Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Snakes evolved venom fangs multiple times

Denyse O'Leary
August 13, 2021
Convergent evolution, Intelligent Design
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From wrinkles in their teeth:

Different snake species have independently evolved fangs that allow them to inject venom into other animals, either to attack prey or for defence. Now we know how: they turned small wrinkles inside the base of the fang – an ancient feature inherited by most living snakes – into deep channels to carry venom towards the tip.

Alessandro Palci at Flinders University in Australia and his colleagues wanted to explain the origins of venom fangs, which are found in so many species of snake that they must have evolved on several separate occasions.

Krista Charles, “Snakes evolved venom fangs multiple times from wrinkles in their teeth” at New Scientist (August 10, 2021)

A friend writes to protest “But this could happen to any of us.”

Sure, maybe, if you have fangs. But, in any event, convergent evolution can definitely happen to any of us.

Of course, it’s even more unlikely to have all just happened by chance a number of times than just once. Nonetheless, New Scientist tries valiantly to ascribe it all to natural selection (acting on random mutation).

“Evolution” in this vid appears to be some kind of wizard.

See also: Evolution appears to converge on goals—but in Darwinian terms, is that possible?

and

Has New Scientist returned abjectly to Darwin’s fold?

Comments
Thanks, Martin_r. Looking at some of the articles in your blog, I had no idea just how frequently repeated/convergent evolution is used to putty the cracks in Darwin's 19th century, racist theory! What an interesting museum of science fantasy. I can see where your collection is an embarrassment for the doctrinaire pronouncements of the establishment in which one is supposed to have faith and to submit to their orthodoxy. As a result, evolutionary biology has proved itself both mandatory and useless. -Q Querius
martin_r
I did my own research when i talked to some biologists, most of them have no clue have many examples of convergent evolution exist …
Talking with biologists one-on-one definitely opened my eyes to how little they know about their own theory and how defensive they get when someone questions it. Silver Asiatic
Now we know how: they turned small wrinkles inside the base of the fang – an ancient feature inherited by most living snakes – into deep channels to carry venom towards the tip.
Sounds Lamarckian. ET
Tjguy @3 a totally agree ... convergent (repeated) evolution of complex systems falsifies the evolutionary hypothesis (that is why i created my blog at StuffHappens.info to have all these examples on one place) I did my own research when i talked to some biologists, most of them have no clue have many examples of convergent evolution exist ... martin_r
Convergent Evolution to the rescue once again! Convergent evolution is used as a rescue device just like asteroids are used as a rescue device in cosmology. Convergence is so common that it should falsify the evolutionary hypothesis hands down! tjguy
Different snake species have independently evolved fangs that allow them to inject venom into other animals
who on Earth can buy this non-sense? According to Darwinists, the very same complex systems are evolved over and over again by some mysterious blind unguided natural process of random mutations ... Darwinists can't replicate any of these processes in their fancy labs, and, of course, all these things always happened in deep past ... So what is more probable? Common design or random mutations ? According to Darwinists, there are many other examples of repeated independent evolution of the same very complex systems e.g. placenta (up to 100 times), or C4/CAM photosynthesis (up to 60), and many others - you can see it on my blog http://www.stuffhappens.info PS: if you consider, that there are thousands of examples of repeated / independent origin /evolution of the same complex features, basically, Darwinists believe in miracles ... a miracle after a miracle after a miracle ... martin_r
OK, we 2 SEPARATE systems growing from nothing: 1) monstrous HOLLOW teeth, and 2) a poison systems plumbed into the hollow teeth. I understand that there are animals who have POISON but no FANGS: the poison drips out of their gums and into the surface scratches made on the prey's flesh. Not very efficient, but it does apparently work. I don't see a path for Evolution though: the "crude but effective" bite ya 'til ya die can clearly work. Especially if you don't have to eat too often. mahuna

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