John Fisher, The Timberjay Newspapers

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Quote# 29840

More questions on evolution
By Letter to the editor from John Fisher- Cook, Minn.

In the The Scientist, Melissa Lee Phillips writes on recent genome mapping research:
"The genome of the sea anenome, one of the oldest living animal species on earth, shares a surprising degree of similarity with the genome of vertebrates, researchers report in this week's Science. The study found that these similarities were absent from fruit fly and nematode

genomes, contradicting the widely held belief that organisms become more complex through evolution. The findings suggest that the ancestral animal genome was quite complex , and fly and worm genomes lost some of that intricacy as they evolved."

In other words, the study found life started out very complex genetically and got less so as things "evolved". Evidence of the pervasiveness of the Darwinist religion in academic culture is the inability (due to fear, mainly) to spell out the implications of such findings.

John Fisher, The Timberjay Newspapers 21 Comments [10/9/2007 9:40:25 PM]
Fundie Index: 3

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#305823

Wet Walnuts

Find me one biologist that believes "that organisms become more complex through evolution". No one in the scientific community ever suggested that; in fact there is significant evidence to the contrary.

10/9/2007 9:49:50 PM

#305845

Necronomikron

There be strawmen ahead!

10/9/2007 9:56:43 PM

#305851

Eric

"contradicting the widely held belief that organisms become more complex through evolution"

Maybe to people who don't actually know shit about evolution. It's descent with modification, not improvement. The only thing that matters is that the species can survive long enough to reproduce.

10/9/2007 10:07:52 PM

#305870

ArmandT

Evolution doesn't mean organisms must get more complex. If a simpler variant survives better than its more complex brothers, than its traits will get passed down.

10/9/2007 10:23:48 PM

#305875

Darwin

Evolution seems to show a general progression toward biochemical and biophysical complexity, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything about the genetics involved.

10/9/2007 10:29:22 PM

#305877

Mike

Evolution does not work that way!

10/9/2007 10:31:19 PM

#305925

Adrian

Necronomikron FTW.

10/9/2007 11:15:31 PM

#305947

Brian X

Implications? The implications are that cnidarians are closer to chordates than nematodes or arthropods, no more, no less. The base of the tree of life is not exactly an article of doctrine.

10/9/2007 11:30:18 PM

#305962

Oriet

Evolution just means that offspring are different, however minutely, from their progenitors. Complexity will change, in either direction, for whatever is the most viable for that environment. I admit I know very little on evolution, but I at least know that much!

10/9/2007 11:46:36 PM

#305981

Papabear

The ToE holds that species become better adapted to their environments through evolution, not that they necessarily become more genetically complex. Sit down, John, you're way out of your league.

10/10/2007 12:09:18 AM

#306009

Old Viking

John, you might want to quit writing letters to the editor. You're going to find people pointing and giggling.

10/10/2007 12:38:44 AM

#306021

Freboy

He actually wrote this to the editor of a scientific journal? That's so pathetic it hurts.

Firstly, there can be many reasons that "higher" organisms have simpler/smaller genomes. Mammals, for example can solve many problems using a single universal solution: walking away. Plants have to adapt to change in place.

Even if that effect wasn't significant, some species can use one gene to make more than one protein through different splicings.

Now be quiet so the rest of us can think.

10/10/2007 12:48:47 AM

#306085

Actually, this article is validating evolution, not the other way round.

10/10/2007 2:09:14 AM

#306160

szena

@Freboy - it was a letter to the editor in a local paper.

10/10/2007 5:25:34 AM

#306233

Doctor Whom

From that letter:

The Darwinist majority have created an environment of intimidation that has made academic freedom in our universities a mockery.

Well, gee, I thought it was the postmodernists -- who, ironically enough, had a view of science that was pretty similar to that of the average YEC.

10/10/2007 8:21:46 AM

#306405

Mister Spak

"contradicting the widely held belief that organisms become more complex through evolution. "

This belief is only widely held by fundie creationists. You won't find it held by scientists.

10/10/2007 11:39:28 AM

#306630

tracer

"... the The Scientist"?

10/10/2007 3:35:36 PM

#306778

Detrs

"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge..."
-Charles Darwin

10/10/2007 6:45:33 PM

#356395

12/9/2007 2:57:17 AM

#366093

Whisper

Because more complex is always better adapted. Always.

12/20/2007 4:59:52 AM

#1235813

Amadaun"

Fisher, that does contradict that "widely held belief" just as the article says...

But that's because the people who believe that are wrong. They were always wrong. That's not how evolution works. It's not a doctrinal thing and people misunderstanding it doesn't change the actual 'it.'

12/18/2010 1:29:19 AM