Page 112 - The Evolution Impasse 1

110

In sum, the mutations of bacteria and vi- Earth in the same perfect forms they
ruses are merely hereditary fluctuations possess today.
around a median position; a swing to the For that reason, Eldredge—who sha-
right, a swing to the left, but no final evo-
res the same views—claimed that evolu-
lutionary effect. Cockroaches, which are
tion happened by way of large sudden
one of the most venerable living insect
changes, a claim that was entirely the
groups, have remained more or less unc-
product of the imagination.
hanged since the Permian, yet they have
Actually, this theory was a different
undergone as many mutations as Dro-
sophila, a Tertiary insect. 135 version of the “Hopeful Monster” theory
proposed by the German paleontologist
In short, it is impossible for living
Otto Schindewolf back in the 1930s. Ac-
things to have undergone evolution, be-
cording to that theory, the first bird
cause there is no evolutionary mecha-
emerged from a reptile egg through an
nism in nature. Indeed, when we look at
enormous change caused by a random
the fossil record, we see no evolutio-
mutation. Certain land-dwelling animals
nary process at all, but rather a picture
might also have turned into giant whales
that represents the exact opposite of
through a similarly sudden and wide-
evolution.
ranging change. But this theory was
swiftly abandoned.
Eldredge, Niles In order to impart a scientific charac-
ter to their theory, Eldredge and Gould
The well-known evolutionist paleon- sought to develop a mechanism for these
tologist Niles Eldredge is one of the sudden evolutionary leaps. But the in-
most prominent adherents of the neo- consistencies in this claim soon gave its
Darwinist model known as punctuated authors reason for concern. Niles El-
equilibrium—in other words, the punc- dredge stated, by way of a question, that
tuated model of evolution, first put for- the idea of living things progressing
ward in the 1970s. (See Punctuated through evolution was logically flawed:
equilibrium.) According to this theory, Do plant and animal species really im-
evolution takes place not gradually, thro- prove and develop into the more comp-
ugh small changes, but through very lar- lex? If so, then should we consider the
ge and sudden ones. simple and unchanged life forms, such
The reason behind such a scenario as the sponge, as evolutionary failures?
(which actually contradicts the most ba- He then added that the evolutionary mot-
sic claim of evolution) is that living spe- to “Progress is inevitable” should be rep-
cies appear suddenly in the layers of the laced with “Why apes succeeded.” 136

THE EVOLUTION IMPASSE I