Cambrian explosion

From the Evolution News and Views: Hopless Matzke.

There were 75-100 phyla, but over time some disappeared. This graph depicts the Cambrian explosion where most phyla appeared and how over time some phyla disappeared. This is graphically the pattern that is central to Darwin’s doubt. It destroys the notion of Darwinian gradualism: http://www.veritas-ucsb.org/library/origins/IMAGES/H.gif Remarkably, as phyla disappeared, new species appeared. This is a curious pattern. Some have labeled this phenomenon “disparity precedes diversity”. NOTES 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylum In biological classification: phylum is a taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. Traditionally, in botany the term division is used instead of “phylum”, although in 1993 the International Botanical Congress accepted the designation “phylum”. …. Phyla can be thought of as grouping organisms based on general specialization of body plan. 2. Read More ›

In the comments of this UD post from yesterday, (comment #21) I referred to Nick Matzke’s rant over at the Panda’s Thumb yesterday as yet another illustration of the double standard’s Matzke’s has when it comes to his critiques of anyone who dares challenge Darwinian Orthodoxy.  In my comments yesterday, I gave an example of Matzke being guilty of the very same thing he (falsely)accuses Meyer of doing.  Today, I want to call out Matzke on another of his famous ploys: the bluff!  In earlier days, before he gained his current status among the defenders of the Darwinian Faith, Matzke posted and commented on various ID sites under various pseudonyms.  His favorite ploy was to use what we came to Read More ›