In the early development of the theory of evolution by natural selection, two men stand out as having played a central role: Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace. Both men traveled widely and were keen observers of nature. For both men, visits to islands played an important role in developing their understanding of nature. Darwin's visit to the Galapagos Islands is of special interest.
A review of the book, Rates of Evolution. Published from a symposium on evolution. Published in Origins v. 16, n. 2.
A review of the book, Darwinism: The Refutation of a Myth. Written by a developmental biologist emphasizing the inadequacy of Darwinian evolutionary theory and advocating the importance of developmental processes in evolution. Published in Origins v. 16, n. 1.
The new theory of surface metabolism suggests that the forerunners of living matter were formed underwater, on metallic surfaces. While the theory of surface-metabolism represents a prodigious effort to explain the origin of living matter, it falls far short of its goal. Published in Origins v. 16, n. 1.
The method of DNA-DNA hybridization has been applied to the relationships of birds, with some surprising results. The method is described and the results analyzed. While the results are quite interesting, there appear to be limits to the resolution of the method, and it seems inadvisable to depend upon this method alone when studying bird relationships. Published in Origins v. 14, n. 2.
The origin of life continues to be a game-stopper for materialism. Two major problems point to the inadequacy for life to arise spontaneously. First, cells have a high information content that has no known material source. Second, life is a non-equilibrium process that is opposed by natural law which pushes chemical reactions to equilibrium. There is no explanation for life's origin apart from an intelligent creator. Published in Origins v. 14, n. 1.
Probability is used to estimate the likelihood of an event occurring in which enough is known to constrain the possibilities. The naturalistic origin of life is extremely unlikely and has never been observed, so that probabilities do not really apply to the question, but indicate that some alternative explanation is to be sought. Published in Origins v. 13, n. 2.
Staining of chromosomes reveals a pattern of banding that may be used for comparisons of different species. Similar species typically have similar banding patterns, although there are exceptions. Banding patterns may be interpreted as hypotheses of relationship but are not, in themselves, sufficient to settle such questions. Published in Origins v. 13, n. 1.
A review of the book, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis. Evolutionary theory faces many contrary lines of evidence and is in need of major changes. Published in Origins v. 13, n. 1.
A collection of short commentaries on scientific articles published in 1983, covering topics such as the history of Darwinism, integrity in science, evolution and thermodynamics, North American geology, Quaternary dating methods, origin of life, and the half-life of Technetium-99.
A review of the book, Abusing Science: The Case Against Creationism. The book gives responses to criticisms of evolutionary theory by creationists, and presents several criticisms of creation theory. Published in Origins v. 12, n. 2.
A collection of short commentaries on scientifc papers published in 1983-1985, covering topics such as amino acid dating, problems in evolutionary theory, God and the New Physics, Scientists Confront Creationism, transgenic mammals, philosophy of science, and In the Minds of Men. Published in Origins v. 12, n. 2.
Vitamin C is important in vertebrate physiology, but is acquired in different ways. Some mammals and perching birds do not synthesize it and must get it in their diet. Most other mammals and birds synthesize vitamin C, in their kidneys, the livers, or both. The pattern of synthesizing sometimes follows taxonomic patterns and sometimes not. Published in Origins v. 12, n. 2.
Some prominent scientists had educators have declared that creation has failed the test of science and has to be discarded. However, ideas that have been discarded are sometimes found to be true. Creation should not be discarded, because there is no better explanation for design in nature and the origin of life. Published in Origins v. 12, n. 1.
A review of the book, The Great Evolution Mystery. Darwinism is entirely inadequate to explain evolution, so some other purely naturalistic mechanism is needed. Published in Origins v. 12, n. 1.
Species in the same family or genus may have very similar chromosomal banding patterns, but with apparent rearrangements of parts of some chromsomes. Such rearrangements may contribute to speciation in mammals by interfering with meoisis. Published in Origins v. 11, n. 2.
A review of the book, The Mystery of Life's Origin: Reassessing Current Theories. This is a review of the scientific evidence against the theory of abiogenesis. Published in Origins v. 11, n. 2.
Life is a property of precisely ordered biopolymers maintaining a non-equilibrium state. The ordering requires information, and this, with the chemical state of non-equilibrium, are conditions not available to natural processes, and point to the existence of a Creator. Published in Origins v. 11, n. 2.
A review of two books on the origin of life: Life Itself, and Evolution from Space. Both books conclude that life is much too complex to have originated on the earth, and must have come from some other part of the universe. Published in Origins v. 10, n. 2.
Animals with high metabolic rates (birds and mammals) are capable of greater work output (speed, etc) but are restricted in size and shape in order to avoid losing too much body heat. Reptiles and amphibians have lower metabolic rates, and can survive at much smaller sizes and elongated shapes than birds or mammals. This is interpreted as a result of design for a diverse ecosystem. Published in Origins v. 9, n. 2.
