(2023-03-18, 03:31 PM)Paul C. Anagnostopoulos Wrote: You're proposing a scenario that didn't happen, so I'm not sure what the point is.
As far as vitamin C is concerned, yes, we can't make it. But it doesn't matter because we can consume it. So the gene is unnecessary.
Obviously, but it reduced our fitness to absorb change. For example our withstanding the effects of a long sea voyage. or perhaps the effect of a global famine caused by a large volcanic eruption - that gene was useful!
Quote:So this is all lovely, but what does he say about all the useful genes that we do have? They just poofed! into existence and since then it's been a slow downhill ride?
Obviously, the DI will claim that God made those genes, I'd just say it is a great mystery - 'poofed' if you like!
The crucial point is the creation of genes de-novo for new proteins faces an immense combinatorial explosion, even after you factor in the large number of organisms and the geological amounts of time.
However what a mutation can do is break a gene. It may not even matter where you break it, the probability of that is vastly more favourable than the probability of creating a new gene by successive random mutations.
If you break a gene, paradoxically that can be useful in some situations. For example, a mutation can damage the haemoglobin gene and that causes sickle cell anaemia. However that change also confers resistance to malaria. Thus you can see how the body can evolve to resist that disease in a Darwinian sense. However, evolution of that type (Behe calls it Devolution) is self-limiting because the original stock of genes diminishes every time that mechanism is invoked.
Quote:I really have no interest in reading his book.
~~ Paul
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20...112424.htm
Your link tells me that humans have continued to evolve after we split from chimps - well big deal, but was there remotely enough time for that process?
Remember, Darwinian evolution requires that each step confers a fitness advantage on the organism. The problem is that an incomplete protein string confers nothing to the organism because you need the whole molecule for it to work.
If you don't read Behe's book, it is hard to discuss it further.
https://www.wmbriggs.com/post/27735/
David