Re: paleonet Stupid design

["Nikolaus Malchus" <n.malchus@xxxxxxx>]

Antithesis:

There is no stupid design.
A certain design of organisms is only observable to us because it was
evolutionary successful. Species are not evolutionary one-night stands.

The bivalve arcoid duplivincular ligament type has been seen as "weak" and
not very successful in the past, in part because it is functionally
inefficient for digging. Nevertheless, the design has survived since the
Ordovician and many other ligament types evolved from it.

It is an error, in my view, to evaluate the design of a single organ in this
way. In the case of bivalves it is the functional triangle between
adductors, hinge teeth and ligament that make it fit for some type of action
(but not for all).

Evolution is a process and evolutionary optimization takes time. I agree
that organisms inherit organ designs that do not appear very functional in a
certain context, but was this the reason why T. rex died out?

Cheers,

Niko

> >
> > I think it's oversimplification to try to assert that, for example, 
> > 500mm forelimbs were an important and beneficial design aspect of the 
> > T. rex body plan, giving it a great advantage over its competitors in 
> > the natural selection game, and you won't hear me make that 
> > statement.  The point is that the point of view that matters (if such 
> > exists) is bigger than ours.
> 
> As far as I know (but I am not a specialist), the usual interpretation 
> is that the legs of the T. rex developed for good reasons (running for 
> prey) but the forelimbs did not and remained ridiculously short and 
> useless because of lack of evolutionary pressure.
> The power of the natural selection model lies in the failures it allows.
> As Paul pointed, this may not be significant to creationists, but in 
> what I understand of the ID, this may be a major issue, as long as ID 
> pretends to stay on "scientific" arguments.
> 
> JLV
> 
> 
> 
> 

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