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From: dimitrov@csd2.UUCP (Isaac Dimitrovsky)
Newsgroups: net.origins
Subject: Re: The Scientific Case for Creation: (Part 6)
Message-ID: <3570015@csd2.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 20-Apr-85 11:15:00 EST
Article-I.D.: csd2.3570015
Posted: Sat Apr 20 11:15:00 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 22-Apr-85 06:59:44 EST
References: <335@iham1.UUCP>
Organization: New York University
Lines: 38

[]

>>>             For example, if a limb were to evolve into a
>>>             wing,  it  would become a bad limb long before it became a
>>>             good wing.
>>
>>    Try telling that to flying squirrels and see how far it gets you.  
>
>Try asking them to really fly and see how far it gets you.  What, do
>you think they have "wings"?

The point of the flying squirrel example is NOT that the squirrel can
really fly. After all, if it could, you would just say it was an example
of an animal with a fully developed wing. The point of the example is
precisely that the squirrel can't fly. In other words, it may be useful
to an animal to have a limb which is both a bad wing and a reasonably
good limb. In other other words, at least in the case of wings,
it is possible to have intermediate forms which are useful for
gliding and short flights but are not capable of full flight. And, at
least in this case, I don't think you can dispute that this point has
been established. Can you?

By the way, an interesting puzzle is to try and list all the different
types of creatures that have some sort of flying ability. I come up
with this probably incomplete list:

1. Birds.
2. Insects.
3. Flying Squirrel, Bat, etc.
4. Flying Fish.
5. Flying Frog.

The neatest one of these has to be the flying frog. These critters have
webbing on their feet which they can extend to allow them to glide
when they jump. They were shown on The Living Planet, I can't remember
what episode number.

Isaac Dimitrovsky