Transitional Fossils Are Not Rare
September 25th, 2008
Are Transitional fossils are extremely rare?
Summary of problems with claim:
Fossils with transitional morphology are not rare. Fossils illustrating the gradual origin of humans, horses, rhinos, whales, seacows, mammals, birds, tetrapods, and various major Cambrian "phyla" have been discovered and are well-known to scientists. Explore Evolution's claims to the contrary are just a rehash of older
creationist arguments on this point, relying on out-of-context quotes, confusion over terminology and classification, and ignoring inconvenient evidence.
"Though a possible whale-to-mammal transitional sequence has recently been unearthed, critics maintain that transitional sequences are rare, at best. For this reason, critics argue that Darwin's theory has failed an important test.
Explore Evolution, p. 27
Scientists have long thought that amphibians were a transitioinal form between aquatic and land-dwelling life forms. Why? Because amphibians can live in both the water and on land. Yet, the fossil record has revealed at least two problems with this idea... land-dwelling amphibians, themselves, appear suddenly in the fossil record.
Explore Evolution, p. 27
Darwin himself was well aware of the problems that the fossil record posed for his theory. … Where were the multitudes of transitional forms connecting different groups, as predicted (and expected) by his theory?
Explore Evolution, p. 30
Some critics say neo-Darwinism is not consistent with fossil data. Other critics say that punctuated equilibrium is consistent with fossil evidence, but lacks and adequate mechanism. Critics of both views argue that there are still far fewer transitional forms in the fossil record than we would expect, even if new forms of life did arise quickly.
Explore Evolution, p. 33
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http://ncse.com/creationism/analysis/transitional-fossils-are-not-rare
*Explore Evolution is a creationist group that tries to hide behind a veneer of credibility, but still concludes "Goddit."