Page 80 - The Evolution Deceit

Bird Feathers: The Structure that
Evolution Fails to Explain

he theory of evolution, which scales. On the contrary, "feathers appear
claims that birds evolved from rep- suddenly in the fossil record, as an'unde-
T tiles, is unable to explain the huge niably unique' character distinguishing
3
differences between these two different birds" as Prof. Brush states. Besides, in
living classes. In terms of such features reptiles, no epidermal structure has yet
as their skeleton structure, lung systems, been detected that provides an origin for
and warm-blooded metabolism, birds are bird feathers. 4
very different from reptiles. Another trait In 1996, paleontologists made abuzz
that poses an insurmountable gap be- about fossils of a so-called feathered di-
tween birds and reptiles is the feathers of nosaur, called Sinosauropteryx. However,
birds which have a form entirely peculiar in 1997, it was revealed that these fossils
to them. had nothing to do with birds and that they
The bodies of reptiles are covered were not avian feathers. 5
with scales, whereas the bodies of birds On the other hand, when we examine
are covered with feathers. Since evolu- bird feathers closely, we come across a
tionists consider reptiles the ancestor of very complex structure that cannot be ex-
birds, they are obliged to claim that bird plained by any evolutionary process. The
feathers have evolved from reptile scales. famous ornithologist Alan Feduccia
However, there is no similarity between states that "every feature of them has
scales and feathers. aerodynamic functions. They are ex-
A professor of physiology and neuro- tremely light, have the ability to lift up
biology from the University of Connecti- which increases in lower speeds, and
cut, A.H. Brush, accepts this reality may return to their previous position very
although he is an evolutionist: "Every fea- easily". Then he continues, "I cannot re-
ture from gene structure and organiza- ally understand how an organ perfectly
tion, to development, morphogenesis and designed for flight may have emerged for
tissue organization is different (in feath- another need at the beginning". 6
1
ers and scales)." Moreover, Prof. Brush The structure of feathers also com-
examines the protein structure of bird pelled Charles Darwin to ponder them.
feathers and argues that it is "unique Moreover, the perfect aesthetics of the
among vertebrates". 2 peafowl's feathers had made him "sick"
There is no fossil evidence to prove (his own words). In a letter he wrote to Asa
that bird feathers evolved from reptile Gray on April 3, 1860, he said "I remember
well the time when the thought of the eye
made me cold all over, but I have got over
this stage of complaint..."And then contin-
ued: "...and now trifling particulars of
structure often make me very uncomfort-
able. The sight of a feather in a peacock's
tail, whenever I gaze at it, makes me sick!"
7
1- A. H. Brush, "On the Origin of Feathers", Jour-
nal of Evolutionary Biology, Vol.
9, 1996, p.132
2- A. H. Brush, "On the Origin of Feathers", p. 131
3- Ibid.
4- Ibid.
When bird feathers are examined in 5- "Plucking the Feathered Dinosaur", Science,
Vol. 278, 14 November 1997, p. 1229
detail, it is seen that they are made up
6- Douglas Palmer, "Learning to Fly" (Review of
of thousands of tiny tendrils attached The Origin of and Evolution of Birds by Alan Fe-
to one another with hooks. This unique duccia, Yale University Press, 1996), New Scien-
structure results in superior aerody- tist, Vol. 153, March, 1 1997, p. 44
7- Norman Macbeth, Darwin Retried: An Appeal to
namic performance.
Reason, Boston, Gambit, 1971, p. 101