Page 218 - The Cambrian Evidence that Darwin Failed to Comprehend
P. 218

The Cambrian Evidence That Darwin Failed to Comprehend

                        The conclusions drawn by the researchers Douglas H. Erwin,
                   James W. Valentine and J. J. Sepkowski from their comparison of the
                   variation in life confirm this:
                        The fossil record suggests that the major pulse of diversification of
                        phyla occurs before that of classes, classes before that of orders, orders
                        before that of families. . . the higher taxa do not seem to have diverged
                        through an accumulation of lower taxa. 157
                        By claiming that lower taxa, such as classes and families, would
                   diverge and vary over time and that species varied from a single
                   phylum would in turn give rise to other phyla, Darwin assumed a
                   “bottom-up” development.
                        Yet the Cambrian explosion reveals the exact opposite, as de-
                   scribed by the science writer Roger Lewin:

                        Several possible patterns exist for the establishment of higher taxa, the
                        two most obvious of which are the bottom-up and the top-down ap-
                        proaches. In the first, evolutionary novelties emerge, bit by bit... The
                        Cambrian explosion appears to conform to the second pattern, the
                        top-down effect. 158

                        The course of appearance of taxa in the fossil record is top-
                   down. Moreover, the number of phyla, which should increase by
                   stages over long periods of time, actually reduces. Fifty different
                   phyla appeared in the Cambrian, but today there are only around
                   35. (See “The Fossils Are Examined” section earlier in this book.)
                   Darwin’s assumptions have been literally overturned in the face of
                   the fossil record, and paleontology has definitely and clearly invali-
                   dated his theory.


                        Refutation of Darwinism No. 2: The cone of diversity is the
                   exact opposite of what Darwin claimed.
                        While branching the tree of life, Darwin hypothesized that life





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