We have much to thank Darwin for. What a wonderful source of stories ... good ones, bad ones, true ones, false ones, naughty ones and some very funny ones. I hope you enjoy reading them all!
" We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged." - Dissent from Darwin
Natural selection [is used] carelessly as a mantra, as in the evidence-free “just-so stories” concocted out of thin air by mentally lazy adaptationists. (Stephen Jay Gould)
In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence. (Isaac newton)
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Dear Visitor , my blog is neither for nor against any particular theory of evolution. It is rather a light-hearted look at how scientists try to fit the puzzles of nature into the prevailing neo-darwinism paradigm.
Read all the stories and make up your own mind!
Love Dolly.
P.S. Oh, and if you really must know which story I believe, read the last word :)
A "just-so story" is known as the "ad hoc fallacy." The Latin means "for this," and it applies to any "pourquoi" explanation of things, given for the express purpose of supporting an otherwise unprovable hypothesis.
Just So - David Warren
A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell. C. S. Lewis
Athiest Bus Campaign
Of course, I may be wrong...
Fishy Tales
Haeckel's fib - His drawings (1st line) vs actual photographs (2nd line)
The Balony Detector
How To Avoid Propaganda
Nature's Story Retreat
“Phylogeny based on similarity of form is fundamentally unsound because of the adaptation and convergent evolution witnessed in nature.” Nature, 1 May 2008
"Proof" of Darwin's Evolution
Phylogeny based on similarity of form!
Featured Quote
"It is amazing how a process of Darwinian evolution by tinkering and improvement has generated, from a collection of sensory proteins in yeast, the complex synapse of mammals associated with learning and cognition." Dr Richard Emes, a lecturer in bioinformatics at Keele University
"Stories matter. After all, what is a science experiment? You make up a story that may or may not be true, and then you test that story in the real world to see what happens."
If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning. C. S. Lewis
Information
“Information is information, neither energy nor matter. Any materialism that fails to take account of this will not survive one day.” Norbert Weiner, MIT Mathematician and Founder of Cybernetics
Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil. C. S. Lewis
How SCIENCE woke up
Future Shock?
Natural-Born Liars
"The Homo sapiens who are best able to lie have an edge over their counterparts in a relentless struggle for the reproductive success that drives the engine of evolution" Scientific American (David Livingstone Smith)
How do we select stories?
We try to only feature interesting stories where the scientist has had to use his considerable imagination to "fill in the gaps" (e.g. See how the Whale learnt to swim by Charles Darwin). Our position is not that the scientist is wrong (although he certainly may be), but that his story is just one of many "just so" stories that attempt to explain the universe. When one looks at all the stories on this site together, one has the uneasy feeling that in most cases, scientists are following the dominating scientific paradigm of the day with which to explain nature's mysteries. In most cases, these stories fall far short of being satisfying explanations to "all things bright and beautiful".
And if you really must know what I believe. Check the last word!
Pinocchio awards
The Other "Darwin Awards"
We are on a quest to find the most entertaining Darwinian just so story of the year. Please send your just-so story nominations, submissions and votes to me at dollysheriff@gmail.com.
How Life began
“….all these problems are worrisome, but they do not completely rule out the possibility that RNA was initially synthesized and replicated by relatively uncomplicated processes."
Leslie E. Orgel, Research professor at the Salk Institute
Wicked Unbelievers!
It is absolutely safe to say that if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in these stories*, that person is ignorant, stupid, or insane (or wicked, but I'd rather not consider that).
Can watch parts be placed in a box, shaken vigorously, and result in a fully assembled watch? The Paley Watch Company in Eugene, Oregon says yes! They are applying natural selection in a controlled environment to assemble their watches thereby reducing required personnel. The savings are passed to the customer.
Cows have tails - A poem
Cows have tails
to chase away the flies
peacocks have them
to attract the peahens eyes
monkeys too, to swing from tree to tree
But dogs have tails
just for making known
their glee!