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More Proof That Evolution is Not a Theory

Posted by Chris Jensen | Apr. 22, 2008 07:52AM PST | 30432 views | 7 comments

FILED UNDER: News. Science.

I still can't believe there is any debate about the reality of evolution as a process in nature, but large groups of people continue to resist any form of scientific revelation.  Part of the reason is no doubt related to religion, as for whatever reason, evolution and religion have been put in a cage with each other with orders to kill. Last time I checked, evolution made no claims as to how or why we got here, so there's no reason you can't have your religious beliefs at the same time you can admire a mysterious process that influences all life.

Need proof? Look no further than the Italian wall lizard, which were introduced to an island off the coast of Croatia back in 1971. Scientists placed  5 adult pairs on the island and have recently returned to see what happened. There are now 5,000 lizards running around, all genetically related to the original 5 immigrants. What could possibly have happened in only 30 years?

From National Geographic:

Pod Mrcaru, for example, had an abundance of plants for the primarily insect-eating lizards to munch on. Physically, however, the lizards were not built to digest a vegetarian diet.

Researchers found that the lizards developed cecal valves—muscles between the large and small intestine—that slowed down food digestion in fermenting chambers, which allowed their bodies to process the vegetation's cellulose into volatile fatty acids.

"They evolved an expanded gut to allow them to process these leaves," Irschick said, adding it was something that had not been documented before. "This was a brand-new structure."

Along with the ability to digest plants came the ability to bite harder, powered by a head that had grown longer and wider.

Scientists are stunned at how rapid evolution took hold and created a physical transformation of the lizard. An amazing example of evolution at work.

(Source: National Geographic)

Tags croatia, evolution, lizards

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Comments (7)

kyle said
Apr 22, 2008 03:49 PM | Hide Comment | Collapse Thread
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I'm an atheist, and definitely believe evolution is responsible for where we are today as an organism; however, evolution will always be a theory. It's how science works. While you might not realize it, gravity is also a theory. We cannot definitively prove things at our current state of being.

Although it can be observed is clearly true, science cannot prove anything, it only finds evidence to support theories.

cjensen said STAFF
Apr 22, 2008 05:36 PM | Hide Comment
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Don't get hung up on semantics. Gravity is a fact, not a theory. Explanations as to why gravity exists are theory, not fact. A fact is something we observe through testing and verification, a theory is the explanation of the result. Evolution is happening. We can see it. Test it. Observe it. Why is it happening? The answer is theory.

octopus said
Apr 22, 2008 04:08 PM | Hide Comment | Collapse Thread
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Indications that this writer is clueless:

1. The title: Evolution may or may not be real, this does not make it 'not a theory'.

2. '5 adult pairs' does not equal '5 original immigrants'. Does this guy even know what he is writing?

3. 5 adult pairs of lizards breeding to become 5000 individual lizards, even in light of any morphological changes they may have gone through does not necessarily present any evidence for 'the theory of evolution'. This represents differences in breeding, which humans have been aware is possible for centuries, hence the countless breeds of dogs, cats, horses cattle, and many other domesticated animals. Different breeds do NOT imply differential species.

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Despite these comments, I wholeheartedly believe that the 'theory of evolution' is indisputably supported by many co-existing facts. Unfortunately, this author has failed to bring to light any useful information.

xeee said
Apr 22, 2008 06:34 PM | Hide Comment
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"Does this guy even know what he is writing?" -Octopus

?? Just curious if you even know what he is writing... Did you read the whole post?

He comments on "Breeds" of lizards not to prove evolution, but to set the reader up for the National Geographic article posted below his... The one about how the lizards "evolved" an expanded gut to allow them to process leaves.

Or how they grew stronger jaws or longer and wider heads...

Maybe its just me but in the field of evolution, I think the fact that they evolved Brings to light some useful information. /shrug

fen121 said
Apr 26, 2008 10:45 AM | Hide Comment | Collapse Thread
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1st) Why does everyone always preface, "I am an evolutionist," with, "I am an athiest?" I agree that they must go hand in hand for one create an empirically based and strictly rational worldview, but each is actually used to discredit the other when confronted with a Christian worldview. If you want reason to spread, you have to tackle each issue on its own or much of the audience will simply dismiss you as a heathen.

2) Theories are possible justifications for observed facts. Come on people.

And how many times does gravity need to be compared to evolution? Note: in a mechanistic sense, we actually know more about how evolution works and has shaped our universe, than the magical attraction between massive bodies we call gravity.

3) Scientists are stunned at how rapid GOD took hold and created a physical transformation of the lizard. An amazing example of GOD at work.

I just thought the slight rewrite of the last line was interesting...

I left "rapid" -- wrong in both contexts -- for dramatic effect.

shinsukato said
Apr 30, 2008 01:29 PM | Hide Comment | Collapse Thread
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I don't think any respectable people deny small-scale, intraspecies evolution to be a false. You may find some denial among the radicals, but you can't judge the group by that.

However, the one thing that (as far as I know, I'd LOVE to be proved wrong) has not been OBSERVED is inter-species evolution, that is, evolution from one complete species to another such that breeding is no longer possible. Is the DNA of these new lizards sufficiently changed from that of the originals that mating is no longer possible?

While I may believe in evolution in all it's majesty, the religious, the conservative, and the generally skeptic tend to question whether anything more than this intra-species evolutions are possible.

(inter-species and intra-species evolution are probably not the correct terms for what I'm referring to, but you get the idea.)

mrhassell said
May 09, 2008 07:47 PM | Hide Comment | Collapse Thread
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"fact" doesn't mean "absolute certainty".

Evolution is a fact. End of story. There are many "Theories" surrounding the many and various mechanisms of evolution. However this is not about evolution stricly, it is in fact a biological / reproductive process under study and is quite relevant to evolution on that basis.

What this does suggest however is that through the short span of time in which these lizards have been left to their own devices, we can notice the simplicity and beauty of "life finding a way"... call that god, evolution or whatever you wish! It is in fact biology in motion, basic 2nd year high school stuff even...

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