time ago for some of us. Things change. While the basic laws and principles of science remain the same, imagine how often the textbooks need to be updated with all the advancements and discoveries that are made daily in most every scientific field.

Did you catch the news story about DNA testing being done on seafood? It seems that some studies revealed that 60 percent of the fish sold in restaurants turned out to be fakes. Industry watchdogs are finding that some are importing and serving up cheap substitutes. When you think that you are eating (and paying for) grouper or red snapper, it may be mahi, tilapia, or even catfish.

The report said that a Canadian university was constructing a genetic database of every known plant and animal species on earth, which by the way, numbers about 1.5 million. Genetics is the newest of the sciences. Every living thing has genetic information, a chemical code, that is universal in nature. This code is faithfully copied over and over again. In other words, everything reproduces after its kind. Isn’t this what the Bible says in Genesis 1:11, 12? God was quite specific in His details about every grass, herb, and fruit tree, yielding fruit “after its kind.” Using this same expression in Leviticus 11:13-23 God adds many birds to the list like: the eagle, osprey, vulture, kite, raven, owl, nighthawk, sea gull, hawk, little owl, fisher owl, screech owl, swan, pelican, carrion vulture, stork, heron, lapwing, and bat. Even more specifics are given in reference to insects such as locusts, bald locusts, beetles, and grasshoppers, which all produce after their kind. These species never “cross-over” and reproduce anything other than offspring that is just like themselves. Why? Because it’s written in their genetic code that God wrote. In the article someone said, “When you call catfish ‘grouper’ you may as well call dog ‘cat.’”

Seafood lovers can be thankful that someone is watching out for them, making sure that the kind of fish you order is the kind you are eating. More importantly, we all can be grateful that DNA and the genetic code, with all of its complexity and orderliness, gives us a powerful argument for the existence of Almighty God through intelligent design.