Carl Richard Woese July 15, 1928 – December 30, 2012) 1
was an American microbiologist and biophysicist. Woese is famous for defining the Archaea (a new domain or kingdom of life) in 1977 by phylogenetic taxonomy of 16S ribosomal RNA, a technique pioneered by Woese which revolutionized the discipline of microbiology. He was also the originator of the RNA world hypothesis in 1967, although not by that name. He held the Stanley O. Ikenberry Chair and was professor of microbiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
It may be surprising for some to know that Carl Woese, a molecular evolutionary biologist whose work has permanently altered the way authors write the textbooks, was not an atheist. He was a firm believer in God, but was leery of organized religion and of people claiming to be religious. Furthermore, he was greatly suspicious of anyone using evolution in order to argue for or against the existence of God. Woese felt that the faithful understood God as a mystery, and the truly faithful required no proof of God’s existence; and Woese understood that science was based on evidence—thus, the two areas are essentially unmixable, and should thus be kept separate. It is fascinating that many organized religions have no problem with evolution, especially if one knows that evolution involves simply the changing of DNA from generation to generation. 2
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Woese
2. http://www.educationviews.org/manuel-varela-carl-woese-him/
was an American microbiologist and biophysicist. Woese is famous for defining the Archaea (a new domain or kingdom of life) in 1977 by phylogenetic taxonomy of 16S ribosomal RNA, a technique pioneered by Woese which revolutionized the discipline of microbiology. He was also the originator of the RNA world hypothesis in 1967, although not by that name. He held the Stanley O. Ikenberry Chair and was professor of microbiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
It may be surprising for some to know that Carl Woese, a molecular evolutionary biologist whose work has permanently altered the way authors write the textbooks, was not an atheist. He was a firm believer in God, but was leery of organized religion and of people claiming to be religious. Furthermore, he was greatly suspicious of anyone using evolution in order to argue for or against the existence of God. Woese felt that the faithful understood God as a mystery, and the truly faithful required no proof of God’s existence; and Woese understood that science was based on evidence—thus, the two areas are essentially unmixable, and should thus be kept separate. It is fascinating that many organized religions have no problem with evolution, especially if one knows that evolution involves simply the changing of DNA from generation to generation. 2
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Woese
2. http://www.educationviews.org/manuel-varela-carl-woese-him/
