Pharyngula

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Wednesday, June 02, 2004

Warning: Creationist Quiz. May cause brain damage.

While checking out the horrible Christian Broadcasting Network site, I found this utterly bizarre test: What's your evolution IQ? (answers here). It's stupid and snarky, and mainly demonstrates the appalling ignorance of creationists. For example:

4. Fish evolved feet:
a) out of a need to wear Italian designer shoes, b) by the time I got to Phoenix, c) through a step-by-step process, d) by creating a lot of finfare, e) to show more good taste than Charlie the Tuna, f) out of a whimsical wish to slip on comfortable old sneakers, g) from a desire to outperform Al Gore's version of the Macarena

A step-by-step process would be what evolutionists would say. Endless controversies abound among scientists in regard to fin-to-feet transformation — largely because there are no verified intermediaries. This, like most of the field of evolution, is rife with speculation. The coelecanth, a "primitive" fish found in fossils, was once a prime candidate for its fins turning into appendages. That theory was abandoned partly because the fish was found living in the 1930s off the coast of Africa. Its fins matched the fossil's fins. Recent actual research video of the elusive fish shows it does not use its fins for support on the bottom of the sea, further removing any possibility that the fins were destined to become appendages for landlubbers.

So many misconceptions, so many lies. There are lots of intermediate fossils—ask Jenny Clack or Carl Zimmer. And they keep finding more! I commented on a new one just last month.

The coelacanth was a representative of a once-large group of lobe-finned fishes that are thought to be ancestral to modern tetrapods. The idea hasn't been abandoned. It's been strengthened.

I've also gone over these false ideas about coelacanths before.

11. What group of animals provides the most convincing evidence of evolution?
a) duck-billed platypuses b) Democratic senators c) Republican senators d) rock singers e) The Rockettes

The duck-billed platypus is said to be a transitional figure between birds and mammals. Unfortunately for the evolutionists, the platypus is not in between those two categories. Its mammalian features are fully mammalian and its ornithic traits represent birds quite nicely. The platypus is a mosaic, not the transitional animal predicted by evolution. Creationists have no problem with an "oddball" creature — their evaluations aren't tied to chance, but to the creative genius and will of the Almighty.

<sfx: jawbone dropping to floor with a clatter>What reasonable, respectable modern scientist has ever claimed the platypus is a bird:mammal transitional? Who has ever even claimed that such a thing as a bird:mammal transitional ever existed? Mammals did not evolve from birds or vice versa. The platypus has no birdlike traits at all—nor has anyone ever claimed such a thing. Well, except for some hare-brained, pig-ignorant creationists (now there is a 'mosaic' animal for you).

And, um, since when is egg-laying a "fully mammalian" trait?


Man, but this creationist crap is painful to read.


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Comments:
#2930: — 06/02  at  10:23 AM
The duck-billed platypus is said to be a transitional figure between birds and mammals

Wow. Please thank those folks for straightening me out here PZ. I guess I'd been fooled by those zany chinese fake feathered dino's into swallowing the evil lie of dino to bird evo. I feel much better now.



#2938: — 06/02  at  02:10 PM
What an absolute shame that so much time has to be spent defending evolution from people who either misrepresent it on purpose or are too stupid to understand it. I'm not sure which is worse. Evolution is not something you have to believe in; it slaps you in the face if you just open your eyes. Maybe that's the trick Paul. Simply go through life with your eyes closed and your fingers stuck firmly in your ears. Or maybe they can accomplish the same thing by sticking their entire head up their ass.



#2942: — 06/02  at  03:20 PM
The claim that evolutionary biologists think the platypus is a bird-to-mammal transitional comes from Scott Huse's The Collapse of Evolution.

http://members.cox.net/ardipithecus/evol/lies/lie028.html



#2946: — 06/02  at  03:59 PM
This entire "quiz" is so insulting and, frankly, disgustingly ignorant. Their attempts to be "funny" fall flat in the face of their utterly stupid misconceptions about science and history. How stupid do you have to be to come up with this crap?

Oh, and boy does this one stand out:


19. Critics say evolution is based on a "tautology." In other words:

a) Evolution is true because evolution is true b) Evolution uses circular reasoning c) Biology recapitulates tautology

All of these answers capture the idea that evolutionary science operates on the basis of presuming macroevolution to be true. Once a person assumes the truth of a theory without good evidence, he or she may become practically immune to contrary evidence or arguments.


Does it not even occur to them that they have, for 2000 years, assumed the existence of a god, and they are now practically immune to contrary evidence or arguments? That "science vs. religion" cartoon you posted a little while ago, Dr. Myers, was absolutely on the mark.

And what kind of quiz has questions formulated so that the answer is "all of the above" or "none of the above" but doesn't provide the answers "all of the above" or "none of the above" as options?!?

Sheesh.



#2951: — 06/02  at  05:03 PM
Pretty dumb, sure. Esp this part:
Mankind actually appears to be devolving over time. For instance, Neanderthal man appears from his fossils to be healthier, stronger and possessed of a larger cranial capacity than we moderns.


Who thought this dimwit's comments on science should be published? Pat Robertson, a guy so knuckle-draggingly stupid he blamed 9/11 on the ACLU and 'pagans'.



#2952: — 06/02  at  05:05 PM
anyone know what's happening at The Panda's Thumb? Been down for a day.



's avatar #2954: PZ Myers — 06/02  at  05:26 PM
I've heard through the grapevine that the severe storms in Texas may have taken out the server for a while.

Or it may have been the wrath of god.

We won't know until we hear from Wesley Elsberry, I suspect.

PZ Myers
Division of Science and Math
University of Minnesota, Morris



#2959: Joe — 06/02  at  05:35 PM
Do American news sources in general refer to people caught in a blackout as "customers", or is this a CNN thing?



#2966: Ben — 06/02  at  07:00 PM
"Mammals did not evolve from birds or vice versa. The platypus has no birdlike traits at all—nor has anyone ever claimed such a thing."

It's referred to as a DUCK-billed platypus! DUH!!! Gee PZ, I thought you knew stuff about biology...



#2969: — 06/02  at  07:57 PM
Er...you should make sure to put a winky smiley ;) on a post like that, Ben. 'Cause while I'm pretty sure you're just messing around, you might be surprised by how many creationists would actually use that as a serious piece of evidence. I wouldn't want to confuse you with them. ;)



#2971: Ben — 06/02  at  08:42 PM
You may have a point. When it comes to creationism, delineating between reality and satire can be a matter of pure luck.



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