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served a much higher purpose than merely challenging the way their mission and confident their fabled missing link will be found science thought about life's processes. It provided something beneath the next overturned rock. Sooner or later, they believe, every scientist desperately needed: a strong counter to the intel- one of their members will uncover it, so they all work in harmo- lectual nonsense pouring from pulpits in every church, synagogue —_—nious concert towards that common goal. Individually, though, and mosque in the world. it's every man and woman for themselves. Since well before Charles Darwin was born, men of science knew full well that God did not create the Earth or anything else © TWEEDLEDUM AND TWEEDLEDEE in the universe in six literal days. But to assert that publicly Plants and animals evolve, eh? Alright, how do they evolve? invited the same kind of censure that erupts today onto anyone By gradual but constant changes, influenced by adaptive pres- who dares to challenge evolution openly. Dogma is dogma in any sures in their environment that cause physical modifications to generation. persist if they are advantageous. Darwin's honeymoon with his scientific peers was relatively Can you specify the kind of gradual change you're referring to? brief. It lasted only as long as they needed to understand that all In any population of plants or animals, over time, random he had really provided was the outline of a forest of an idea, one —_—_genetic mutations will occur. Most will be detrimental, some will that only in broad terms seemed to account for life's stunningly have a neutral effect and some will confer a selective advantage, wide array. His forest lacked enough verifiable trees. Even so, however small or seemingly inconsequential it might appear. once the overarching concept was crystallised as "natural Really? But wouldn't the overall population have a gene pool selection", the term "survival of the fittest" was coined to explain deep enough to absorb and dilute even a large change? Wouldn't it to laymen. When the majority of the public became convinced —_a small change rapidly disappear? that evolution was a legitimate alternative to Creationism, the Well, yes, it probably would. But not in an isolated segment of scientific gloves came off. In-fighting became widespread the overall population. An isolated group would have a much regarding the trees that made up Darwin's forest. shallower gene pool, so positive mutations would stand a much Over time, scientists parsed Darwin's original forest into more different trees than he could ever have imagined. That parsing has been wide and deep, and it has taken down countless trees at 8 8 the hands of scientists themselves. But Especially troubling was despite such thinning, the forest [and is] the absence of remains upright and intact. Somehow, u itr Tact some way, there is a completely natural transitional species in force at work governing all aspects of the fossil record. the flow and change of life on Earth. That is the scientific mantra, which is chanted religiously to counter every Creationist—and now Intelligent Design—challenge to one or more of the better chance of establishing a perma- nent place in it. Really? What if that positive muta- tion gets established in the isolated group, then somehow the isolated group gets back together with the main population? Poof! The mutation will be absorbed and disappear. Well, maybe. So let's make sure the isolated population can't get back with the main group until crossbreeding is no longer possible. How would you do that? Put a mountain range between them, something impossible to cross. rotten trees that frequently become obvious. If it's impossible to cross, how did the isolated group get there Even Darwin realised the data of his era did not provide clear- in the first place? cut evidence that his theory was correct. Especially troubling was If you're asking me just how isolated is isolated, let me ask you the absence of "transitional species" in the fossil record. Those one. What kind of mutations were you talking about being were needed to prove that, over vast amounts of time, species did absorbed? in fact gradually transform into other, "higher" species. Small, absolutely random changes in base pairs at the gene So right out of the chute, the theory of evolution was on the level. defensive regarding one of its cornerstones, and more than 140 Really? Why not at the chromosome level? Wouldn't change years later there are still no clear-cut transitional species apparent _at the base pair level be entirely too small to create any significant in the fossil record. change? Wouldn't a mutation almost have to be at the chromo- Because this is the most vulnerable part of Darwin's theory, some level to be noticeable? Creationists attack it relentlessly, which has forced scientists peri- Who says? Change at that level would probably be too much, odically to put forth a series of candidates to try to take the heat — something the organism couldn't tolerate. off. Unfortunately for them, in every case those "missing links" Maybe we're putting too much emphasis on mutations. have been shown to be outright fakes and frauds. An excellent Right! What about environmental pressures? What if a species account is found in Jcons of Evolution by Jonathan Wells suddenly found itself having to survive in a significantly changed (Regnery, 2000). But scientists are not deterred by such exposure — environment? of their shenanigans. They feel justified because, they insist, not One where its members must adapt to the new circumstances or enough time has passed for them to find what they need ina _ die out? grossly incomplete fossil record. Exactly! How would they adapt? Could they just will them- The truth is that some lengthy fossil timelines are missing, but _ selves to grow thicker fur or stronger muscles or larger size? many more are well accounted for. Those have been thoroughly That sounds like mutations have to play a part. examined in the past 140-plus years, to no avail. In any other Mutations, eh? All right, how do they play a part? occupation, a 140-year-long trek up a blind alley would indicate a wrong approach has been taken. But not to scientists. They This game of intellectual thrust and parry goes on constantly at blithely continue forward, convinced of the absolute rightness of — levels of minutiae that boggle an average mind. Traditional their mission and confident their fabled missing link will be found beneath the next overturned rock. Sooner or later, they believe, one of their members will uncover it, so they all work in harmo- nious concert towards that common goal. Individually, though, it's every man and woman for themselves. Especially troubling was [and is] the absence of "transitional species" in the fossil record. This game of intellectual thrust and parry goes on constantly at levels of minutiae that boggle an average mind. Traditional 54 ¢ NEXUS JUNE - JULY 2002 www.nexusmagazine.com