Page 261 - Darwinism Refuted
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C M
Y K
THE ORIGIN OF PLANTS
L ife on earth is divided into five (or sometimes six) kingdoms by
scientists. We have so far concentrated mainly on the greatest
kingdom, that of animals. In the preceding chapters, we considered
the origin of life itself, studying proteins, genetic information, cell
structure and bacteria, issues that are related with two other kingdoms,
Prokaryotae and Protista. But at this point there is another important
matter we need to concentrate on—the origin of the plant kingdom
(Plantae).
We find the same picture in the origin of plants as we met when
examining the origin of animals. Plants possess exceedingly complex
structures, and it is not possible for these to come about by chance effects
and for them to evolve into one another. The fossil record shows that the
different classes of plants emerged all of a sudden in the world, each with
its own particular characteristics, and with no period of evolution behind it.
The Origin of the Plant Cell
Like animal cells, plant cells belong to the type known as
"eukaryotic." The most distinctive feature of these is that they have a cell
nucleus, and the DNA molecule in which their genetic information is
encoded lies within this nucleus. On the other hand, some single-celled
creatures such as bacteria have no cell nucleus, and the DNA molecule is
free inside the cell. This second type of cell is called "prokaryotic." This
type of cell structure, with free DNA unconfined within a nucleus, is an
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