Sir, - Scientific theory can be likened to a boat that we continually repair while remaining afloat in it. Just because some evolutionary scientists disagree about some of the details doesn't mean that the entire theory of evolution is "about to collapse" (Dominique Tassot, Opinion, July 18th).
Dr Tassot claims there is no evidence of evolution at the molecular level, because nobody has actually watched an evolutionary change happening in DNA. Would he also claim that my toaster won't work because nobody has actually seen an electron?
DNA research has produced overwhelming evidence that gene sequences change gradually over millions of years. Each gene in the mouse has a similar counterpart in the rat, while its counterpart in fish (for example), is different. To explain this, we must either believe in evolution or in a devious creator who has deliberately planted a consistent trail of misleading information in every gene of every organism on the planet.
I'll go for the simple explanation. - Yours, etc.,
Ken Wolfe, Molecular Evolution Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin 2.