Now we know that the design part of intelligent design is true … the problem is the design is unintelligent.
One of the most common bits of nonsense from the creationists and ID folk is the claim that there are no missing links. They suggest that species arise all of suggen by the Intelligent Designer assembling new parts to create new functions.
Actually, they are right about the missing links! There are none because life evolves as a continual re-adaptation of parts. Genes from one organism are used to meet new functions developed in response to changes in the opportuniyt a life form has to adapt to its environment.
In my own area of biology, for example, the genes that allow the throat, “pharynx,” of a worm to eat, also create flow for the hemolymph .. the worm’s circulation. In later evolutions, that is us, the same genes determine the origins of the pump that we use for circulating blood .. the heart! Somehow I find it difficult to imagine that the intelligent designer would make such an odd choice!
This reuse of information, that is of the genetic code, goes all the way back to the earliest life. For example, the marine sponge Amphimedon queenslandica evolved from single-celled ancestors before the Cambrian explosion. Bernard Degnan of The University of Queensland and colleagues analyzed the sponge’s genome and showed that this simplest of multicelled organisms already genes that will, later in evolution be used to define muscles and nerves.
Read more here. or, for a response, look at this video.
This is a good way of presenting the genetic evidence for evolution—it is interesting and informative. In the account of the Kitzmiller-Dover* trial in Nova’s Evolution series, gene clusters that determine body segmentation were presented in court in a lucid display. It was shown that the same genes that determined the linear body plan of a primordial worm show up in all animals descended from it, including us. Many of our own physical disorders can be traced to our inheriting parts of the body plan of ancient animals—we appropriated them for our purposes and are now paying the price!
* The Dover, Pennsylvania school board tried to mandate creationism in their science classes. They and Seattle’s Discovery Institute, which supported them in the case, suffered an embarrassing defeat. This was made even more embarrassing by the fact that the judge was a church-going, conservative Bush appointee. In his opinion on the long-drawn-out testimony, he suggested that the responsible school board members may have purjured themselves. They had claimed they were only trying to improve science—no religion was involved. The National Ceneter for Science Education discovered an incriminating internal memo to the contrary.
What is even more important here is that the plan for metazoans, what IF folks must mean by “intelligent design.” existed in DNA code BEFORE muscle and nerve had evolved. These codes were re used for another purpose as we evolved.
I supose if you believe in ID, you would then say that the codes originally were made by the Deity and then the causes for antural selction were also caused by the deity. Pretty soon you are left with a Deoty who is far away as to … oh, wait! that must be the big bang!