Evidence of Evolution
For Non-Biologists
Darwin Day
Indiana University Southeast
February 10, 2011
Kentucky State Fair
August 2011 and 2012
Skepticamp Kentucky
June 9, 2012
Darwin Day
Reasonable Living
February 9, 2013
Darwin Day
University of Louisville
February 12, 2013
Edwin Hensley
As you view these slides, consider
What is the Best Explanation?
Intelligent Design
or
Evolution by Natural Selection from
Common Ancestors
Dolphin Nose to Blowhole
http://www.neomed.edu/DEPTS/ANAT/DLDD/
The blowhole of the dolphin starts in the center of its face, just as in land
mammals. It then moves to its back as the embryo develops. This is best
explained by the fact that dolphins share a common ancestor with land
mammals. Intelligent design does not require the nose to start in the center
of the face and migrate to the back.
Dolphin Hind Limbs in Embryos
Normal adult dolphins do not have hind limbs. All dolphin embryos have hind limbs, just
as in all land mammals. This is best explained by the fact that dolphins evolved from a
common ancestor with land mammals. An intelligent design would not include limbs that
http://www.neomed.edu/DEPTS/ANAT/DLDD/
do not develop.
Vestigial Dolphin Pelvis
The vestigial pelvis in the skeleton of an adult dolphin is
best explained by common ancestor with land mammals.
An intelligent design does not need bones for a pelvis that
is not used.
This vestigial
pelvis normally
has no hind limbs.
http://visual.merriam-webster.com
Dolphin Hind Limb Atavism
TOKYO — Japanese researchers
said … that a bottlenose
dolphin captured (Nov 2006)
has an extra set of fins that
could be the remains of hind
legs, a discovery that may
provide further evidence that
ocean-dwelling mammals once
lived on land.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15581204/
Atavistic hind limbs in dolphins are best
explained by common ancestry with land
mammals. Intelligent design should not
produce limbs in one animal that are not in
almost all other animals of the same
species.
Wholphin – A Whale Dolphin Hybrid
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7508288/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/
whale-dolphin-hybrid-has-baby-wholphin/#.T8ufR9XOzkc
The wholphin Kekaimalu
(hybrid of false killer
whale and Atlantic bottle
nosed dolphin)
swims next to her baby
calf (father is a dolphin)
Kawaili Kai in this photo
handout from the Sea
Life Park,
Hawaii. Kawaili Kai was
born Dec 23, 2004, and is
still alive and much
larger than bottle nosed
dolphins.
Hybrids of whales and dolphins show that these two species share common
ancestors.
Vestigial Whale Pelvis
Vestigial Pelvis
Odontocete Skeleton (Killer Whale)
Vestigial Pelvis
Mysticete Skeleton (Right Whale)
http://rosmarus.com/Cetacea.htm
Vestigial hind limbs in
whales show that they
share common ancestors
with dolphins and land
mammals. Evolution
best explains the
appearance of land
mammal bones in a sea
dwelling animal.
Intelligent design
should not have
unnecessary bones
found in land animals.
Whale Hind Limbs Atavism
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/section2.html
Bones from the atavistic hind-limbs
of a humpback whale. A. From top to
bottom, the cartiliginous femur, tibia,
tarsus, and metatarsal, arranged as
found in situ in the whale. B. Enlarged
detail of the femur and tibia shown
in A. (scale is not the same
as A). C. Detail of the tarsus and
metatarsal shown in A. (Image
reproduced from Andrews 1921, Figures
2, 3, and 4.)
Amer. Mus. Novitates. No. 9. June 3, 1921.
http://hdl.handle.net/2246/4849
Whale hind limb atavisms are best
explained by common ancestry with land
mammals and not by intelligent design.
Documented Whale Hind Limb Atavisms
There many cases where whales have been found with rudimentary
atavistic hindlimbs in the wild. Most of these examples are of whales with
femurs, tibia, and fibulae; however, some even include feet with complete digits.
Berzin, A. A. (1972) The Sperm Whale. Pacific Scientific Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography. Israel
Program for Scientific Translations, Jerusalem. Available from the U. S. Dept. of Commerce, National Technical
Information Service. Springfield, VA.
Hall, B. K. (1984) "Developmental mechanisms underlying the formation of atavisms." Biol. Rev. 59: 89-124.
Sleptsov, M. M. (1939) "On the asymmetry of the skull of Odontoceti." Zoologicheskii Zhurnal 18(3).
Andrews, R. C. (1921) "A remarkable case of external hind limbs in a humpback whale." Amer. Mus. Novitates. No. 9.
June 3, 1921. http://hdl.handle.net/2246/4849
Abel, O. (1908) "Die Morphologie der Huftbeinrudimente der Cetaceen." Denkschr. Math. Naturw. Klasse Kaiserl. Aka.
Wiss. Vol. 81.
Nemoto, T. (1963) "New records of sperm whales with protruded rudimentary hind limbs." Sci. Rep. Whales Res.
Inst. No. 17.
Ogawa, R., and Kamiya, T. A. (1957) "Case of the cachalot with protruded rudimentary hind limbs." Sci. Rep. Whales
Res. Inst. No. 12.
Zembskii, V. A., and Berzin, A. A. (1961) "On the rare phenomenon of atavism in the sperm whale." Nauchnye Doklady
Vysshei Shkoly. Series "Biologicheskie Nauki."
Are These Human Traits Fixed?
• Limited Body Hair
• No Tails
• 5 Fingers and Toes
• 2 Breasts
• Intelligent Design says YES
• Evolution says NO
Congenital Hypertrichosis (CGH)
Intelligent design should not produce individuals with abnormal traits that
can be inherited genetically. Limited hair is not a 100% fixed trait in humans.
Humans With Tails
Some humans have tails, which is best explained by common ancestry with
animals with tails. Intelligent design should not produce humans with traits
of animals.
Humans With Tails
As with other atavistic structures, human
tails are most likely the result of either a
somatic mutation, a germline mutation, or an
environmental influence that reactivates an
underlying developmental pathway which
has been retained, if only partially, in the
human genome (Dao and Netsky 1984; Hall
1984; Hall 1995). In fact, the genes that
control the development of tails in mice and
other vertebrates have been identified (the
Wnt-3a and Cdx1 genes; Greco et al.
1996; Prinos et al. 2001; Schubert et al.
2001; Shum et al. 1999; Takada et al. 1994).
As predicted by common descent from the
atavistic evidence, these tail genes have also
been discovered in the human genome
(Katoh 2002; Roelink et al. 1993).
Current evidence indicates that the genetic cause of tail loss in the
evolution of apes was likely a simple regulatory mutation(s) that slightly
decreased Wnt-3a gene dosage.
Humans With Tails
X-ray image of an atavistic tail found in a six-year
old girl. A radiogram of the sacral region of a six-year old
girl with an atavistic tail. The five normal sacral vertebrae
are indicated in light blue and numbered; the three
coccygeal tail vertebrae are indicated in light yellow. The
entire coccyx (usually three or four tiny fused vertebrae) is
normally the same size as the fifth sacral vertebrae. In this
same study, the surgeons
reported two other cases of an atavistic human tail, one
with three tail vertebrae, one with five. (image reproduced
from Bar-Maor et al. 1980, Figure 3.)
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/section2.html
Creationists claim that tails in humans are not true tails for several reasons:
(1) they lack vertebrae, (2) they are not inherited, (3) the resemblance to
tails is "highly superficial" and simply an "anomalous malformation“, and that
(4) all true tails have muscles and can move, whereas human tails cannot.
Each of these arguments are factually false, as is well-documented in the
medical literature.
Cat and Human Embryos Both
Showing Tail Buds
Cat Embryo
Human Embryo, 32 Days Old
Human embryos have tails that disappear before humans are born. This is
best explained by common ancestry of humans and animals with tails.
Intelligent design should not involve embryonic traits that never develop.
Human With Six Toes
Some humans have 6 fingers and toes. This is an example of a trait that is
variable and not part of a fixed design. If selection pressures favored 6
toes, then 6-toed humans could be the norm in the future.
•
Polymastia or Supernumerary Breasts
• Medical pictures available
• http://www.medscape.com/vi
•
•
ewarticle/410464_3 (contains
many references)
Women with up to 10
lactating breasts documented
by medical doctors
See also
http://www.springerlink.com/
content/jjdupl5njy2pyfyw/
Some women have more than two breasts, as do many other mammals. This
is another trait that is not fixed in humans and is best explained by common
ancestry with other mammals.
Artificial Selection Can Produce
Humans With
•
•
•
•
Hair all over their bodies (CGH)
Tails
10 or more breasts
6 or more fingers and toes
• The appearance of the entire human race could
•
be drastically changed by selection!
Are these differences in body plans best
explained by Intelligent Design or Evolution?
Fossil Hominid Skulls
(Images © 2000 Smithsonian Institution.)
Skull A is a modern Chimpanzee. Skull N is a modern human. Skulls B through
M show a variety of Hominid skulls arranged in order from oldest (B) to most
recent (M). It is difficult to show exactly where skulls of apes stop and skulls
of humans start.
Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve
The recurrent laryngeal nerve is a fourth branch of the vagus nerve. In
mammals, its path is unusually long. As a part of the vagus nerve, it comes
from the brain, passes through the neck down to heart, rounds the dorsal
aorta and returns up to the larynx, again through the neck. The next slide
shows the nerve in a Giraffe. Common ancestry of mammals with fish is a
better explanation than an intelligent design.
Laryngeal Nerve in Giraffe
The laryngeal nerve in the
giraffe is not intelligently
designed! A designer would
have it take a more optimal
path.
Laryngeal Nerve Giraffe vs Shark
The laryngeal
nerve in the
giraffe makes
sense when you
consider that it
shares a common
ancestor with
fish. The
development of
nerve paths in
shark and giraffe
embryos are
similar, but as the
embryos develop,
the nerve path of
the giraffe
becomes much
longer than
needed.
Laryngeal Nerve Mammals vs Fish
The fourth branch
of the Vagus nerve
in fish takes a
similar path in
mammals, which
results in an
inconvenient loop
around the dorsal
aorta. Common
ancestry is the best
explanation for the
20 foot nerve in the
giraffe. No
intelligent designer
would have made a
nerve 20 feet when
it only needs to go a
few inches.
Misleading Horse Evolution Images
These images sometimes give the
impression that horse evolution was
a straight path from one species to
the next. There were many branches
in horse evolution. The fossil images
to come are not meant to imply there
was a tree with no branches. The
next slide better depicts how
Equidae evolution occurred.
More Accurate Depiction of
Horse Evolution
Horse evolution involved many
branches. Keep this in mind when
looking at the fossil images in the
next slides. Although certain traits
may appear to have changed in one
direction over time, there were
actually many changes and many
evolutionary dead ends.
From McFadden, Bruce (2005) “Fossil Horses –
Evidence of Evolution.” Science, 307(5716):17281730
Horse Hoof Fossil Record
The central digit of horses became
increasingly stronger while the "side toes"
became less important and are virtually lost
in the modern horse.
Follow this by examining the reduction and
loss of metacarpal V (red) and its digits
(fingers). Do this likewise for
metacarpals II (orange) and IV (green).
Note that no horse ever had a thumb (I).
Reduction and loss of side toes minimizes
the weight at the extreme end of the foot.
This reduces the torque, so the horse's limb
may move faster.
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/vertpaleo/fhc/relatives11.htm
The fossil record of the Equidae family shows that natural selection
developed certain traits.
Horse Hoof Fossil Record
Actual Equidae fossil hooves, oldest on the left. This sequences shows 4 toes
becoming 3, with greater and greater dependence on only one toe or hoof.
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
Horse Hoof Fossil Record
This sequence shows 3 toes becoming one hoof. Visual evidence for evolution.
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
Ken Ham on Horse Evolution
• http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v5/n3/horse
• Clearly, the one fact that is “verified” is that threetoed and one-toed horses both existed at the same
time. Both specimens were trapped in the same
volcanic eruption, in the same locality, “frozen in
time”. This hardly supports the idea that one type was
the ancestor of the other!... Finding them together like
this is in reality an embarrassment to the idea of
evolution. It most certainly does not verify any
sort of “transition”.
Ken Ham does not know enough about evolution to accurately describe it.
Evolutionary theory predicts that for a period of time, three-toed horses and
one-toed horses lived together. The one-toed horses out competed the threetoed horses and are the only kind left. Finding both types of horses in the
same volcanic eruption is a confirmation of the theory of evolution.
Recent and Ongoing Evolution –
Horses, Donkeys, Zebras, & Hybrids
These four species
obviously share
common ancestry.
They can
interbreed, usually
with sterile
offspring.
Wild Horses, 66 Chromosomes
Donkey, 62 Chromosomes
Domestic Horses, 64 Chromosomes
Zebra Chromosomes: 32 (Mountain), 44 (Plane), 46
(Grevy’s)
Equidae Hybrids
The mule (left) is a cross between a domestic
horse and a donkey. Zebroids include the
zorse (zebra-horse hybrid in center) and
zonkey (zebra-donkey hybrid). The mule has
63 chromosomes (horse has 64, while donkey
has 62) and is usually sterile due to the
chromosomes being unable to pair up
properly. Descendants of common ancestors
are now separate species. In millions of years,
it is likely that descendants of horses will not
be able to produce any offspring with
descendants of donkeys.
Other Hybrids
A lion-leopard cross above, and a liontiger cross below.
The cama above is shown with both
parents, a camel and llama. The grolar bear
below is a polar bear crossed with a grizzley.
Eyes That Can’t See
Blind Cave Salamander
Blind Cave Fish
Natural selection due to
adaptations of a lightless cave
environment is the best
explanation for blind salamandar,
fish, and other species that live in
caves. Eyes are very expensive
energy consumers. They are
worth the cost in an environment
filled with light, but they are an
expensive waste in a dark cave.
An intelligent designer would not
create eyes that can not see.
Point Mutation in a Whippet
A mutation of a single gene (GDF-8 which
codes for myostatin) results in the lack of
inhibition for muscle growth. This shows
how powerful only one single gene
mutation could be.
This mutation arose within the last 30
years in whippets bred for racing. It turns
out that successful racing whippets can be
carriers. Due to artificial selection created
by the desire of humans to own racing
champions, this mutation has spread.
Unfortunately, it leads to a shorter lifespan.
Example of Evidence of
Evolution for Biologists
Biologists have some very good evidence of
evolution that contains very high precision.
Unfortunately, it is often difficult to be
understood by the average person. I will present
one example that shows high precision and is
not too difficult to understand.
Endogenous Retroviral Sequences
Occasionally, copies of a retrovirus
genome are found in its host's
genome, and these retroviral
gene copies are called Endogenous
retroviral sequences.
There are at least seven different
known instances of common
retrogene insertions between
chimps and humans, and this
number is sure to grow as both
these organism's genomes are
sequenced. All occur in the same
locations in our genome. The odds
against this happening by chance in
a genome with 3 billion base pairs is
astronomical (1 in 2.187 X 10^66).
Human endogenous retrovirus K
(HERV-K) insertions in identical
chromosomal locations in various primates
(Reprinted from Lebedev et al. 2000, Gene 247: 265-277
Closing Quotes
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/27/rich
ard-leakey-evolution-debate_n_1548766.html
• Richard Leakey: Evolution Debate will
soon be history.
• Ed Hensley: Sometimes Richard Leakey is
wrong. Creationists will be fighting the
theory of evolution for hundreds of years.