Why Evolution is True
Memes that support the Theory of Evolution
Folksonomies: evolution theory evidence ideonexus
Memes
28 MAY 2013
Human Brain is "Conserved"
evolution conserves things that work. We have a conserved brain, with different ages for its different parts—in effect lizard at back and bottom, mammal in the middle, human at the front and top. Lizard brain to breathe and sleep, mammal brain to form packs, human brain to think it overFolksonomies: evolution
Folksonomies: evolution
1 
It conserves the ancient parts that work, adding complexity onto those.
23 JUN 2012
Evolutionary Origins are Not so Fanciful
If a single cell, under appropriate conditions, becomes a man in the space of a few years, there can surely be no difficulty in understanding how, under appropriate conditions, a cell may, in the course of untold millions of years, give origin to the human race. Folksonomies: evolution
Folksonomies: evolution
Each human goes from a single cell to fully-formed human in just a few years, so why not the same over billions of years?
13 APR 2012
How Can You be a Creationist Farmer?
It always seems amazing to me that evolutionists pay so little attention to this kind of thing, and that cotton growers are having to deal with these pests in the very states whose legislatures are so hostile to the theory of evolution. Because it is the evolution itself they are struggling against in their fields every season. These people are trying to ban the teaching of evolution while their own cotton crops are failing because of evolution. How can you be a creationist farmer any more? When evolving bugs keep destroying your crops?
20 SEP 2011
The Species Missing from Islands
Native
Missing
Plants
Land mammals
Birds
Reptiles
Insects and other
Amphibians
arthropods (e.g., spiders)
Freshwater fish
[...]
Further, when you look at the type of insects and plants native to oceanic islands, they are from groups that are the best colonizers. Most of the insects are small, precisely those that would be easily picked up by wind. Compared to weedy plants, trees are relatively rare on oceanic islands, almost certainly because many trees have heavy seeds that neither fl...The fact that the species that exist on islands could only have migrated there versus the ones that do not exist are evidence of evolution.
16 SEP 2011
"Natural" Classification of Species as Evidence for Evolu...
Actually, the nested arrangement of life was recognized long before
Darwin. Starting with the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in , biologists
began classifying animals and plants, discovering that they consistently
fell into what was called a “natural” classification. Strikingly,
different biologists came up with nearly identical groupings. This means
that these groupings are not subjective artifacts of a human need to
classify, but that they tell us something real and fundamen...Taxonomists working independently naturally "nest" species in the same groups.
16 SEP 2011
Convergent Evolution in Mammals and Marsupials
The most famous example of different species filling similar roles
involves the marsupial mammals, now found mainly in Australia
(the Virginia opossum is a familiar exception), and placental mammals,
which predominate elsewhere in the world. The two groups show important
anatomical differences, most notably in their reproductive systems
(almost all marsupials have pouches and give birth to very undeveloped
young, while placentals have placentas that enable young to be born at
a more advanced ...Although they have very different reproductive strategies, the two groups have many parallels in species adapted to the same environments.
16 SEP 2011
Mammals Produce Useless Yolks
Vestigial genes can go hand in hand with vestigial structures. We
mammals evolved from reptilian ancestors that laid eggs. With the
exceptions of the “monotremes” (the order of mammals that includes
the Australian spiny anteater and duck-billed platypus), mammals have
dispensed with egg-laying, and mothers nourish their young directly
through the placenta instead of by providing a storehouse of yolk. And
mammals carry three genes that, in reptiles and birds, produce the
nutritious protein...Because they evolve from egg-laying reptiles, they have dead genes for producing yolks and even produce yolks in the placenta.
16 SEP 2011
Evolution Remodels the Old into New
...evolutionary change, even of a major sort, nearly always
involves remodeling the old into the new. The legs of land animals are
variations on the stout limbs of ancestral fish. The tiny middle ear bones
of mammals are remodeled jawbones of their reptilian ancestors. The
wings of birds were fashioned from the legs of dinosaurs. And whales are
stretched-out land animals whose forelimbs have become paddles and
whose nostrils have moved atop their head.Evolution modifies existing structures rather than creating new ones from scratch.
14 SEP 2011
Elephants Don't Need an Explanation
A great deal of the universe does not need any explanation. Elephants, for instance. Once molecules have learnt to compete and to create other molecules in their own image, elephants, and things resembling elephants, will in due course be found roaming around the countryside ... Some of the things resembling elephants will be men.Folksonomies: evolution molecular biology
Folksonomies: evolution molecular biology
They are an obvious result of molecules evolving... some of these evolved molecules will resemble humans.
30 AUG 2011
Evolution Means God is "Meager"
The resources of the Deity cannot be so meagre, that, in order to create a human being endowed with reason, he must change a monkey into a man.Reusing resources to make new creatures.
29 JUN 2011
Effect of Human Brain Size on Labor and Bipedalism
The real obstetrical dilemma came long after Lucy and her colleagues became extinct, when there was a sudden upsurge in brain expansion. About 1.5 million years ago, die adult hominid brain went from the Australopithecine size of 400 cubic centimeters to 750 cubic centimeters in a species called Homo habilis, the first member of our genus. In other words, the brain just about doubled in size. A mere million years later. the hominid brain doubled once again until it reached its present average...Painful labor is a compromise between our large brain size and the ability of a woman to give birth mechanically.
29 MAY 2011
Evolution Versus Engineering
What's the difference between evolution and engineering? Engineering is the designing of a whole out of parts suited to their individual purposes. Evolution is the process of tiny incremental changes, each making some small or large improvement in the ability of the thing to survive and reproduce. A good engineer avoids the kluge-jargon for the use of a part not particularly suited to its purpose. But evolution favors, even cherishes, the kluge. Suddenly finding a new purpose for a part witho...Evolution is all about kludges.
20 MAY 2011
DNA as an Archive of the Past
Each individual's genome, in any one generation, will be a sample from the species
database. Different species will have different databases because of their different ancestral worlds.
The database in the gene pool of camels will encode information about deserts and how to survive
in them. The DNA in mole gene pools will contain instructions and hints for survival in dark, moist
soil. The DNA in predator gene pools will increasingly contain information about prey animals,
their evasive trick...A repository of ancestral survival techniques.
20 MAY 2011
Skeletal Similarities in Mammals
What a piece of work is the mammalian skeleton. I don't mean it is beautiful in itself,
although I think it is. I mean the fact that we can talk about 'the' mammalian skeleton at all: the fact
that such a complicatedly interlocking thing is so gloriously different across the mammals, in all its
parts, while simultaneously being so obviously the same thing throughout the mammals. Our own
skeleton is familiar enough to need no picture, but look at this skeleton of a bat. Isn't it fascinating
ho...
1 There are corresponding bones across species, evolved into other functions.
20 MAY 2011
Transforming Species Through Mathematics
In 1917 the great Scottish zoologist D'Arcy Thompson wrote a book called On Growth and
Form, in the last chapter of which he introduced his famous 'method of transformations'. * He
would draw an animal on graph paper, and then he would distort the graph paper in a
mathematically specifiable way and show that the form of the original animal had turned into
another, related animal. You could think of the original graph paper as a piece of rubber, on which
you draw your first animal. Then the tr...D'Arcy Thompson showed how one species could be transformed into another by sketching it on graph paper and distorting it.
20 MAY 2011
The Idiotic Design of the Eye
Hermann von Helmholtz, the great nineteenthcentury
German scientist (you could call him a physicist, but his contributions to biology and
psychology were greater), said, of the eye: 'If an optician wanted to sell me an instrument which had
all these defects, I should think myself quite justified in blaming his carelessness in the strongest
terms, and giving him back his instrument.' One reason why the eye seems better than Helmholtz,
the physicist, judged it to be is that the brain does an am...Folksonomies: evolution intelligent design
Folksonomies: evolution intelligent design
Wired backwards with a blind spot.
20 MAY 2011
The laryngeal nerve's haphazard course through the body
A favourite example, ever since it was pointed out to me by Professor J. D. Currey when he
tutored me as an undergraduate, is the recurrent laryngeal nerve.* It is a branch of one of the cranial
nerves, those nerves that lead directly from the brain rather than from the spinal cord. One of the
cranial nerves, the vagus (the name means 'wandering' and it is apt), has various branches, two of
which go to the heart, and two on each side to the larynx (voice box in mammals). On each side of
the n...Folksonomies: evolution intelligent design
Folksonomies: evolution intelligent design
Another example of poor biological design.
19 MAY 2011
Missing Links Make Defining Species Possible
As we trace the ancestry of modern Homo sapiens backwards, there must come a time when
the difference from living people is sufficiently great to deserve a different specific name, say
Homo ergaster. Yet, every step of the way, individuals were presumably sufficiently similar to their
parents and their children to be placed in the same species. Now we go back further, tracing the
ancestry of Homo ergaster, and there must come a time when we reach individuals who are
sufficiently different fro...Without missing links, species would blur into each other.
19 MAY 2011
Dog Breeding and Evolution
Another familiar example is the sculpting of the wolf, Canis lupus, into the two hundred or
so breeds of dog, Canis familiaris, that are recognized as separate by the UK Kennel Club, and the
larger number of breeds that are genetically isolated from one another by the apartheid-like rules of
pedigree breeding.
Incidentally, the wild ancestor of all domestic dogs really does seem to be the wolf and only
the wolf...
[...]
The main point I want to draw out of domestication is its astonishing ...Dog breeding demonstrates how quickly animals can evolve, even if it's under artificial selection.
19 MAY 2011
Theory of Evolution Predicts the Existence of a Species
Both Darwin and his co-discoverer of natural selection, Wallace, called attention to an
amazing orchid from Madagascar, Angraecum sesquipedale (see colour page 4), and both men
made the same remarkable prediction, which was later triumphantly vindicated. This orchid has
tubular nectaries that reach down more than 11 inches by Darwin's own ruler. That's nearly 30
centimetres. A related species, Angraecum longicalcar, has nectar-bearing spurs that are even
longer, up to 40 centimetres (more tha...The existence of an orchid means there must be a species adapted to reaching its nectar.
19 MAY 2011
Antibiotics Evolve Bacteria in the Gut
New antibiotics have been coming out at frequent intervals since
then, and bacteria have evolved resistance to just about every one of them. Nowadays, the most
ominous example is MRSA (methycillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which has succeeded in
making many hospitals positively dangerous places to visit. Another menace is ' C. diff.' (
Clostridium difficile). Here again, we have natural selection favouring strains that are resistant to
antibiotics; but the effect is overlain by anothe...As the bacteria adapt to the hostile environment.
19 MAY 2011
Guppies Evolve Their Spots in Experimentation
Guppies are popular freshwater aquarium fish. As with the pheasants we met in Chapter 3,
the males are more brightly coloured than the females, and aquarists have bred them to become
even brighter. Endler studied wild guppies (Poecilia reticulata) living in mountain streams in
Trinidad, Tobago and Venezuela. He noticed that local populations were strikingly different from
each other. In some populations the adult males were rainbow-coloured, almost as bright as those
bred in aquarium tanks. H...Folksonomies: evolution experimentation
Folksonomies: evolution experimentation
Spots are attractive to females, but also attractive to predators.
19 MAY 2011
The Evolution of Whales from Land to Sea
Whales were long an enigma, but recently our knowledge of whale evolution has become
rather rich. Molecular genetic evidence (see Chapter 10 for the nature of this kind of evidence)
shows that the closest living cousins of whales are hippos, then pigs, then ruminants. Even more
surprisingly, the molecular evidence shows that hippos are more closely related to whales than they
are to the cloven-hoofed animals (such as pigs and ruminants) which look much more like them.
This is another example ...The opposite of sea animals evolving to live on land.
19 MAY 2011
Animals Evolved onto the Land and Took the Ocean With them
If you go back far enough, everything lived in the sea - watery, salty alma mater of all life.
At various points in evolutionary history, enterprising individuals from many different animal
groups moved out on to the land, sometimes eventually to the most parched deserts, taking their
own private sea water with them in blood and cellular fluids. In addition to the reptiles, birds,
mammals and insects we see all around us, other groups that have succeeded in making the great
trek out of life's...Folksonomies: evolution
Folksonomies: evolution
In their blood.
19 MAY 2011
We Recapitulate Evolution in Nine Months
Evolution sceptic: Professor Haldane, even given the billions of years that you say were
available for evolution, I simply cannot believe it is possible to go from a single cell to a
complicated human body, with its trillions of cells organized into bones and muscles and nerves, a
heart that pumps without ceasing for decades, miles and miles of blood vessels and kidney tubules,
and a brain capable of thinking and talking and feeling.
JBS: But madam, you did it yourself. And it only took you ...Folksonomies: evolution fetal development
Folksonomies: evolution fetal development
...to build a complete human being.
04 MAY 2011
The Waist-to-Hip Ratio
Why does the waist-to-hip ratio matter? Singh observes that a "gynoid" fat distribution—more fat on the hips, less on the torso—is necessary for the hormonal changes associated with female fertility. An "android" fat distribution-—fat on the belly, thin hips—is associated with the symptoms of male disabilities such as heart disease, even in women. But which is cause and which effect? It seems to me more likely that both the shape and the hormonal effects of it are sexually selected by...Men are unconsciously directing the evolution of women.
03 MAY 2011
Reproduction is the Most Important Evolutionary Trait
Those strains that reproduce persist; those that do not reproduce die out. The ability to reproduce is what makes living things different from rocks. Besides, there is nothing inconsistent with free will or even chastity in this view of life. Human beings, I believe, thrive according to their ability to take initiatives and exercise individual talent. But free will was not created for fun; there was a reason that evolution handed our ancestors the ability to take initiatives, and the reason w..."Everything can be inherited except sterility."
03 MAY 2011
Hummingbirds are Proof of the Cost of Sex
If sex had no cost, hummingbirds would not exist. Hummingbirds eat nectar, which is produced by flowers to lure pollinating insects and birds. Nectar is a pure gift by the plant of its hard-won sugar to the hummingbird, a gift given only because the hummingbird will then carry pollen to another plant. To have sex with another plant, the first plant must bribe the pollen carrier with nectar. Nectar is therefore a pure, unadulterated cost incurred by the plant in its quest for sex. If sex had n...Plants offer nectar to hummingbirds in exchange for their role in plant sex.
03 MAY 2011
The Immune System VS Viruses
The immune system consists of white blood cells that come in about 10 million different types. Each type has a protein lock on it called an "antibody," which corresponds to a key carried by a bacterium called an "antigen." If a key enters that lock, the white cell starts multiplying ferociously in order to produce an army of white cells to gobble up the key-carrying invader, be it a flu virus, a tuberculosis bacterium, or even the cells of a transplanted heart. But the body has a problem. It ...An excellent description of the battle going on inside our bodies.
28 FEB 2011
Biblical Account of Human Origins
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, “L...The natural progression of life described here, from sea to land, with plants leading the way, suggests that the path described in evolution is intuitive to even primitive cultures.
11 FEB 2011
Cancer is an Early Form of Life on Earth
The genes of cellular cooperation that evolved with multicellularity about a billion years ago are the same genes that malfunction to cause cancer. We hypothesize that cancer is an atavistic condition that occurs when genetic or epigenetic malfunction unlocks an ancient 'toolkit' of pre-existing adaptations, re-establishing the dominance of an earlier layer of genes that controlled loose-knit colonies of only partially differentiated cells, similar to tumors. The existence of such a toolkit i...It grows similar to early multicellular life and may be the result of later genes in our bodies which are meant to suppress it malfunctioning.
09 JAN 2011
Campbell's Rule of Design Through Evolution
We should think of it like this - evolutionary theory describes how design is created by the competition between replicators. Genes are one example of a replicator and memes another. The general theory of evolution must apply to both of them, but the specific details of how each replicator works may be quite different.
This relationship was clearly seen by the the American psychologist Donald Campbell (1960, 1965) long before the idea of memes was invented. He argued that organic evolution, ...Natural selection doesn't just apply to biological designs, but exists on molecular and memetic levels as well.
References
25 MAY 2013
2312
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Robinson, Kim Stanley (2012-05-22), 2312, Orbit, Retrieved on 2013-05-25Source Material [books.google.com]
14 
23 JUN 2012
The Principles of biology
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Spencer , Herbert (1898), The Principles of biology, Retrieved on 2012-06-23Source Material [books.google.com]
1
13 APR 2012
The beak of the finch
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Weiner , Jonathan (1995-05-30), The beak of the finch, Vintage, Retrieved on 2012-04-13Source Material [books.google.com]
Folksonomies: science
Folksonomies: science
1
15 SEP 2011
Why Evolution Is True
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Coyne , Jerry A. (January 22, 2009), Why Evolution Is True, Penguin (Non-Classics), Retrieved on 2011-09-15
51
14 SEP 2011
The Creation
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Atkins , Peter W. (1981-10), The Creation, W.H.Freeman & Co Ltd, Retrieved on 2011-09-14
1
30 AUG 2011
Methods of Study in Natural History
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Agassiz , Louis (2009-02-10), Methods of Study in Natural History, BiblioBazaar, Retrieved on 2011-08-30
Folksonomies: classic natural history
Folksonomies: classic natural history
2
29 JUN 2011
Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the ...
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Small , Meredith (1999-05-04), Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent, Anchor, Retrieved on 2011-06-29
27
29 MAY 2011
Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Brodie , Richard (2011-02-15), Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme, Hay House, Retrieved on 2011-05-29
20
20 MAY 2011
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revise...
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Coogan , Michael D. (2010-03-19), The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version, Oxford University Press, USA, Retrieved on 2003-01-01Source Material [books.google.com]
Folksonomies: religion christianity
Folksonomies: religion christianity
25
19 MAY 2011
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Dawkins, Richard (2010-08-24), The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution, Free Press, Retrieved on 2011-05-19
46
03 MAY 2011
The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Ridley , Matt (2003-05-01), The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature, Harper Perennial, Retrieved on 2011-05-03
38
11 FEB 2011
Cancer tumors as Metazoa 1.0: tapping genes of ancient an...
Periodicals>Journal Article: Davies, P C W and Lineweaver, C H (2011), Cancer tumors as Metazoa 1.0: tapping genes of ancient ancestors, Physical Biology, Volume 8, Number 1, Retrieved on 2011-02-11Source Material [iopscience.iop.org]
1
09 JAN 2011
The Meme Machine (Popular Science)
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Blackmore , Susan (2000-05-16), The Meme Machine (Popular Science), Oxford University Press, USA, Retrieved on 2011-01-09
Folksonomies: memetics
Folksonomies: memetics
15
