GermsGermsGerms

There is the frequent assertion that evolutionary biology is wrong because.... well, just because. Mostly because creationists don't like it, they invent a lot of absurd objections, one of them that there is a difference between a "scientific theory," and a "scientific law." Now this is an ignorant and silly thing to say, but it seems to be emotionally gratifying to creationists. In public debates, the pro-science advocate commonly replies that "Evoluiton is as well established as the "Theory" of gravity, or the Germ Theory of Disease."


Of the two, I think that the germ theory is a far better example, because "germ theory" is in fact weaker than evolution. Consider that "germs" are very far from the cause of all medical diseases. Plus, there are typically individuals with sub-clinical infections, and in cross-species transmissions, there are wild-type reservoirs. Even expanding the notion of "germs" to any infectious agent- nematodes, protozoa, yeast, fungal, bacterial, viral, or prions- there are still major and common diseases that are caused by totally different agents. Take for example environmental toxins. Arsenic in ground water, selenium in "loco weed," particulate carbon, or asbestos are all inorganic causes of serious, and common diseases. Traumatic injuries, malnutrition, and genetic accidents are leading causes of death today. Ironically, over eating is gaining in industrial nations as a cause of death. These events are exceeding the deaths caused by infection, although they may have been more evenly matched with infectious disease prior to the development of antibiotics.

We enfold all of these etiological factors in medical practice, and theory. The parallel to evolutionary theory is fine grained. Not all mutations are positive, not all negative mutations are eliminated. Even positive mutations are not necessarily spread through-out a population if they are beneficial. The pace of evolutionary change can be rapid like an epidemic, or very slow and environmentally conditioned like secondary hypertension, or trace-element poisoning. A particular mutation can be beneficial in one habitat to one sort of organism, and lethal in another. And, all of life on earth has been profoundly altered by shear accidents. Meteors smashing into the planet are not conditions that are adapted to, or predictable.

(Random thoughts waiting for the truck to get fixed).

This is too good to miss

I have recently written a brief comment on the ENCODE project, and the great joy the creationists have taken with their overstated "product."

Here is the fully orchestrated four part harmony exposure of the gross errors of fact and logic made by the ENCODE project leaders. This is how real science works. Free download PDF: "On the immortality of television sets: “function” in the human genome according to the evolution-free gospel of ENCODE."

"The ENCODE results were predicted by one of its authors to necessitate the rewriting of textbooks. We agree, many textbooks dealing with marketing, mass-media hype, and public relations may well have to be rewritten." Downloaded from http://gbe.oxfordjournals.org/ February 24, 2013.

I must give love to any scientific paper that can open with Frank Zappa, "Data is not information, information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, wisdom is not truth," —Robert Royar (1994) paraphrasing Frank Zappa’s (1979) anadiplosis.

This came over the transom from a Christian site:

Hello
i am Christiana by name a young pretty girl is my pleasure to meet you,so
how are you doing i hope all is well with you.I come across your profile today
in this site them i decided to contact you,i want us to have a good
relationship together if you do not mind i will like you to E-mail me at my private
Address(christ_lugard@yahoo.com.sg)so that i can tell you more about my self and my photo.i will be waiting for your mail soon,because i have something very important to tell you,thank you?

Do I play the fool, or just flag the come-on?

While I have been busy, I came across Chris Rodda

A teahadist creationist named Linda Athens has been writing extremist bullshit for the Kingman, Az "Daily Miner." Here is an example. I had never run head on into a follower of the revisionist "historian" David Barton before, and I was rushing off to start a major debunking. After a very interesting week or two, I found the work done by Chris Rodda. She saved me from any further need to debunk Barton. Her website is Liars for Jesus, which is also the title of her book debunking Barton. She has posted a slew of short YouTube videos well worth the time spent.


David Barton Lies About Chris Rodda - Part 1