Evolution: If It Walks Like a Fish ...

Newsweek ^ | 17 April 2006 issue | Jerry Adler

[PatrickHenry]

Darwin predicted that the "missing links" of evolution—gaps in the fossil record between related species—would come to haunt his theory. He was right: even today, they're a major theme in the effort to discredit evolution with the public. Which is why there was such a stir about a paper in the journal Nature last week describing a 375 million-year-old creature dug from rocks in the Canadian Arctic.

[snip]

Given the Inuit name Tiktaalik, the specimen neatly splits the gap between fossil fish that lived about 385 million years ago and the four-legged amphibians that came 20 million years later.

[snip]

The Discovery Institute, which promotes "intelligent design" as an alternative to Darwin, was quick to assert that Tiktaalik "poses no threat to [ID] ...

[Junior]

There is no evidence your average Luddite cannot ignore...

[jec41]

As one said, I was born on this boat, there is no evidence of any such thing as water.

[ScottfromNJ]

Apes, our so-called ancestors according to evolutionists, are the same dumb apes that existed thousands of years ago when first observed by man. They still live in the jungle and swing from trees, and have shown no progression as far as Intelligence/knowledge is concerned unlike man, who's mental capacities have substantially progressed at a rate unlike that of any species that exists. Humans are unique, and unrelated to any other species.

[VadeRetro]

Few leading [ID] researchers have argued against the existence of transitional forms."

Wells, Meyers, and Johnson come to mind at once.

[norwaypinesavage]

"Why would there have to be a chromosome count difference?"

How else would we get to the chromosome diversity we have today?

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"Apes, our so-called ancestors according to evolutionists, are the same dumb apes that existed thousands of years ago when first observed by man."

Why would they be anything else in a few thousand years?

"They still live in the jungle and swing from trees, and have shown no progression as far as Intelligence/knowledge is concerned unlike man, who's mental capacities have substantially progressed at a rate unlike that of any species that exists."

Actually, our mental capacities are almost certainly the same as they were thousands of years ago. It's our knowledge that has grown (knowledge such as the fact of our common ancestry with apes).

"Humans are unique, and unrelated to any other species."

We are unique, yet related in numerous ways with other animals. To think otherwise in the face of the evidence is the height of arrogance.

[bobdsmith]

Yea unrelated in terms of intelligence. In terms of biology though there is a 95%+ relatedness

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[fizziwig]

"It's claims are outside of the scope of science."

As well as the claims of athiests that science proves their belief.

[phantomworker]

At some point some creationist or ID-iot will demand to see the missing link between zebras and horses with stripes on just one side.

LOL! They exist! In Tijuana, Mexico! Street vendors have dozens of donkeys with white stripes painted on them. ROFL! Along with the best fake Rollex watches available. ;)

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"As well as the claims of athiests that science proves their belief."

True. Science has nothing to say pro or con about the existence of a God. Atheism is a philosophical/theological position.

ID is still not science though.

[bobdsmith]

How else would we get to the chromosome diversity we have today?

Polyploidy allows doubling of the chromosome number.

Otherwise chromosomes can be fused and broken. I believe some diseases are caused by such mutations. Not all fusions and breakages are harmful though. It also looks like human chromosome 2 is composed of a fusion of two ape chromosomes (we have one less chromosome than apes).

[js1138]

Can you give me an example, where there is a chromosome count difference?

Horses do not all have the same chromosome count.

Change in chromosome count is common in plants and rare in animals, but it happens.

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"How else would we get to the chromosome diversity we have today?"

You claimed that in order to observe speciation, we need to see a change in chromosome count. I asked why... now you move to a different question. Please stay on topic.

[bobdsmith]

To be fair he did only ask you a question.

[jec41]

As well as the claims of athiests that science proves their belief.

Science has no method to prove anything nor has it ever claimed to do so. Philosophy seeks proof by argument but has never provided a single proof of anything. The only proofs are by mathematics.

[Junior]

You're Jesus?

[Coyoteman]

Humans are unique, and unrelated to any other species.

OK, if that's the case, draw a diving line in the photograph below. This shows modern chimpanzee at the top left and modern human at the bottom right. In between are various fossils between early ape-like ancestors and modern man. Select where "human" begins and get back to us. (There is a chart below the photograph which posits some relationships among these fossils.)

Figure 1.4.4. Fossil hominid skulls. Some of the figures have been modified for ease of comparison (only left-right mirroring or removal of a jawbone). (Images © 2000 Smithsonian Institution.)

(A) Pan troglodytes, chimpanzee, modern
(B) Australopithecus africanus, STS 5, 2.6 My
(C) Australopithecus africanus, STS 71, 2.5 My
(D) Homo habilis, KNM-ER 1813, 1.9 My
(E) Homo habilis, OH24, 1.8 My
(F) Homo rudolfensis, KNM-ER 1470, 1.8 My
(G) Homo erectus, Dmanisi cranium D2700, 1.75 My
(H) Homo ergaster (early H. erectus), KNM-ER 3733, 1.75 My
(I) Homo heidelbergensis, "Rhodesia man," 300,000 - 125,000 y
(J) Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, La Ferrassie 1, 70,000 y
(K) Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, La Chappelle-aux-Saints, 60,000 y
(L) Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, Le Moustier, 45,000 y
(M) Homo sapiens sapiens, Cro-Magnon I, 30,000 y
(N) Homo sapiens sapiens, modern

Source: http://wwwrses.anu.edu.au/environment/eePages/eeDating/HumanEvol_info.html

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"To be fair he did only ask you a question."

I asked him one too, which he didn't answer.

[js1138]

Th origin of chromosome count diversity is a legitimate question.

The answer is that while unusual, chromosome count changes are observed. Even humans do not all have the same chromosome count, and not all anomalous humans are retarded or sterile.

There are barriers to chromosome count variation in animals -- most result in sterility -- but not always, as with horses.