Evolution is not an opinion

[FunkyBunch]

Neeland was awesome, he was one of my favorite professors!
I thought the article was rather interesting. Thanks for that BA.

[Born_again]

I'll say "Hi!" from Funkybunch when I see him in little over a week's time.

[JLives]

I don't usually post Youtube videos but this one is so good at demonstrating the arguements against evolution that I had to share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBHEsEsh ... r_embedded

[Taranis1964]

I don't usually post Youtube videos but this one is so good at demonstrating the arguements against evolution that I had to share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBHEsEsh ... r_embedded

That was cute and entertaining, but I find it odd that you felt that it was a good case AGAINST evolution. I found that it SUPPORTED the theory of evolution and demonstrated how the Creationists who take the bible literally can be narrow and closed minded.

[JLives]

Yes, you are right. I worded it poorly.

[Taranis1964]

Yes, you are right. I worded it poorly.

No worries. It happens to all of us.

[I Think]

Hey, I just thought you were being funny, thanks for the link, it made me laugh.

[JLives]

Is this species transistional enough for the skeptics?

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... irth-eggs/

Brian Handwerk

for National Geographic News

Published September 1, 2010

Evolution has been caught in the act, according to scientists who are decoding how a species of Australian lizard is abandoning egg-laying in favor of live birth.

Along the warm coastal lowlands of New South Wales (map), the yellow-bellied three-toed skink lays eggs to reproduce. But individuals of the same species living in the state's higher, colder mountains are almost all giving birth to live young.

Only two other modern reptiles—another skink species and a European lizard—use both types of reproduction. (Related: "Virgin Birth Expected at Christmas—By Komodo Dragon.")

Evolutionary records shows that nearly a hundred reptile lineages have independently made the transition from egg-laying to live birth in the past, and today about 20 percent of all living snakes and lizards give birth to live young only.

(See "Oldest Live-Birth Fossil Found; Fish Had Umbilical Cord.")

But modern reptiles that have live young provide only a single snapshot on a long evolutionary time line, said study co-author James Stewart, a biologist at East Tennessee State University. The dual behavior of the yellow-bellied three-toed skink therefore offers scientists a rare opportunity.

"By studying differences among populations that are in different stages of this process, you can begin to put together what looks like the transition from one [birth style] to the other."

Eggs-to-Baby Switch Creates Nutrient Problem

One of the mysteries of how reptiles switch from eggs to live babies is how the young get their nourishment before birth.

In mammals a highly specialized placenta connects the fetus to the ovary wall, allowing the baby to take up oxygen and nutrients from the mother's blood and pass back waste. (See related pictures of "extreme" animals in the womb.)

In egg-laying species, the embryo gets nourishment from the yolk, but calcium absorbed from the porous shell is also an important nutrient source.

Some fish and reptiles, meanwhile, use a mix of both birthing styles. The mother forms eggs, but then retains them inside her body until the very last stages of embryonic development. (Related: "Dinosaur Eggs Discovered Inside Mother—A First.")

The shells of these eggs thin dramatically so that the embryos can breathe, until live babies are born covered with only thin membranes—all that remains of the shells.

This adaptation presents a potential nourishment problem: A thinner shell has less calcium, which could cause deficiencies for the young reptiles.

Stewart and colleagues, who have studied skinks for years, decided to look for clues to the nutrient problem in the structure and chemistry of the yellow-bellied three-toed skink's uterus.

"Now we can see that the uterus secretes calcium that becomes incorporated into the embryo—it's basically the early stages of the evolution of a placenta in reptiles," Stewart explained.

Evolutionary Transition Surprisingly Simple

Both birthing styles come with evolutionary tradeoffs: Eggs are more vulnerable to external threats, such as extreme weather and predators, but internal fetuses can be more taxing for the mother.

(Related: "Human Sperm Gene Traced to Dawn of Animal Evolution.")

For the skinks, moms in balmier climates may opt to conserve their own bodies' resources by depositing eggs on the ground for the final week or so of development. Moms in harsh mountain climates, by contrast, might find that it's more efficient to protect their young by keeping them longer inside their bodies.

In general, the results suggest the move from egg-laying to live birth in reptiles is fairly common—at least in historic terms—because it's relatively easy to make the switch, Stewart said.

"We tend to think of this as a very complex transition," he said, "but it's looking like it might be much simpler in some cases than we thought."

The skink-evolution research was published online August 16 by the Journal of Morphology.

[John Right]

I wouldn't get too excited, this isn't exactly the holy grail of the evolution theory.

For all we know these animals might switch birth methods as part of a normal cycle. It's not like they changed into dragon flies or something.

Biology does allow for certain physical changes depending on environment, why do you think people in Africa have dark skin and people in Norway have light skin. Probably because of the amount of sunlight. But their still human beings.

This is just another example of the amazing wonderous world our God has created for us and we will never have all the answers, nor do we need them. Just enjoy it.

[don_pepe]

This is just another example of the amazing wonderous world our God has created for us and we will never have all the answers, nor do we need them. Just enjoy it.

I really don't understand creationism. The strategy basically is nitpick science trying to confuse people, when someone who know what they're talking about refutes what the creationist says they move on to something else and ignore the point that person made.

Even if you prove evolution, abiogenesis, paleontology, molecular biology, geology, and cosmology to be false you still need to prove that an intelligence was behind everything. Once you determined that intelligence you need to prove that it was Yehweh/Allah who did it and not one of the other innumerable gods out there. I think it's time to start doing some real research rather than just trying to confuse people.

[steven lloyd]

This is just another example of the amazing wonderous world our God has created for us and we will never have all the answers, nor do we need them. Just enjoy it.

Exactly John. Just like homosexuality. You should let go of the fear and hate, lighten up, and take in a Gay Pride Parade (don't worry - people are born homosexual, it is not contagious).

[Glacier]

I really don't understand creationism. The strategy basically is nitpick science trying to confuse people, when someone who know what they're talking about refutes what the creationist says they move on to something else and ignore the point that person made.

Meh, creationists think they understand a science they have spent very little time studying; atheists think they understand a bible they have spent very little time studying. It's easy to take things out of context if your understand is only rudimentary.

[Mr. Personality]

This is just another example of the amazing wonderous world our God has created for us and we will never have all the answers, nor do we need them. Just enjoy it.

Exactly John. Just like homosexuality. You should let go of the fear and hate, lighten up, and take in a Gay Pride Parade (don't worry - people are born homosexual, it is not contagious).

So homosexuality is like downs syndrome?

[mtnman1]

This is just another example of the amazing wonderous world our God has created for us and we will never have all the answers, nor do we need them. Just enjoy it.

Exactly John. Just like homosexuality. You should let go of the fear and hate, lighten up, and take in a Gay Pride Parade (don't worry - people are born homosexual, it is not contagious).

So homosexuality is like downs syndrome?

and
Cancer
bigotry
turrettes
hemroids
epilepsy
diabetes

[steven lloyd]

So homosexuality is like downs syndrome?

Do you hate kids with Downs Syndrome too