Hello Bill,
You wrote to Gordon Simmons:
> This is a tautology: scientists who believe in evolution have
> increased confidence in evolution.
That seems more like a confusion between cause and effect than
what Gordon apparently meant. He wrote:
..."the confidence of scientists in the validity of the
theory of evolution has increased enormously, over many
decades now, as a consequence of observations and
experiments."
The evolution of life is an idea that existed long before it was
widely accepted by the scientific community. The root _cause_ of
what allowed evolution to gain acceptance was not an increase in
the number of "believers in evolution" (an effect, not a cause)
but an increase in knowledge which eventually _convinced_ most
scientists.
> By "evolution" we mean life changing
> from simple to complex via natural process, and I am aware of
> no observation or experiment that has scientifically demonstrated
> that ascension.
Gordon wrote:
"Likewise, observations and experiments would provide
the basis for the rejection of the theory if they did
provide contrary evidence. But, in the judgment of most
scientists, they have not. As with all areas of science,
there remain perplexing situations that have not been
resolved one way or the other yet."
Comparison of drosophila biochemistry & genetics with other species'
generally conforms to the pattern of common descent. It has also
revealed relationships we previously couldn't confirm. Fossil and
geological evidence has accumulated to determine the temporal
and morphological relationships between groups of organisms.
Study of molecular, cell and developmental biology have identified
molecular mechanisms by which common descent with modification may
proceed.
> Induced mutations in fruit flies produce only malformed fruit flies
> - no improvements. Could you be a little more specific about the
> exact observations and experiments which daily prove evolution?
Mutations in fruit flies have doubled or tripled their lifespans.
Other mutations have increased their resistance to pesticides. Some
have increased cold or heat tolerance. Numerous mutations have been
found to affect their adult sizes, behaviors and timing of
developmental steps. Gene fusions, duplication and horizontal
transfer, all of which may increase the genetic information and
complexity in the genome, have been identified in flies. Further,
many drosophila species exhibit greater genetic variation than
observed between human and great ape species.
For specific references, I strongly urge posting a question to the
talk.origins newsgroup (yes, it's a high signal-to-noise group, but
it is also a relatively deep info source by internet standards),
or investigating the offerings at any university library.
Regards,
Tim Ikeda
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