Proving common descent (Introduction)

by dhw, Wednesday, November 07, 2012, 16:05 (4400 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: 4) The Cambrian explosion was the result of cell communities (organisms) responding to new environmental conditions (perhaps an increase in oxygen) which permitted a whole range of inventions that would not have been possible in the old environment.-DAVID: This is a key problem. There is a huge jump in the Cambrian. These animals have legs, jaws, brains(!) and for all the world look like animals today, because some of our existing species came directly from 520 mya, and are little changed today. In the preceding pre-Cambrian, nothing like this is found. Simple worms, sheet of cells, some hollow sack-like characters. This whole period looks like a second creation of life. We have no idea why. Yes, more oxygen, but remember oxygen is dangerous stuff. Things burn because of oxygen. Using oxygen as fuel has to be done very carefully by biologic organisms. Why are humans told to use antioxidant foods, etc? The two miracles are the origin of life and then the two explosions, the Cambrian and later the 'plant bloom', just as dramatic as the animal bloom which preceded. Deus ex machina?-My hypothesis is a suggestion that might solve this key problem along with others thrown up by conventional Darwinism. There has to be a reason, and no doubt a Creationist would say, "Yes, deus ex machina". But if a deus created a mechanism capable of inventing new ways of exploiting different environments, he wouldn't need to jump in, would he? The mechanism would work of its own accord. I gave oxygen as one possible cause, but there are plenty of other theories. Meanwhile, which sounds more feasible to you: 1) chance mutations creating legs, jaws, brains; 2) God going through a purple patch in his hands-on creativity; 3) existing organisms (communities of cells) responding intelligently and inventively to new environments through adjustments to the genome?