maladaptation
HURDLE NUMBER 34. THE MALADAPTATION HURDLE.
This quote is from the book The World of Life by Alfred Russel Wallace, F.R.S. (Wallace collaborated with Darwin in proposing The Theory of Evolution.), New and cheaper edition, published by Chapman and hall, 1914. Page 379:- “One of these principles, much insisted upon by Darwin, is that no organ, faculty, or sensation can have arisen in animals except through its utility to the species.”
The next quote is from the book Ever Since Darwin, by Stephen Jay Gould, Professor of Zoology at Harvard University, published by Penguin Books, 1977, page 84:- “Darwin’s theory of natural selection requires that evolutionary changes be adaptive - - - that is that they be useful to the organism. Therefore anti-Darwinians searched the fossil record for cases of evolution that could NOT have benefited the animal involved.” – (My comment:- This above quotes embody the basic cornerstone of Darwinism, ie:- that features can only evolve if they confer a survival benefit or competitive advantage to the organism. Darwinism claims that – if a feature appears in an organism which weakens the organism, or reduces its capacity to survive in the tough environment of nature, then that feature will not be passed on to the future generations. This “survival of the fittest” notion is the cornerstone of Darwinism. The only problem is that there are many creatures that possess features which apparently would WEAKEN rather than strengthen that creature, and which should (according to Darwinism) drive the animal to extinction over the generations. These features we can call “Maladaptive”, ie:- these features, rather than helping the creature to adapt well to its environment, in fact do the exact opposite. Taken at their face value, these Maladaptive features show that the world of nature does NOT behave according to the dictates of Darwinism. Here are some quotes from authoritative sources that provide examples of Maladaptive features in the world of nature.)
The next quote is from the book – The Great Evolution Mystery by Gordon Rattray Taylor (Chief Science Advisor to BBC Television), published by Secker and Warburg, 1983, page 229:- “Darwin was particularly disturbed by such maladaptations as the bee which, by stinging, ensures its own death.”
The next quote is from The Spectator (magazine), issue for 17th October, 2015, page 45, Article:- Dancing With The Daffodils, by Mark Cocker:- “Through its tenacious hold on the underlying substrate, samphire (ie:- the plant) slowly turns the intertidal mud at its roots into dry land, where it cannot thrive - - - - - This seemed to subvert the very notion of Darwinian fitness, whose central axiom is that a species’ adaptation maximize its own survival.”
The next quote is from New Scientist (magazine), issue for October 15th, 2016, pages 44 to 45. Article:- Natural Laws or Not, by Simon Ings:- “The female hyena - - - has to give birth through a “pseudo-penis”. As a result, 15% of mothers die after their first labour, and 60% of cubs die at birth.”
The next quote is from The Encyclopedia of Evolution, by Richard Milner, published by Facts on File, 1990, pages 21 to 22 (Entry:- Aquatic Theory):- This entry discusses the fact that apes are hairy, and humans are not. If humans “evolved” from apes, then losing hair was disadvantageous. In a cold climate, it would be disadvantageous (obviously). This entry also tells us that – “Removing hair from a mammal in HOT climates sends its temperature UP NOT DOWN.” (My capitals.)
The next quote is from the book Evolution of Living Organisms, by Pierre P. Grasse (of The Universite de Paris, Laboratoire d’Evolution des Etres Organises), published by Academic Press, 1977, page 145:- “The Tipulid Diptera are characterized by long and fragile legs; some species are unable to walk - - - - merely - - - to hang from leaves. - - - - Rabaud (1932) shortened the legs of Tipula Oleracea, and found they were able to walk.”
The next three quotes are from the book The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis, by Elaine Morgan, published by Souvenir Press, 2001 Pages 44 to 45:- “The erect posture of mans is the worst calculated for - - - - - - - - defense of any natural posture - - - - Animals balancing - - - - on two feet are - - - - less agile when it comes to - - - escape tactics - - - - C. O. Lovejoy (ie:- C. Owen Lovejoy. Lovejoy serves as clinical professor of anatomy at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.) thought that for any quadruped to get up on its hind legs - - - - deprives us of speed and agility - - - -Stephen Jay Gould (Gould, a paleontologist, according to Wikipedia, spent most of his career teaching at Harvard University and working at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.) found it the hardest of all human features to explain - - - - F. Wood Jones (Frederick Wood Jones taught anatomy and physical anthropology at London School of Medicine for Women, University of Adelaide, University of Hawaii, University of Melbourne, University of Manchester and the Royal College of Surgeons of England.) could not conceive how a creature in such a posture could have survived - - - - Running on two legs is slower that running on four.”
Page 129:- “The descended larynx in man is a very rare feature, attended by many disadvantages and no obvious advantages.” – (My comment:- The larynx and its vocal cords enable human speech. )
The next two quotes are from the book British Plant Life, by W. B. Turril (D.Sc. London – F.L.S.), published by Collins, London, 1948:- Page 163:- “Many orchids are very precisely adapted to insect pollination by only one kind - - - - of insect.” (My comment:- This REDUCES the plant’s chances of fertilization.)
Page 142:- “There are many characters which - - - appear to confer no particular advantage to plants possessing them.”
The next quote is from the book – The Strangest Plants in The World, by Professor S. Talalaj (consultant on medical plants to the South Australian Health Commission), published by Robert Hale, London, 1992, Pages 94 to 95:- “Flame of The Forest - - - - Spathodea Campanulata - - - the - - -flowers lure sunbirds which assist in pollinating the flower as they search for nectar. But the visitors are often frightened by the unexpected behavior of the flowers. When touched by a bird, the flower squirts it (ie:- the flower squirts the bird) with a nasty smelling liquid secreted by the inner part of the flower.”
The next quote is from The (London) Metro (newspaper), Monday October 5th, 2015, page 21. Article:- Fish That Walk, by Tariq Tahir:- “A sneezing monkey (is) among 211 species found in The Eastern Himalayas in the last five years. - - - - The Snub-Nosed Monkey - - - - is easy to find during rainfall because water gets into its upturned nose, causing it to sneeze. To avoid the problem, the monkeys spend rainy days sitting with their heads tucked between their knees.”
My comment on The Maladaptation Hurdle:- If The Theory of Evolution were correct, maladaptive features could not exist in animals or plants. Any organisms that developed a maladaptive feature would simply go extinct, losers in “the struggle for existence”. The fact that maladaptive features do indeed occur in biological organisms tells us that The Theory of Evolution cannot be correct. If it were correct, there could be no maladaptive features.