Evidence of EvolutionFor Non-Biologists

Darwin DayIndiana University Southeast

February 10, 2011

Kentucky State FairAugust 2011 and 2012

Skepticamp KentuckyJune 9, 2012

Darwin DayReasonable LivingFebruary 9, 2013

Darwin DayUniversity of Louisville

February 12, 2013

Edwin Hensley

As you view these slides, consider What is the Best Explanation?

Intelligent DesignorEvolution by Natural Selection

from Common Ancestors

Dolphin Nose to Blowholehttp://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

http://www.neomed.edu/DEPTS/ANAT/DLDD/

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 do not develop.

Vestigial Dolphin Pelvis

http://visual.merriam-webster.com

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.

Dolphin Hind Limb Atavism

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15581204/

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.

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

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.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7508288/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/whale-dolphin-hybrid-has-baby-wholphin/#.T8ufR9XOzkc

Hybrids of whales and dolphins show that these two species share common ancestors.

Vestigial Whale Pelvis

Odontocete Skeleton (Killer Whale)

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.

Vestigial Pelvis

Vestigial Pelvis

Whale Hind Limbs Atavism

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.)

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/section2.html

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 TailsAs 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 TailsX-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 surgeonsreported 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.co

m/viewarticle/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

From McFadden, Bruce (2005) “Fossil Horses – Evidence of Evolution.” Science, 307(5716):1728-1730

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.

Horse Hoof Fossil Record

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/vertpaleo/fhc/relatives11.htm

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.

The fossil record of the Equidae family shows that natural selection developed certain traits.

Horse Hoof Fossil Record

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

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.

Horse Hoof Fossil Record

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

This sequence shows 3 toes becoming one hoof. Visual evidence for evolution.

Ken Ham on Horse Evolution• http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v5/n3/hors

e

• Clearly, the one fact that is “verified” is that three-toed 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 three-toed 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

Wild Horses, 66 ChromosomesDomestic Horses, 64 Chromosomes

Donkey, 62 ChromosomesZebra Chromosomes: 32 (Mountain), 44 (Plane), 46 (Grevy’s)

These four species obviously share common ancestry. They can interbreed, usually with sterile offspring.

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

The cama above is shown with both parents, a camel and llama. The grolar bear below is a polar bear crossed with a grizzley.

A lion-leopard cross above, and a lion-tiger cross below.

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

retrovirusgenome are found in its host'sgenome, and these retroviralgene 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/richard-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.