North Texas Skeptic - Vol 24 No 07 - 2010

Magazine Overview

Title: The North Texas Skeptic
Issue: Volume 24, Number 7
Date: July 2010
Publisher: The North Texas Skeptics
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of The North Texas Skeptic delves into the creationist video "Darwin's Dilemma," examining its arguments concerning the Cambrian Explosion and its implications for evolutionary theory. The publication also features regular columns on skeptical investigations and current scientific news.

Darwin's Dilemma

The lead article, "Darwin's dilemma" by John Blanton, reviews the creationist video from Illustra Media. The video posits that the Cambrian Explosion, an event marked by the rapid appearance of diverse life forms around 488-542 million years ago, presents a significant challenge to Darwin's theory of evolution. Creationists argue that the short time span is insufficient for random mutation and natural selection to produce such diversity, thus requiring a supernatural explanation.

The article notes that while "Darwin's Dilemma" features individuals with real Ph.D. degrees, most are associated with the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture (CSC), a prominent organization advocating for Intelligent Design. The author highlights that only two speakers, Simon Conway Morris (a paleontologist) and James Valentine (an evolutionary biologist), are not affiliated with the CSC and are recognized for their scientific work.

Simon Conway Morris, author of "The Crucible of Creation," is presented as a respected scientist who studies Cambrian life forms. James Valentine, an evolutionary biologist from UC Berkeley, is also acknowledged for his peer-reviewed scientific contributions. However, the article suggests that other individuals featured in the video, such as Paul Nelson (Ph.D. in philosophy) and Steven C. Meyer (Ph.D. in philosophy of science), do not appear to conduct original scientific research and may be driven by a Young Earth Creationist agenda, which differs from the typical Intelligent Design stance.

Jonathan Wells, another figure in the video and author of "Icons of Evolution," is discussed. Wells, who holds a Ph.D. in molecular and cell biology, argues against Darwinism and uses the Cambrian Explosion as a key piece of evidence. The article points out that Wells' research on fossils is a hobby and he is not a paleontologist.

The article critiques the creationist argument that the Cambrian Explosion shows a lack of orderly chronological progression. It notes that while the emergence of phyla during the Cambrian is acknowledged, the subsequent evolution of species suggests a continuous process. The author also mentions the work of scientists like Derek Briggs, Patrick Orr, and Peter Van Roy, who have published studies on Moroccan fossils, indicating ongoing research that addresses the challenges posed by the Cambrian fossil record.

Douglas Axe's argument against random mutation is also addressed, referencing his paper in the Journal of Molecular Biology. The article notes that Axe heads the Biologic Institute, which publishes the journal BIO-Complexity, seemingly to promote Intelligent Design.

The author concludes that creationist videos like "Darwin's Dilemma" are works of propaganda rather than informative scientific material, characterized by factual conflicts.

Skeptic Ink

"Skeptic Ink" by Prasad Golla and John Blanton features a satirical cartoon about a patent office rejecting a free energy device, followed by a discussion on the dangers of flawed epidemiology. The authors warn against the overreliance on epidemiological studies, citing the historical