Why Life Begins at Conception, Part 3

(The posts in this series may not occur on consecutive days but they will make the most sense to you if they are read in consecutive order.)

This is a very simplified presentation of human conception and the passage of genetic information from the parents to the offspring.  (An aside: how can any rational, normally intelligent person see this level of complexity and order and still deny at least the possibility of an intelligent designer?)

The information may seem to be complicated and overwhelming, but at least a simplified basic
understanding is necessary for a scientific attack on abortion.  That is what I will attempt to provide for you here.  It is necessary to start at the beginning, DNA (deoxy-ribonucleic acid).

DNA is a spiral molecule consisting of two strands paired together in the shape of a helix.  DNA is present in every cell of the human body and, in every one of those cells, the DNA contains ALL the information necessary to build and maintain the entire body.

DNA is a very complex and a very simple molecule.  It basically is two strands joined by matched pairs of bases.  Only four bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine) are used.  Combinations of these four bases contain the entire genome; the genetic code which determines a person's hair color, voice, skin color, height, body type, number of fingers and toes, intelligence level, athletic ability, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. The code determines everything about your physical body.  Literally everything, and genetic science says that all that information about you as an individual is present from the moment of conception.

A very simplified explanation is this.  In the sperm and egg cells, each cell receives one strand of the two DNA strands.  At fertilization, the two strands join to form one complete strand.  So, half of the information comes from the mother and half from the father.  The fertilized egg then is a hybrid of the two source cells, made from them but entirely different from them;  a fully separate genetic code, a separate individual.

More in the next post.
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If you wish to know more, see these links.

Very good:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss3/DNA2.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss3/dna.html&h=543&w=351&sz=42&tbnid=8CP_Dkmi3Hub9M:&tbnh=84&tbnw=54&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dimage%2B%2526%2BDNA%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=image+%26+DNA&usg=__DNAoHOES8pL7lQS_Oaj3PGM13so=&hl=en&sa=X&ei=uDw6UOT9OY2s8QTIrYG4AQ&ved=0CCMQ9QEwBA

Simplified:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA

DNA to RNA to proteins

http://dna-rna.net/

Detailed information on proteins:

http://www2.chemistry.msu.edu:80/faculty/reusch/VirtTxtJml/proteins.htm

Chromosomes

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/D/Down.gif&imgrefurl=http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/C/Chromosomes.html&h=318&w=430&sz=29&tbnid=4sRt4QRwm30RKM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=112&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dimages%2B%2526%2Bchromosomes%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=images+%26+chromosomes&usg=__9giWb2_ajTIbvehrthPPLzjuZwA=&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hkA6UJ36EoT89gS6joGwCg&ved=0CBoQ9QEwAQ

http://images.yourdictionary.com/chromosome