Looking for papers related to bivalve evolution, I ran across something
relevant to the irreducible complexity issue. Melendez-Hevia, Waddell, and
Cascante. 1996. The puzzle of the Krebs citric acid cycle: assembling the
pieces of chemically feasible reactions, and opportunism in the design of
metabolic pathways during evolution. Journal of Molecular Evolution,
43:293-303. The discussion of the mechanisms and functionality of the
intermediates is sufficiantly detailed to require more review of organic
chemistry than I am inclined to until after my dissertation is turned in.
They also cite assorted previous papers on the evolution of this and other
complex biochemical cycles such as the Calvin cycle.
Given the progress being made in molecular biology, I suspect that the gaps
will generally be narrowing if not closing. Thus, it is particularly
important to emphasize that everything is intelligently designed in the
sense that God created it, whatever the means. Whether irreducible
complexity is real ought to be a debate about God's methods, not an
apologetic issue.
David C.
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