Central American Songbird Provides Confirmation of Intelligent Design

AP | 3/31/2005 | AP

[Condorman]

Central American Songbird Provides Confirmation of Intelligent Design

Lincoln, NE (AP) - Researchers at the University of Nebraska have, for the first time, confirmed a prediction of the controversial theory known as intelligent design, or ID.  The unexpected discovery was made by Paavamanti Ashook and Jessica Aylesworth, two graduate students working under the direction of Dr. Peter Harl, a professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Nebraska, while they were sequencing a section of the genetic code for the turquoise-browed motmot, Eumomota superciliosa, a Central American songbird.

During the relatively routine procedure, the research team uncovered a gene in the turquoise-browed motmot that does not appear in any of its nearest relatives.  “It came as a complete surprise,” said Aylesworth, “when we showed Dr. Harl he went to the lab and reran the sequence himself.”

 “What we found is a gene with no evolutionary precursor,” said Dr. Harl. “There is no homologous gene in any other species of motmot. There's nothing like it in any other kingfisher that we can tell.  It looks like someone stuck in an extra gene in the middle of the genome when no one was looking.  At this point, the theory of evolution cannot provide a satisfactory answer.  ID provides an explanation that works.”

ID is the scientific theory that evolution was guided is some way by an intelligent force, and was the subject of a controversial court ruling in Dover, PA last December in which the school board was forbidden from mandating ID as part of the science curriculum.  Although the theory refuses to identify the designer, many adherents claim that the designer is God.  According to one interpretation of the theory, some animals will contain certain features without a direct evolutionary pathway, as if the designer inserted or deleted a component of the species independent of the commonly accepted forces of natural selection.

“We will need to do more research,” Ashook said, “In the meantime, this definitely causes problems for evolution. But as a scientist I have to choice but to follow the evidence.”

The team’s results will be published in the next issue of the journal The Natural World.

[Condorman]

Looks like ID may finally have produced a result. Now play nice. It's all fun and games, till someone loses an eye.

[Condorman]

What do you think? One for the ping list?

[MineralMan]

Hmm...an unexplained gene in this very attractive bird. And that's evidence of Intelligent Design? I don't see how.

Is it yet to be explained? Perhaps. Is it evidence of ID? Again, it is evidence only that there is a gene unique to this species in that position. Why? Well...more study is needed.

Were I an ID advocate, I'd be just as cautious as anyone about proclaiming this as proof of that odd hypothesis.

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

I have to ask, in that picture is that its tail hanging way down that far?

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

Reasearch ping!

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

and Research Ping for all those who can use spell check.

[Just Lori]

Whether or not it is proof doesn't matter much. Some of us don't need proof.

[Admin Moderator]

Please provide a working link to this article. Thanks.

[AndrewC]

“What we found is a gene with no evolutionary precursor,”

Nice, but I would like to see the raw data, not that I don't trust an AP story...

[JCEccles]

What do we call this, the April 1 gene?

A weak attempt at humor that unitentionally may track with the sort of the thing that actually happens.

There are intricate irreducibly complex marvels tucked away in genome that await an appropriate trigger. One of those triggers almost certainly is natural selection. Indeed, natural selection could be the sole trigger and be perfectly consistent with ID theory.

[MineralMan]

"Whether or not it is proof doesn't matter much. Some of us don't need proof."

OK, then. Evidence is good. Science is based on it. Proof is really hard to come by.

[El Sordo]

Spontaneous or chaotic mutation?

[Quick1]

Brilliant little April Fools joke!

[MineralMan]

"What do we call this, the April 1 gene? "

Could be an April Fool's thingie, I guess. However, I have no doubt that it will appear on every creationist and ID site within minutes, and then will be sent wending its way through the email pyramid.

Feh!

[Eastbound]

"I have to ask, in that picture is that its tail hanging way down that far?"

The warble does seem a little high-pitched, doesn't it?

[JNL]

O.K. No Peter Harl listed @ University

http://www.unomaha.edu/biology/

But there does seem to be a position open for in Genetics so I guess if Harl ever worked there his little theory got him canned LOL.

Also as you don't provide any link I searched AP and google news nada.

Can we get at least some evidence on this one?

[jec41]

HA

[PatrickHenry]

Evolution Ping The List-O-Links

A conservative, pro-evolution science list, now with over 360 names. See the list's explanation, then FReepmail to be added or dropped. To assist beginners: But it's "just a theory", Evo-Troll's Toolkit, and How to argue against a scientific theory.

[Senator Bedfellow]

Well, actually, the main campus for Nebraska is in Lincoln, not Omaha, but I don't think it matters as you've already been hooked ;)

[PatrickHenry]

This unexpected new evidence is causing me to re-think everything. Very disturbing.

[Senator Bedfellow]

Well, as the man said, we have no choice but to follow the evidence. I know where I'll be on Sunday morning.

[Condorman]

This unexpected new evidence is causing me to re-think everything. Very disturbing.

Science is self-correcting.

[PatrickHenry]

I know where I'll be on Sunday morning.

It's gonna take a lot more than one Sunday morning in your case.

[AndrewC]

Don't expect any. But surely there is some irony in the choice of UofN, Lincoln for the howlers.

[Senator Bedfellow]

There's where you're wrong - I've started working on an outline of what I need to cover the next time I go to confessional. A little confession, a little penance, and I'm good to go. It's been a while, though - so far the outline is up to 46 pages, single spaced. I'll probably be through with the outline and ready to start a rough draft pretty soon.

[JNL]

Yeah (slaps head) I even went to the Lincoln site and looked up Harl at that point I clued in LOL.

[AndrewC]

Well, there seem to be a few deleted posts. I don't recall them being offensive. Something's going on here.

[PatrickHenry]

I too have much to repent. All this time I've been saying that the guys at the Discovery Institute are a pack of clowns. Now it turns out that they were on the right track all along.

[ml1954]

Add some pictures, tables, and graphs. You may be able to get by with fewer pages of text that way and get your point across better. It should shorten the 'presentation' time.

[Vaquero]

sounds like they're grasping at straws......again.

[Senator Bedfellow]

Say, that's much better than my original idea of an interactive puppet show...

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"Looks like ID may finally have produced a result."

This is indeed intriguing. I've met Dr. Harl before, and if he backs this then I have no choice but to believe it. I am also very familiar with The Natural World . It's a pretty respectable journal.

This could change our entire understanding of biology. Fascinating read!

[ml1954]

It helps me keep my 'resume' up to date with minimal effort. I'm just not planning on making a 'presentation' until near death.

[Virginia-American]

Say, that's much better than my original idea of an interactive puppet show...

I never thought of it before, but a confessional is about the same size and shape as a Punch and Judy theater.

I'm just not planning on making a 'presentation' until near death.

Following Constantine's good example.

[Senator Bedfellow]

Tough to time these things properly sometimes, though. Why take the chance you'll pass suddenly and not have an opportunity to get it all off your chest? Just get yourself one of these babies and do it all posthumously. That way, if you step in front of a bus one of these days, you're covered retroactively.

[Virginia-American]

This is indeed intriguing. I've met Dr. Harl before...

Harl, Harl, it reminds me of someone else at Nebraska ... on the tip of my tongue...

[Senator Bedfellow]

I never thought of it before, but a confessional is about the same size and shape as a Punch and Judy theater.

Shhhhh, you'll give it all away.

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"Harl, Harl, it reminds me of someone else at Nebraska ... on the tip of my tongue..."

Not sure. Dr. Peter Harl is in his later 50's, hair kinda thin on the top. He speaks with a little stammer, but he's pretty captivating once he gets going with a topic. He came to a class I was taking as a guest speaker about 10 years ago.

[ml1954]

Good idea. I had been counting on at least getting points for effort and intentions if the unexpected suddenly occurred, but this should work better.

[Stultis]

Good try, but too late. Darwin Central has already sprung into action. Dr. Peter Harl? WHAT "Dr. Peter Harl"? The entire "University of Nebraska" from the historical record too if need be. Bwahahahahahaha!

[curiosity]

There's no link to the source. What gives?

[bd476]

The researchers undoubtedly would have saved Federal grant money, time and trouble had they consulted a reputable ornithologist prior to trekking into the jungles of Central America in their Intelligent Design research.

It is without dispute among leading ornithologists that the British Bluetit preceded or, wrote the song, if you will, the creation or evolution of the Central American turquoise browed mot mot.

The British Bluetit has also been long revered for its rapturous song.


Listen to the bird sing.

[PatrickHenry]

The bird is real: Turquoise-browed Motmot.

[CarolinaGuitarman]

I did a little more research and found out that the gene that these researchers found, the BS 4u gene, may not be quite as new as this report makes it sound. It is polylitally zygometic with a gene, BS ru, found in a closely related species, Hylomanes momotula . We'll just have to see how this holds up.

[bd476]

PatrickHenry wrote: "The bird is real: Turquoise-browed Motmot."

No doubt about it, especially when you hear its song:

From the link: "The call is nasal, croaking and far-carrying."

[Condorman]

It is without dispute among leading ornithologists that the British Bluetit preceded or, wrote the song, if you will, the creation or evolution of the Central American turquoise browed mot mot.

I think they got the title wrong, though. In the picture, the motmot looks more like a kingfisher.

[Virginia-American]

In the picture, the motmot looks more like a kingfisher.

With a tail like that?