Re: ORIGINS: Phyletic Change

Glenn Morton (GRMorton@gnn.com)
Thu, 05 Sep 1996 22:22:43

Bob Dehaan wrote:

> The pattern starts 530 million years ago. Fifty modal body
> plans suddenly appeared in the Cambrian explosion. They are the founders of
>all the complex, animal groups of modern design that exist today or ever have
>existed.

Technically speaking this is no longer true. Last December, Nature reported
the discovery of a new phylum. (Petar Funch and Reinhardt Mobjerg Kristensen,
"Cycliophora is a new phylum with affinities to Entoprocta and Ectoprocta,"
Nature, 378, Dec. 14, 1995, p. 710-714). This phylum lives a happy life on
lobster lips.

Since this phylum is not found in the Cambrian explosion, and indeed is not
found in the fossil record at all, it leaves open the possibility that this
is a Holocene evolved phylum. For those who believe in progressive creation,
does this mean that God has been busy creating new phylums recently?

glenn
Foundation,Fall and Flood
http://members.gnn.com/GRMorton/dmd.htm