"Would studying DNA to look for a sudden change, maybe from an outside (intelligent space alien) source, that might have happened in the last couple million years be science ??"
It would be science, but it wouldn't be proof of ID.
The general consensus in evolutionary theory is that evolution occurs by piling on those little changes you get with individual variations. Forget about point mutations driving changes, although those can contribute in those few cases where they don't kill or maim. And those changes get reinforced, not in the general population where they get drowned out, but in those small groups who challenge the periphery and run into different niches and challenges than the main population. Then when the main population meets similar challenges, the genes of the peripheral populations have an advantage which them spreads.
Given the near identical genetic sequences of humanity, our ancestors went through one or more genetic bottlenecks. They were reduced to a population of a few thousand, maybe less. In other words, just about everybody died out without contributing to further generations, leaving one or more small and isolated groups to carry the torch. And that would look like a sudden acceleration of genetic change, when the actual change wasn't all that sudden. Before, it was just a tiny drop in the puddle, afterwards it was the puddle.
Now, it also could be that some external designer was responsible for it. But how could you tell? |
