Replies

For you, dear boy. Not only have I provided the links you requested, I went out of my way to place a small summary of the link so that you have an idea of what that particular link deals with. Unfortunately, my efforts will probably be in vain as you consistently ignore any evidence contrary to your personal world view. Creationists in general ignore evidence that cannot be explained by scripture, usually chalking up said evidence to some fraud perpetrated by an atheistic, Satan-worshipping cabal of scientists bent on leading all good Christians from the straight-and-narrow path and straight to Hell. Evolutionists, however, take each new piece of evidence and work it into the framework of the theory.

Macroevolution, Speciation and Transitional Species

20 Answers from an Evolutionist {Russell Stewart}

This is a response to "20 Questions for Evolutionists", found on the Center for Scientific Creation web page. My answers appear in separate, italicized paragraphs. The original text of the questions has not been changed, and I have not cut anything out.

29 Evidences for Macroevolution (9 & 10) (2001-03-16)
29 Evidences for Macroevolution (11 & 12) (2001-03-20)
29 Evidences for Macroevolution (13 & 14) (2001-03-28)
29 Evidences for Macroevolution (17 and 18) (2001-04-07)
29 Evidences for Macroevolution - #19, 20, 2 (2001-05-20)
29 Evidences for Macroevolution - #22, 23, 24 (2001-05-24)
29 Evidences for Macroevolution, Thread The Next (2001-04-02)

Evolution, the overarching concept which unifies the biological sciences, in fact embraces a plurality of theories and hypotheses. In evolutionary debates one is apt to hear evolution roughly parceled between the terms "microevolution" and "macroevolution." Microevolution, or change beneath the species level, may be thought of as relatively small scale change in the functional and genetic constituencies of populations of organisms. That this occurs and has been observed is generally undisputed by critics of evolution. What is challenged, however, is macroevolution. Macroevolution, as used here, is the theory of common descent with gradual modification.

African Elephants Are Now One of Two Kinds [Elephant Evolution] (2001-08-24)

WASHINGTON -- They live on the same continent, and both have big ears, trunks and tusks, but the forest and grassland groups of African elephants are actually two different species, a new study says.

All About Archaeopteryx {Chris Nedin, Talk Origins, January 15, 1999}

Archaeopteryx lithographica ("ancient wing from the printing stone").

Named after the limestone in which it was discovered. The stone is a smooth, fine grained limestone which was used in printing. Quarried from in and around the Solnhofen area of Germany. Formed on the bottom of a hypersaline lagoon in the Late Jurassic, about 150 million years ago.

Archaeopteryx FAQs, The {Chris Nedin, Talk Origins, 1995-1997}

All About Archaeopteryx
On Archaeopteryx, Astronomers, and Forgery
Archaeopteryx: The Challenge of the Fossil Record

Archaeopteryx's Relationship With Modern Birds {Thomas Holtz, Jr., 1995}

As promised, here are the derived characters with which Gauthier (in his 1986 paper) unites Archaeopteryx with modern birds, outside of all other theropods (with Gauthier's original clarifiers in parens) [and with my editorial comments in brackets]:

Biologists Uncover Darwin's ‘Missing Evidence’ for Divergence of Species in a Warbler's Song (2001-01-19)

Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have demonstrated, in a study of the songs and genetics of a series of interbreeding populations of warblers in central Asia, how one species can diverge into two.

DNA and Darwin: Research Shows that Evolution Repeats Itself in Caribbean Lizards (2001-04-07)

Darwin can rest a little easier tonight. I'm sure he would have been puzzled at the average American's reluctance to accept his theory of evolution. The evidence supporting Darwin's theory is clear, and every year more supporting evidence accumulates.

Ensatina eschscholtzi: Speciation in Progress

Ensatina eschscholtzi is a lungless salamander of the family Plethodontidae. The distribution of this species is from British Columbia in Canada, through Washington, Oregon, California and into Baja California of Mexico. Presently, seven subspecies are recognized, and all occur in California. The subspecies are eschscholtzi, xanthoptica, oregonensis, picta, platensis, croceater and klauberi.

Evidence for Dinosaur-Bird Transition, The (A Sidebar Thread) (2001-07-09)

The proximate cause of this thread:

Here's where I have the trouble. It is metaphysics and philosophy to suggest that such a change could occur. It is science to show the mechanism by which the change occurs. It is metaphysics and philosophy to suggest that enough small changes would take you from a crawling lizard to a flying one. It is science to lay out all the form transitions in the fossil record that show a lizard with four legs, then several intermediate stages where two of the legs turn into wings and two become like bird legs, with the final result being a flying lizard. Science doesn't talk about the possibility that something could happen given enough time. It shows exactly how it can happen (or did happen) given what we know.

Macroevolution {John Wilkins, Talk Origins, 1997}

In science, macro at the beginning of a word just means "big", and micro at the beginning of a word just means "small" (both from the Greek words). For example, a macrophage means a bigger than normal cell, but it is only a few times bigger than other cells, and not an order of magnitude bigger.

Macro-Evolution versus Moses (Several Parts) (1999-12-14)

The Present Is NOT The Key To the Past

Animals do not turn into fossils over long stretches of time.

Water, mud or sand, and a glue (volcanic ash) with some minerals

Animals of all sorts have been found buried and fossilized together, even prey with predator.

Not everything that is "fossilized" is actually turned to stone. Many deposits are still surprisingly fresh.

Fossils prove nothing about religious evolutionism

Fossils indicate rapid burial, worldwide, at once. A WORLDWIDE FLOOD. Simple as that.

Magic of Evolutionary Speciation, The [Part I] (2000-03-16)
Magic of Evolutionary Speciation, The [ Part II] (2000-04-02)
Magic of Evolutionary Speciation, The [ Part III] (2000-04-11)

FAQ About Species and Speciation

Much of this material is written for the specialist. Author Joseph Boxhorn, however, provides some excellent background information that this
non-scientist found invaluable as aids to comprehending the discussion. Other than that, I was "on my own," and the best I could do was to
analyze the text as I would any piece of literature.

Observed Instances of Speciation {Joseph Boxhorn, Talk Origins, September 1, 1995}

This FAQ discusses several instances where speciation has been observed. It also discusses several issues related to speciation.

On Creation Science and "Transitional Fossils" {Tim Thompson}

This article addresses one of the unfortunate failings of "creation science" that has turned into an eternally repeated mantra by creationists, despite being quite directly wrong. That is the mantra that "there are no transitional fossils"; it simply is not true. This oft-repeated fallacy does not agree with what paleontologists actually know. What follows is a full citation of the section entitled "Effect of Transitional Fossils on Taxonomic Practises", from the article "Paleontologic Evidence and Organic Evolution", by Roger J. Cuffey, published in the book " Science and Creationism", edited by Ashley Montagu; Oxford University Press, 1984. The article originally appeared in the Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation, 24(4), December, 1972. I will make comments following the text.

Process of Speciation, The {University of Michigan, 1996}

What is biological evolution?

How are theories of microevolution and macroevolution related?

What is a species, and what are the different ways it can be defined?

What are the limitations of each definition?

How is reproductive isolation important to speciation, and what forms can it take?

Why should natural selection reinforce reproductive isolation?

Can species be formed in ways other than reproductive isolation?

Speciation {Kimball's Biology Pages, December 1, 2001}

What Is a Species?
One of the best definitions is that of the evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr:

A species is an actually or potentially interbreeding population that does not interbreed with other such populations when there is opportunity to do so.
Note: sometimes breeding may take place (as it can between a horse and a donkey) but if so, the offspring are not so fertile and/or well adapted as the parents (the mule produced is sterile).

Speciation by Punctuated Equilibrium {Don Lindsay}

A group of creatures gets isolated from the rest of their species. They can evolve easily, because they are a small group. Later, they spread and replace their parent species. Examples are known.

Speciation Conference Brings Good News for Creationists (2000-05-18)

Poorly-informed anti-creationist scoffers occasionally think they will 'floor' creation apologists with examples of 'new species forming' in nature. They are often surprised at the reaction they get from the better-informed creationists, namely that the creation model depends heavily on speciation.

Study Hints at How Genetic Mutations Led to Macroevolutionary Change (2002-02-07)

The fossil record contains numerous examples of dramatic evolutionary change in animals through time. Exactly how genetic alterations brought about these macroevolutionary changes, however, has proved difficult to ascertain. Now new research into the developmental biology of brine shrimp and fruit flies could throw light on the matter. According to a report published online today by the journal Nature, mutations in genes that guide embryonic development allowed insects to develop a radically different body plan from that of their crustacean-like ancestors some 400 million years ago.

Ted Holden's "Intermediate Fossil" Quotes from Walter ReMine's "Biotic Message" {Andrew MacRae}

There is an important caveat in this analysis which is worth emphasizing. The representation of Walter ReMine's work in this article is only as good as the representation offered by Ted. Given the numerous typographical errors in his presentation and failure to provide the original citations (such that some of them had to be guessed at from only the author, date, and content), there is significant potential for errors or misinterpretation. I do not know how far to trust Ted's presentation, and I do not know that the quotes are correctly identified. A legitimate "review" of Walter's book, or even a section of his book, this is *not*. It is a summary of *Ted's*representation* of it. Whether this is accurate or not, I can not confirm.

Transitional Fossils -- Age and Descent {Wesley R. Elsberry}

Some notable SciCre-ists have asserted forcefully that when considering fossil specimens, a species known by a later specimen cannot possibly be the ancestor of a species known by an earlier specimen.

Transitional Fossils Leading to Orbulina {April 26, 1998}
Transitional Fossils FAQ {Kathleen Hunt}

I've recently been re-reading Colbert's Evolution of the Vertebrates, and was reminded of the old "there aren't any transitional fossils" complaint that pops up on t.o. every now and then. That argument has long been obsolete and inaccurate, as a brief glance at the fossil record shows. I thought it might be of interest to have a list of some of the transitional vertebrate fossils known, so that future t.o. discussions of the fossil record can be somewhat more up-to-date and interesting (I can dream, can't I?).

Transitional Vertebrate Fossils FAQ {Kathleen Hunt, Talk Origins, March 17, 1997}

I wrote this FAQ as a reference for answering the "there aren't any transitional fossils" statement that pops up on talk.origins several times each year. I've tried to make it an accurate, though highly condensed, summary of known vertebrate fossil history in those lineages that led to familiar modern forms, with the known transitions and with the known major gaps both clearly mentioned.

Water Lily Study Sheds Light on Evolution of Flowering Plants {Scientific American}

The origin of flowering plants, or angiosperms, stands as one of evolutionary biology's great enigmas. Scientists know that they diverged from the seed-bearing plants, or gymnosperms, at least 150 million years ago, but the details surrounding this split have proved elusive. To that end, new research into the developmental biology of an ancient lineage of flowering plants may offer insights. According to a report published today in the journal Nature, the pond lily Nuphar polysepalum (right) exhibits an intermediate form of a key angiosperm feature.