To those of you who believe there are no transitional fossils...?

Question

I present Tiktaalik: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa027&articleID=000A040D-36A2-1434-B6A283414B7F0000

Now, can we stop falsely claiming that there is no evidence of transitional species? Thanks.

Does this get you any closer to understanding evolution?

I'm sorry Fireball. This is in direct response to a request for such information - from a Christian (I believe). Clearly, this is certainly of interest in R&S. Thanks for your patience.

Gary, seriously, this is just ONE example. Evolution did not become widely considered around the globe as the best explanation that we have for the development of life based on just ONE piece of evidence. There are plenty more. This is just an example.

Answer 1

oh my flying spaghetti monster! is that evidence and proof?! what would that be for? there's no FAITH in that?!! pshh!! i already believe in evolution, that's just a little more icing on that big beautiful cake.

Answer 2

OK, let's use a bit of logic here. So some scientists have found one fossil that might be a transitional species. There's really no telling about that, of course: they don't know that any other animal actually came from that animal, it was millions of years ago. All they have is a fossil that they've decided probably worked such-and-such a way. It could have been a separate species that became extinct.

Second, one possible transitional species does not prove the entire evolutionary framework, including abiogenesis and the development of intelligence and information. If evolution as a whole were true, we should be lousy with transitional species instead of having a few that pop up from time to time with great fanfare, only to be disproved with much less fanfare.

Sorry to inject a little logic in a conversation that was getting along famously without it.

Jedi - so you say genetics proves evolution? You're not going to bring up that tired old "common origin" idea are you? Has it ever occurred to you that common designer and common environment would explain the common structures better?

Answer 3

Remember all those other transitional fossils?

I present the 'transitional' coelacanth fish, and the 'transitional' Piltdown Man, and the 'transitional' Nebraska Man, and Orce Man, and Southwest Colorado Man etc. etc. etc.
The first turned out to be a so-called 'living fossil' which had not evolved one iota in 70 million alleged years.
The others were, 1. a fraud that fooled top evolutionist scientists for over forty years, 2. the tooth of a pig!, 3. the scullcap of a donkey!!, and 4. the tooth of a horse!!!

Now can we stop claiming that there is yet more evidence of transitional species. Thanks!

Oh! by the way, I have heard that the Emperor has just acquired a remarkable New Suit of Clothes.
Do I need to go on?

Answer 4

I dont believe you understand the objection concerning the lack of transitional models. Simply finding a one new species is not going to silence the criticism of the lack of transitional models and magically validate evolutionary theory. Only in the minds of people that depend on it for their philosophical disbelief in God will be dilluded by such evidence.

What needs to be discovered is layers upon layers of transitional models slowly demonstrating all biologic changes at each stage of development, SLOWLY over time. Evidence from primates would be of most use but unfortunately (for the atheists) such evidence isnt forthcoming.

Answer 5

Lots of people think of creation in a literal 6 day happening. As a Christian I know that God could do this, but if you are eternal what is 1 day? A thousand, ten thousand or even 100 million human years. Who knows, but if you truly take the time to have some very deep thoughts on TIME, and then ask yourself, would you speedily create your masterpiece, or would you take your time, and make it to perfection. Evolution states that life as we know it started in some mud, God created Adam from the clay of the earth,,,,, See what I mean....

Answer 6

Ooh, I think you're making some people nervous.

So THAT's where all the transitional fossils are hiding, under the Arctic Ice Cap! They developed in Gondwanaland and when the poles flipped and the continents shifted, it all got covered up by the Ice Age. That Designer is either a bungler or a very shy genius.

Answer 7

It won't work. Christians will just change what they define as a transitional fossil. Now it will be the transitional fossil between Tiktaalik and tetrapods that is missing. Look at how many transitional fossils we have in the human family tree and they still claim that gaps exist.

Answer 8

Remember that no matter what fossils are found, religious fanatics will always deny their value. Some will even go as far as saying that god created the fossil. Before you posted your question you knew what kind of response it would get from the religious. No fact or finding will deter the hardcore religious believers from their beliefs. Thats why they are called beliefs. You could show them all the fossils you want or even if you found a video of evolution occurring, it won't matter to them.

Answer 9

Oh come on! Is that the best you could do to "prove" your doctrine of evolution?

You gave us a link. Let me respond with another link that talks about this so-called transitional fossil.

Answer 10

The fossil record is incomplete. But the Bible is complete. Isn't it just easier to imagine that in invisible superGod created the universe, and that all the fossils were planted on earth by his eternal enemy Satan, in order to temp us? Doesn't that just make more sense?

Answer 11

It doesn't matter anyways. The fossil record IS incomplete as it is not a perfect record.

But DNA is. We know evolution is practically fact because of Genetics (let alone all the other fields of science defending it, including paleontology).