Page 722 - Atlas of Creation Volume 2

To sum up, a mutation impinging on a bacterium's ribosome makes that bacterium resistant to strepto-

mycin. The reason for this is the "decomposition" of the ribosome by mutation. That is, no new genetic infor-
mation is added to the bacterium. On the contrary, the structure of the ribosome is decomposed, that is to say,
the bacterium becomes "disabled." (Also, it has been discovered that the ribosome of the mutated bacterium is
less functional than that of a normal bacterium.) Since this "disability" prevents the antibiotic from attaching
onto the ribosome, "antibiotic resistance" develops.

Finally, there is no example of mutation that "develops the genetic information." Evolutionists, who want
to present antibiotic resistance as evidence for evolution, treat the issue in a very superficial way and are thus
mistaken.
The same situation holds true for the immunity that insects develop to DDT and similar insecticides. In
most of these instances, immunity genes that already exist are used. The evolutionary biologist Francisco Ayala
admits this fact, saying, "The genetic variants required for resistance to the most diverse kinds of pesticides

were apparently present in every one of the populations exposed to these man-made compounds." 274 Some
other examples explained by mutation, just as with the ribosome mutation mentioned above, are phenomena
that cause "genetic information deficit" in insects.
In this case, it cannot be claimed that the immunity mechanisms in bacteria and insects constitute evidence

for the theory of evolution. That is because the theory of evolution is based on the assertion that living things
develop through mutations. However, Spetner explains that neither antibiotic immunity nor any other biolog-
ical phenomena indicate such an example of mutation:

The mutations needed for macroevolution have never been observed. No random mutations that could represent
the mutations required by Neo-Darwinian Theory that have been examined on the molecular level have added any
information. The question I address is: Are the mutations that have been observed the kind the theory needs for sup-
port? The answer turns out to be NO! 275

The Myth of Vestigial Organs

For a long time, the concept of "vestigial organs" appeared frequently in evolutionist literature as "evi-
dence" of evolution. Eventually, it was silently put to rest when this was proved to be invalid. But some evolu-
tionists still believe in it, and from time to time someone will try to advance "vestigial organs" as important

evidence of evolution.
The notion of "vestigial organs" was first put forward a century ago. As evolutionists would have it, there
existed in the bodies of some creatures a number of non-functional organs. These had been inherited from
progenitors and had gradually become vestigial from lack of use.
The whole assumption is quite unscientific, and is based entirely on insufficient knowledge. These "non-

functional organs" were in fact organs whose "functions had not yet been discovered." The best indication of
this was the gradual yet substantial decrease in evolutionists' long list of vestigial organs. S. R. Scadding, an
evolutionist himself, concurred with this fact in his article "Can vestigial organs constitute evidence for evolu-
tion?" published in the journal Evolutionary Theory:

Since it is not possible to unambiguously identify useless structures, and since the structure of the argument used is
not scientifically valid, I conclude that 'vestigial organs' provide no special evidence for the theory of evolution. 276

The list of vestigial organs that was made by the German Anatomist R. Wiedersheim in 1895 included ap-
proximately 100 organs, including the appendix and coccyx. As science progressed, it was discovered that all of
the organs in Wiedersheim's list in fact had very important functions. For instance, it was discovered that the

appendix, which was supposed to be a "vestigial organ," was in fact a lymphoid organ that fought infections in
the body. This fact was made clear in 1997:

Other bodily organs and tissues—the thymus, liver, spleen, appendix, bone marrow, and small collections of lym-
phatic tissue such as the tonsils in the throat and Peyer's patch in the small intestine—are also part of the lymphatic
system. They too help the body fight infection. 277

720 Atlas of Creation Vol. 2