Biologist Kenneth Miller thought he had scored a point against biochemist Michael Behe’s concept of irreducible complexity. At a conference, says Miller, “I removed two parts from a mousetrap (leaving just the base, spring, and hammer), and used that 3-part device as a functional tie-clip.” Check out this bonus video from the Science Uprising series, where Behe amusedly tells what’s wrong with Miller’s demonstration: https://youtu.be/zTtLEJABbTw He also explains the “edge of evolution,” which he has traced to the level of biological family, as in cats versus dogs. Down to that level in the taxonomic scheme, evolution must reflect intelligent design. Further down, Darwinian processes may reign, primarily by breaking, though, rather than building. The author most …
According to researchers at Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, “Cichlid diversification in East Africa has become a central paradigm in evolutionary biology.” The subject, therefore, merits some attention for Darwin watchers. When evaluating a claim, it’s important to focus on central paradigms. If this is one of them, it looks pretty weak. Cichlids comprise a large family of fish, primarily living in freshwater habitats. Because they show tremendous variety in size and coloration, evolutionists have taken a keen interest in how they diversify. The news item introduces the family: Cichlids (Cichlidae) are a group of small to medium-sized fish that are ubiquitous in freshwater habitats in the tropics. They are particularly notable in exhibiting a wide range of …
The “warm little pond” idea was a mere suggestion when Darwin wrote to Joseph Hooker in 1871, a year before his death, but it was too vague to be taken seriously. Over 50 years later, in 1924, Alexander Oparin developed the idea with a little more rigor. He did so with the help of J.B.S. Haldane, speculating on how building blocks of life could be contained inside temporary droplets of organic goo. Wikipedia says, “For decades the theory of Oparin and Haldane was the leading approach to the origin of life question,” adding, “However, the lack of any mechanism by which coacervates can reproduce leaves them far short of being living systems.” Also lacking was any mechanism for the transition from chance droplets to the elaborate lipid membranes in modern cells, with …
Michael Behe opens his new book Darwin Devolves with the story of the polar bear. It’s big and distinctive like a Darwin champion new species, but it’s really a variety of brown bear that “evolved” to survive in arctic cold (in fact, it can hybridize with Alaskan brown bears). How did it do that? Behe shows that genes for regulating fat and for metabolizing cholesterol became broken or blunted, and this had a side effect of keeping the bears warm in cold climates, changing their coat color, while permitting them to survive on fatty diets of seals. Darwin’s mechanism did not create anything new; it broke things, but in the case of the polar bear, it worked out. A Similar Story A similar story can be told about goldfish, it turns out. Goldfish underwent whole-genome …
It was a dark and stormy July night in Seattle yesterday until, I noticed, just when Mike Behe, author of Darwin Devolves, was scheduled to speak at Seattle Center’s McCaw Hall. Then the rain lifted and the clouds began to part. Here are excellent photos of the wonderful and celebratory evening, from photographer Nathan Jacobson: John West introducing Professor Behe. Michael Behe takes the stage. Michael Behe and John West engage in a Q&A, always the best part, with a packed house. The inevitable book table before the audience gets there. The book table after the audience gets there. “Dr. Behe, will you please sign my copy of Darwin Devolves for me?” The clouds part and the moon is visible over the Space Needle. Have you …
Michael Behe had a great reception this evening to a packed house at Seattle Center for his book Darwin Devolves. We broadcast it live on Facebook, but the livestream is fortunately archived via the Center for Science & Culture. So you can see it now if you missed it! (You have to advance forward to 59:23.) John West appropriately introduced Dr. Behe as the “archetypal mild-mannered professor” who “helped provoke a revolutionary debate.” Referring to the new Science Uprising episode in which Behe stars, Dr. West noted, “If you ever wondered what Dr. Behe has in common with the X-Men films, you will want to watch this new episode of Science Uprising.” Does that imply Michael Behe, the gentle biochemist, is a superhero? Well, in an intellectual sense, he is. The crowd …
Like most of the world, you probably don’t live within convenient driving distance of Seattle. But don’t despair! You can still join us Wednesday at 7:30 pm Pacific time to hear from Michael Behe and help us celebrate the success of his book Darwin Devolves: The New Science About DNA That Challenges Evolution. All you have to do is go to the Center for Science & Culture’s Facebook page, right here. We’ll be broadcasting live from McCall Hall at Seattle Center. Professor Behe’s book sparked an epic series of disputations with scientists determined to defend traditional Darwinian theory. You can find the record of those exchanges at the Darwin Devolves website. Judge for yourself: I think it’s evident that the gentle biochemist resoundingly trounced his critics in …
In a lecture, Phillip Johnson cited physicist Richard Feynman on a scientist’s obligation to be honest — not only with himself or in other scientific contexts but, not one bit less, when speaking to the lay public. “You should not fool the laymen when you’re talking as a scientist.” That such a thing would need to be said is itself revealing. What’s more, Feynman insisted, you should “bend over backwards to show how you may be wrong.” The comments are taken from a Commencement address by Feynman in 1974 at Caltech. Johnson, a founding father of modern intelligent design theory, was so moved by this that he said “I wish it could be set to music.” As far as I know it hasn’t been set to music. But the idea is a major theme in the new Science Uprising series. …
In a lecture, Phillip Johnson cited physicist Richard Feynman on a scientist’s obligation to be honest — not only with himself or in other scientific contexts but, not one bit less, when speaking to the lay public. “You should not fool the laymen when you’re talking as a scientist.” That such a thing would need to be said is itself revealing. What’s more, Feynman insisted, you should “bend over backwards to show how you may be wrong.” The comments are taken from a Commencement address by Feynman in 1974 at Caltech. Johnson, a founding father of modern intelligent design theory, was so moved by this that he said “I wish it could be set to music.” As far as I know it hasn’t been set to music. But the idea is a major theme in the new Science Uprising series. …
We got a look into the sausage factory that is Science Magazine when that prestigious journal reviewed Michael Behe’s recent book, Darwin Devolves. The review was a “train wreck,” as Behe showed. Neither the three authors nor the editors of Science ever took responsibility for its many demonstrable failings and they refused to publish a response from Professor Behe. I am not going to relitigate the episode, but you can find the record of that and other interactions with Behe’s critics at his book’s website. Fear and Loathing Now here’s another troubling peek behind the scenes at the top science journal in the United States. Back in 2008, Science published what would become an influential research article, claiming brain-based evidence for a physiological basis behind …
