preadaptation

HURDLE NUMBER 38. THE PRE-ADAPTATION HURDLE.

The next quote is from the book Possible Worlds, by J.B.S.Haldane. (J.B.S. Haldane was the Fullerian Professor of Physiology at the Royal Institution from 1930 to 1932 and in 1933 he became full Professor of Genetics at University College London, where he spent most of his academic career. Four years later he became the first Weldon Professor of Biometry at University College London.), Published by Evergreen Books, 1940, page 46:-

“A more serious objection (ie:- to evolution) is that rudimentary characters sometimes appear which can be of no use to their owners, but only become so on further development some thousands of years later.”

The next three quotes are from the book – The Great Evolution Mystery by Gordon Rattray Taylor (Chief Science Advisor to BBC Television), published by Secker and Warburg, 1983:-

Page 70:- The author points out that Archaeopteryx had feathers, but lacked the large sternum or breastbone serving as the anchorage of the powerful muscles which operate the wings in birds. The author points out that the feathers seem to have evolved BEFORE FLIGHT.

(My comment:- This suggests “foresight” in evolution, ie:- a teleological ”plan” – Feathers confer no advantage except for flight.)

Page 136:- “One of the greatest experts on the biology of the amphibia - - - was G. Kingsley Noble.” (Gladwyn Kingsley Noble was Head Curator for the Department of Herpetology and the Department of Experimental Biology at the American Museum of Natural History.)

The author then quotes Noble:- “A detailed analysis of the many - - - - adaptations in the amphibia will reveal, we believe, that in most cases THE MODIFICATION AROSE BEFORE THE FUNCTION,” (My capitals.)

Page 194:- “The gastropod - - - - developed a penis. This was going to be - - - - useful - - - - a billion years later when it moved onto land, but was - - - - unnecessary in the sea - - - - Other marine creatures manage very well by discharging eggs and sperm into the water at the same time.” The author then points out that a penis is required on land “to make sure the sperm reach their destination.”

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 153:-

“New life was infused into the idea of pre-adaptation - - - by the demonstration - - - - of the pre-existence - - - in a population of mosquitoes - - - - of individuals resistant to DDT.” (My highlighting.)

The next quote is from the book The Life Science: Current Ideas in Biology, by P.B. Medawar (F.R.S, Professor of Zoology at University of London) and J.S. Medawar B.Sc., published by The Scientific Book Club, London 1977, page 49:-

“A bacterial culture - - - - to become resistant to a new antibiotic - - - -natural selection of variant forms ALREADY ENDOWED WITH THE NEW CAPABILITIES which ultimately becomes the property of the population as a whole, simply because the organisms that possess it become the prevailing forms.” (My capitals.)

The next quote is from the book The Coming Plague, by Laurie Garrett (Fellow at The Harvard School of Public Health), published by Penguin Books, 1994, page 37:-

“Some bacteria, they concluded, were genetically resistant to penicillin - - - - - and had possessed that trait for aeons; certainly well before Homo Sapiens discovered antibiotics. - - - The Lederbergs’ hypothesis that resistance to antibiotics was inherent in some bacterial species would prove to be true.”

(My comment:- This suggests “foresight” in evolution, ie:- a teleological ”plan” – Such resistance, prior to the invention of antibiotics, confers no obvious advantage.)

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 156:-

The author discusses algae that live in the blood of giant clams. He then quotes a leading biologist – Professor Sir Maurice Yonge (In 1933, Yonge became Professor of Zoology at the University of Bristol, and was made Regius Professor of Zoology at the University of Glasgow in 1944. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1946 and won its Darwin Medal in 1968. He received his knighthood in 1967. Yonge also received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 1971.) – who concludes that the algae “must have been fully adapted for life within animal tissues” before they ever got inside the clam’s bloodstream.

The next quote is from the book Janus – A Summing Up, by Arthur Koestler, published by Pan Books, 1979, page 274:-

The author quotes Alfred Russell Wallace (Co-founder – with Charles Darwin – of The Theory of Evolution):-

“An instrument (ie:- The Human Brain) has developed IN ADVANCE OF THE NEEDS OF ITS POSSESSOR - - - natural selection could only have endowed the savage with a brain a little superior to that of the ape, whereas he possesses one very little inferior to that of the average member of our learned society.” (My capitals.)

Lastly, here is a quote from the book Shaping Life. Genes, Embryos, and Evolution, by John Maynard Smith (Emeritus Professor of Biology at The University of Sussex), published by Wedenfeld and Nicolson, 1998, pages 13 to 14:- “Evolution has no foresight - -“ (My comment:- On this basis, pre-adaptations, which clearly do frequently occur, cannot occur through a natural process of evolution. They can only occur as part of a deliberate, Intelligent Plan.)