googlef87758e9b6df9bec.html A Sure Word: Vestigial Organs? It's There for a Reason!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Vestigial Organs? It's There for a Reason!


A while back, I wrote about LiveScience's, “Top 7 Theories (that is “Guesses”) on the Origin of Life.” One thing I didn't say about LiveScience, which is probably so obvious it doesn't need pointing out, is that the folks there are rapidly pro-evolution. They've posted several lists that not only trumpet evolution but also a few that ridicule creation. One of their pro-evolution lists is the Top 10 Useless Limbs (and Other Vestigial Organs). You can read the list if you'd like. I'm going to reference it a couple of times but I'm not going to critique each example they offer. Instead, I'd like to discuss the idea of vestigial organs in general.

Identifying and promoting so called “vestigial” organs is a favorite practice of evolutionists. It's sometimes seen as a sort of “silver bullet” proof of their theory because they feel evolution explains these structures so well. From the intro to the LiveScience article we read, From common descent, it is predicted that organisms should retain these vestigial organs as structural remnants of lost functions. It is only because of macro-evolutionary theory, or evolution that takes place over very long periods of time, that these vestiges appear.” Really? It's only because of macro-evolution? I beg to differ.

Let me say that vestigial organs do fit well within the evolutionary model. However, a successful prediction is not necessarily evidence for (and certainly not proof of) any theory. Let me give you an example: I believe that, if I ate an entire pizza, that I would be full. I am full. Therefore, I ate an entire pizza! Certainly, I could have eaten an entire pizza but then again, I could also be full for another reason. Likewise, even if evolution gives a plausible explanation for the existence of “vestigial” organs, it's not necessarily “proof” of the theory. There could be another cause for these organs. Indeed there is. I believe creation explains these same structures equally well.

An organ is usually considered to be vestigial if it cannot be determined to have a function. This begs the question of how we can determine that an organ has no function. One way suggested by evolutionists is if the organ can be removed without any deleterious effect to its host. This was suggested in the LiveScience article when discussing the appendix: “Any secondary function that the appendix might perform certainly is not missed in those who had it removed.” However, this is not a rigorous test. I could remove the little finger of my left hand and continue to live a long, happy, healthy, and productive life. No one would argue that my little finger has no function so the simple fact that I can prosper without it is not evidence that it has no function.

Since we see that removing an organ doesn't establish its “functionlessness,” something like the appendix cannot be said to be “useless” on the flimsy grounds that it can be removed with seemingly little consequence. I would, however, direct your attention to a Scientific American which says, “For years, the appendix was credited with very little physiological function. We now know, however, that the appendix serves an important role in the fetus and in young adults.” The benefits of the appendix are too numerous to include in this post so you can read the article for yourself. But we see that, according to Scientific American, the appendix actually serves an “important role.” One might even ask why it continues to be called vestigial.

Discovering function for the appendix is no surprise to a creationist. After all, it is a product of design. Dozens of other organs once thought to be “useless” have also been identified as functioning. This has happened so frequently that I'm suspicious of any claim that says a certain structure serves no purpose. Such a claim faces the logical absurdity of proving a negative. It is quite possible, even likely, that the purpose of such organs merely hasn't been identified and needs further research.

Regardless of all that, let's assume for a moment that there is some structure which has somehow been determined to truly have no function. Even that is not conclusive evidence for evolution. As per my pizza-eating example where there are other reasons I might be full, there are also other reasons why an organ might be functionless. According to the creation model, God made Adam with a perfectly designed body. Since the Curse, each generation has suffered more and more genetic mutation so that, over time, a once functioning organ could have completely lost all function. So functionless organs aren't a worry to creationists at all.

Now the test of uselessness is not the most technical criterion used by evolutionists to identify vestigial organs. Many prefer to say that structure is vestigial if it no longer serves its original purpose. Thus a structure like a panda's thumb, even though it has function, can still be called vestigial because it is believed to have once been a bone from the wrist. My complaint with this definition is that, again, it is not very rigorous. In a sense, it could be applied to any structure. After all, according to evolution, wings are simply modified forelimbs. Feathers are simply modified scales. Legs are simply modified fish fins. Remember that one definition of evolution is “descent with modification.” Every structure has been modified from something else so literally any organ could be called vestigial. The final word in labeling a functioning organ as vestigial is the largely arbitrary (and certainly subjective) opinion of how well the structure is adapted to its new use. Wings are considered very successful adaptations of forelimbs; pandas' thumbs are considered poor adaptations of wrist bones (though pandas use them very adeptly). Thus wings are not called vestigial and pandas' thumbs are.

It's more than a minor annoyance that evolutionists are so quick to label an organ as vestigial. Why do they do this? I suggest that it's possible that, since evolution virtually demands there be vestigial organs, evolutionists are prone to pin the label of “vestigial” on any structure whose function is not immediately obvious. Their quack theory has even thwarted medicine, since, for so long a time, many researchers have not even bothered to look for the purpose of organs that have been too quickly identified as useless. I think medicine would greatly benefit if we began with the premise that it's there for a reason!

11 comments:

Steven J. said...

You might want to read chapter 14 of Darwin's On the Origin of Species, in which he discusses what he called "rudimentary" organs, which we now label "vestigial." Although he begins by defining these structures by "the stamp of inutility," he goes on to explain that "An organ, serving for two purposes, may become rudimentary or utterly aborted for one, even the more important purpose, and remain perfectly efficient for the other." So it is not some revision to the original definition to concede that vestigial organs can be functional.

Now, while Darwin certainly argued that these organs had lost their original function, his discussion does not require that one accept an evolutionary explanation in order to recognize vestiges. For example, Darwin mentions the teeth that form (and are resorbed) in embryonic baleen whales, and the shriveled wings under sealed wing cases in flightless beetles. In each case, these are "vestigial" or "rudimentary" because they resemble, in detail, structures in similar species whose most conspicuous function they do not share.

An ostrich's wing may have many functions -- but it does not serve the most conspicuous function of bird wings, which is to fly. The stubby rounded molars of vampire bats may do something, but they don't grind food. The hind limb buds of embryonic whales don't (normally) turn into legs for walking or swimming. The point in every case is that these structures clearly correspond to structures in other species that serve some obvious purpose -- and whatever they do, these rudimentary structures don't serve that function.

Which raises the question, why is there this detailed resemblance (homology)? Vestigial organs are a striking subclass of a more general phenomenon called "parahomology" (in Darwin's term, "similar structures serving dissimilar functions"). It's one thing to argue that common functions should be met with similar designs, but why should, e.g. the same bone structures serve in different species for a human arm, a bat's wing, and a whale's flipper? Divergent modifications of ancestral structures better explain this than independent designs for radically different functions.

Side note: if your stomach is full of Chinese food, the fullness is not reasonably explained in terms of your having recently gorged on pizza. If your stomach is full of pizza, though, well, maybe it was surgically implanted and you really haven't eaten a lot of pizza lately ... but that wouldn't be a reasonable person's first inference, I think.

RKBentley said...

Steven J,

You said, “You might want to read chapter 14 of Darwin's On the Origin of Species, in which he discusses what he called "rudimentary" organs, which we now label "vestigial." Although he begins by defining these structures by "the stamp of inutility,"”

Vestigial organs being characterized by their uselessness is not a straw man that I invented. Note the headline of the LiveScience article, “Top 10 USELESS Organs.”

BTW, I have read the Origin of Species, though it's been a while.

You said, “he goes on to explain that "An organ, serving for two purposes, may become rudimentary or utterly aborted for one, even the more important purpose, and remain perfectly efficient for the other." So it is not some revision to the original definition to concede that vestigial organs can be functional.”

Yeah, I think I covered that my post. The problem remains that EVERY structure, according to evolution, has been modified from some other structure. Even your eyes are supposed vestiges of light sensitive spots on some distant ancestor.

You said, “Now, while Darwin certainly argued that these organs had lost their original function, his discussion does not require that one accept an evolutionary explanation in order to recognize vestiges.”

That seems contrary to the typical evolutionist's position. Most evos cite vestigial organs as de facto proof for their theory.

You said, “For example, Darwin mentions the teeth that form (and are resorbed) in embryonic baleen whales, and the shriveled wings under sealed wing cases in flightless beetles.”

As I said in my post, structures that have truly lost their function can also be explained in the creation model. Mutations that can beetle wings to shrivel can offer a survival benefit in certain circumstances. However, it does not explain how beetles evolved wings in the first place. Animals losing traits is observed. Animals acquiring novel traits is not observed.

You said, “An ostrich's wing may have many functions -- but it does not serve the most conspicuous function of bird wings, which is to fly.”

You're assuming that ostriches are descended from flying ancestors. Remember that, according to your theory, birds themselves are descended from non-flying ancestors. So perhaps the ostrich is from a line that never evolved into flight. Its diminutive wings may not be vestiges of flying wings but rather are vestiges of forelimbs still on their way to becoming flying wings!

You said, “Which raises the question, why is there this detailed resemblance (homology)? ... why should, e.g. the same bone structures serve in different species for a human arm, a bat's wing, and a whale's flipper? Divergent modifications of ancestral structures better explain this than independent designs for radically different functions.”

“Better” is a subjective term. Frankly, I don't have a problem with the idea that the Designer created patterns in His creation. Why must God necessarily create every single creature absolutely unique from every other creature? If that were true, I might wonder if the same God created everything. Maybe there are many gods? You used the example of wings. Wings are present in birds, of course, but also in mammals, insects, reptiles (pterosaurs), plants (maple seeds), and even fish (Exocoetidae). So we see both diversity and patterns in nature which I think wonderfully reflects the glory of God. The diversity demonstrates God's endless creativity; the patterns demonstrate His order and unchangingness.

Thanks for your comments. God bless!!

RKBentley

Steven J. said...

You're assuming that ostriches are descended from flying ancestors. Remember that, according to your theory, birds themselves are descended from non-flying ancestors. So perhaps the ostrich is from a line that never evolved into flight. Its diminutive wings may not be vestiges of flying wings but rather are vestiges of forelimbs still on their way to becoming flying wings!

First, I'm assuming that ostriches cannot fly. If you have some reason to dispute that assumption, please adduce it. My point was that vestigial organs can be discerned without assuming that they are vestiges of some ancestral functional form: one can compare them, not to known or surmised ancestors, but to similar living animals.

You mentioned that "evos" generally cite vestigial organs as "proof" (I would say, "evidence") of common ancestry. But that would be blatantly circular if vestigial organs could be recognized only if one started by assuming that they evolved to their present state. But they can be recognized without assuming evolution, and then adduced as evidence of evolution.

Second, all birds, from hummingbirds to penguins to swallows, are more like one another than any are like, e.g. Confuciusornis or Ichthyornis. Evolutionists infer that they share a common ancestor much more recent than their last common ancestor with those already-flying Cretaceous birds, so they infer that ostriches had flying ancestors.

Third, ostrich wings don't have distinct fingers (as, e.g. Archaeopteryx or Confuciusornis do. They don't function as grasping limbs and would seem to be of reduced (though not zero) utility as fighting limbs. So they'd appear vestigial even if we were comparing them to, e.g. Caudipteryx rather than Corvus.

RKBentley said...

Steven J,

Ostriches cannot fly. To my knowledge, no ostrich ancestor could ever fly. The ostrich wing, therefore, cannot be a “vestige” of a flying wing by definition. To say that it is similar to flying wings of other birds is of no consequence. If the ostrich wing functions in the same way it has always functioned, then it's vestigial of nothing.

You have identified the circular reasoning that occurs in identifying vestigial organs. I had a similar discussion a few years back with one of your brothers-in-arms concerning kiwi wings (or near lack of wings). Structures like ostrich wings or kiwi wings can only be considered vestigial if one first assumes they are diminutive forms of functioning wings (that is, wings that once performed another function – like flying). As I just said above, if the wings still function as they were designed to function, they aren't vestigial. So one must first assume evolution is true in order to label them as vestigial; then to use them as evidence for evolution.... Well, like you've said, it's blatant circular reasoning.

God bless!!

RKBentley

Steven J. said...

We can identify ostrich wings as vestigial by virtue of the simple fact that we can unambiguously identify them as wings. They are built like the wings of other birds, such as robins or swallows or eagles, yet they do not enable the ostriches to fly. Hence they are, in Darwin's term, "rudimentary," or in the modern term "vestigial." It requires no assumption that ostrich's ancestors could fly; only the observation that most animals with such wings can fly.

The same reasoning applies, mutatis mutandis, to the molars (cheek teeth) of vampire bats (which subsist on a liquid, non-chewable diet), the hind limb buds of embryonic whales, or the human plantaris tendon. We can with trivial ease identify the homologies between these and the teeth of insect-eating bats, the hind limb buds of land mammals, or the foot-clenching plantaris tendons of other primates, and note that whatever they do, they don't have the most obvious functions of those corresponding structures. This is not circular reasoning.

Note, in passing, that there is nothing that the eye spots of planaria, or the funnel-shaped, lenseless eye of the amphioxus, can do that our eyes do not. So human eyes (as opposed to the eye sockets of blind cave fish) are pretty poor candidates for "vestigial" organs.

RKBentley said...

Steven J,

You said, “We can identify ostrich wings as vestigial by virtue of the simple fact that we can unambiguously identify them as wings. They are built like the wings of other birds, such as robins or swallows or eagles, yet they do not enable the ostriches to fly. Hence they are, in Darwin's term, "rudimentary," or in the modern term "vestigial." It requires no assumption that ostrich's ancestors could fly; only the observation that most animals with such wings can fly.”

Perhaps this is another case of evolutionists' poor use of language. According to Dictionary.com, a vestige is defined as follows:

1) a mark, trace, or visible evidence of something that is no longer present on in existence.
2) a surviving evidence or remainder of some condition, practice, etc.
3) a very slight trace or amount of something.
4) Biology: a degenerate or imperfectly developed organ or structure that has little or no utility, but that in an earlier stage of the individual or in preceding evolutionary forms of the organism performed a useful function.

You seem to concede that ostriches never flew. If the ostrich wing was not designed to fly (as might be assumed in the creation model), then the ostrich wing functions today in the same way that it has always functioned. If its function has not change, how can it be called a vestige? As I said, saying that it is similar to the wings of other birds is of no consequence.

One can only call ostrich wings vestigial by first assuming evolution is true. You seem to recognize the circular nature of that argument yet you can't escape using it.

God bless!!

RKBentley

Anonymous said...

Lol no one cares, guise.

RKBentley said...

Hmmm, a somewhat cryptic comment but thanks for visiting.

I invite you back. For future comments, you might try to be a little more clear about what you're objecting to.

Thanks again.

God bless!!

RKBentley

Evoluzione.tk said...

http://evoluzione.tk/antidarwinismo/biologia/organi-vestigiali-una-funzione-per-tutto.php

organi vestigiali said...

Qualora le specie si fossero evolute cambiando forma e funzioni durante il corso dell'evoluzione, l'uomo, come tutti gli esseri viventi, dovrebbe possedere dei residui di organi non più funzionali. In passato vennero...

Todd Williams said...

Steven J., you said, "It requires no assumption that ostrich's ancestors could fly; only the observation that most animals with such wings can fly."

Of course what you're saying requires an assumption that the ostrich's ancestors could fly. Otherwise, the comparison you're making with other winged animals wouldn't be made. The comparison infers that since most other wings we observe are used for flying, it's reasonable to assume that the wings of ostrich's were once used for the same.

The circular reasoning is very obvious to me...not certain as to why it isn't to you.