Do
our genes reveal the hand of god?
The scientists
who launched a revolution with the discovery of the structure of
DNA in Cambridge 50 years ago have both used the anniversary to
mount an attack on religion.
When they revealed DNA's double-helix
structure in 1953, Francis Crick and James Watson helped to invent
biotechnology, provided the foundation for understanding the diversity
of life on Earth, revealed the mechanism of inheritance and shed
light on diseases such as cancer, and even the origins of antisocial
behaviour.
Elegant work: while
Fancis Crick dismisses the 'god hypothesis', Francis Collins
says evolution is 'an incredibly elegant' work of God
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From Copernicus to Charles Darwin,
scientific discoveries have had a habit of offending religious
susceptibilities. Most scientists, even Darwin, tread warily and
avoid attacking religion, but Watson and Crick are both outspoken
atheists.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Crick,
86, said: "The god hypothesis is rather discredited."
Indeed, he says his distaste for religion was one of his prime
motives in the work that led to the sensational 1953 discovery.
"I went into science because of these religious reasons,
there's no doubt about that. I asked myself what were the two
things that appear inexplicable and are used to support religious
beliefs: the difference between living and nonliving things, and
the phenomenon of consciousness."
Crick argues that since many of the actual claims made by specific
religions over 2,000 years have proved false, the burden of proof
should be on the claims they make today, rather than on atheists
to disprove the existence of God.
"Archbishop Ussher claimed the world was created in 4,004bc.
Now we know it is 4.5 billion years old. It's astonishing to me
that people continue to accept religious claims," said Crick.
"People like myself get along perfectly well with no religious
views."
His co-discoverer, Watson, 74, told the Telegraph that religious
explanations were "myths from the past".
"Every time you understand something, religion becomes less
likely," said Watson. "Only with the discovery of the
double helix and the ensuing genetic revolution have we had grounds
for thinking that the powers held traditionally to be the exclusive
property of the gods might one day be ours."
The American effort to read the genetic recipe of a human being,
the Human Genome Project, is currently led by a devout Christian,
Francis Collins, who succeeded Watson in that post in 1993.
Collins complained at a recent meeting of scientists in California
that God was receiving a "cold reception" during the
celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary.
He told the Telegraph he was concerned that the anti-religious
views of these "very distinguished figures" will increase
public antipathy to genetics, given that American polls suggest
that 70-80 per cent of people "believe in a personal god".
Another survey revealed that this belief is held by 40 per cent
of working scientists. "One should not assume that the perspective
so strongly espoused by Watson and Crick represents the way that
all scientists feel," said Collins.
Collins has, in the past, worked in a mission hospital in west
Africa. Religion and science "are nicely complementary and
mutually supporting", he said. As one example, his research
to find the faulty gene responsible for cystic fibrosis provided
scientific exhilaration and "a sense of awe at uncovering
something that God knew before that we humans didn't".
"The tragedy is that many people believe that, if evolution
is true, which it clearly is, then God can't be true." However,
he blamed this on the reaction of the scientific establishment
to the literal interpretation of Genesis by Creationists, views
not held by respectable theologians.
"It is not just the fringe elements of the Church that are
demanding a Creationist view in order to prove that you are a
true believer; it is also the scientific community fringe who
are basically saying that evolution proves there is no God."
Collins outlined his own belief: "God decided to create
a species with whom he could have fellowship. Who are we to say
that evolution was a dumb way to do it? It was an incredibly elegant
way to do it.
"Jim, who I know much better than Francis, avoids bringing
this topic up when we are having a conversation."
The antipathy to religion of the DNA pioneers is long standing.
In 1961 Crick resigned as a fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge,
when it proposed to build a chapel.
When Sir Winston Churchill wrote to him pointing out that "none
need enter [the chapel] unless they wish", Crick replied
that on those grounds, the college should build a brothel, and
enclosed a cheque for 10 guineas.
"My hope is that eventually it will be possible to build
permanent accommodation within the college, to house a carefully
chosen selection of young ladies in the charge of a suitable Madam
who, once the institution has become traditional, will doubtless
be provided, without offence, with dining rights at the High Table,"
he wrote.
Watson described how he gave up attending mass at the start of
the Second World War. "I came to the conclusion that the
Church was just a bunch of fascists that supported Franco. I stopped
going on Sunday mornings and watched the birds with my father
instead."
This interest in ornithology led
to a glittering career in science - and the discovery of the double
helix.
The Francis Crick quotations came from an interview with Matt
Ridley.
Roger Highfield will be speaking
at the Oxford Literature Festival on April 5 and the Cheltenham
Festival of Science on June 4. For details of the latter, see
www.cheltenhamfestivals.co.uk
20 march
2003

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