Yesterday we posted Discoveroids Cause Global Irony Meter Crash, in which the Discovery Institute introduced a bold new idea — that the theory of evolution, which they called the “chance hypothesis,” is based on “magical explanations,” while their bizarre concept of a transcendental intelligent designer is really great science.
Apparently, that wasn’t merely some wild, off-beat article. It looks like the start of a whole new Discoveroid theme. Today they’ve posted Warm-Bloodedness in an Ocean Fish Stuns Evolutionists.
But before we look at the Discoveroid post, let’s find out what they’re talking about. This is at the PhysOrg website: New research reveals first warm-blooded fish. A few excerpts should be sufficient.
New research by NOAA Fisheries has revealed the opah, or moonfish, as the first fully warm-blooded fish that circulates heated blood throughout its body much like mammals and birds, giving it a competitive advantage in the cold ocean depths.
“NOAA Fisheries” refers to the National Marine Fisheries Service, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Let’s read a bit more about the opah:
The silvery fish, roughly the size of a large automobile tire, is known from oceans around the world and dwells hundreds of feet beneath the surface in chilly, dimly lit waters. It swims by rapidly flapping its large, red pectoral fins like wings through the water. Fish that typically inhabit such cold depths tend to be slow and sluggish, conserving energy by ambushing prey instead of chasing it. But the opah’s constant flapping of its fins heats its body, speeding its metabolism, movement and reaction times, scientists report in the journal Science.
Here’s that article: Whole-body endothermy in a mesopelagic fish, the opah, Lampris guttatus. Without a subscription, all you can see is the abstract, so let’s get back to PhysOrg:
Wegner [Nicholas Wegner of NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, Calif., lead author of the new paper] realized the opah was unusual when a coauthor of the study, biologist Owyn Snodgrass, collected a sample of its gill tissue. Wegner recognized an unusual design [Egad, he said “design”!]: Blood vessels that carry warm blood into the fish’s gills wind around those carrying cold blood back to the body core after absorbing oxygen from water.
One more excerpt:
The design [Egad, “design”!] is known in engineering as “counter-current heat exchange.” In opah it means that warm blood leaving the body core helps heat up cold blood returning from the respiratory surface of the gills where it absorbs oxygen. Resembling a car radiator, it’s a natural adaptation that conserves heat. The unique location of the heat exchange within the gills allows nearly the fish’s entire body to maintain an elevated temperature, known as endothermy, even in the chilly depths. “There has never been anything like this seen in a fish’s gills before,” Wegner said. “This is a cool innovation by these animals that gives them a competitive edge. The concept of counter-current heat exchange was invented in fish long before we thought of it.”
Okay, let’s find out what the Discoveroids say. We added a bit of bold font for emphasis:
It’s a big, round fish called the opah, found in deep waters around the earth and looking a bit like someone’s goldfish that seriously outgrew its bowl. Some fish, like tuna and sharks, can control temperature in parts of the body. This one can keep its whole body warm, giving it improved performance in the coldness of the depths. It’s the first example of whole-body endothermy in a fish, raising new questions about the evolution of a complex trait.
Oooooooooh — it raises new questions! Darwinism is dead. Let’s read on:
[Opra’s heating mechanism] is achieved by a “wonderful net” of blood vessels (rete mirabile, literally “miraculous web” in Latin) that provides an ingenious method to regulate core body temperature.
The published paper must have used that Latin phrase, because it certainly doesn’t sound like the Discoveroids. After quoting a lot from the published paper, the Discoveroids continue:
What do the authors say about how these adaptations evolved? Not much.
Oooooooooooh — Darwinism is doomed! They quote more from the published paper and then say:
The explanation? Convergent evolution to the rescue! This fish’s evolutionary history is tied to the depths. Give us more funding, and we can “further explore this key evolutionary innovation.”
Somewhat distorted, but never mind. Here’s the conclusion reached by the Discoveroids:
If that leaves you feeling unsatisfied, consider intelligence as a cause. Intelligence can take a solution that works in one environment and apply it in different animals in different environments.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Ah yes, that’s a well-established biological mechanism. Now here’s where they once again accuse scientists of invoking magic:
A rete mirabile is a complex system that cannot arise in a gradual, stepwise manner, because all the parts have to function together before any part has survival value. “Convergence” and “innovation” are magic words that provide no understanding.
Magic words! And now we come to the end:
But since we know of a cause — intelligence — that can adapt a similar solution in multiple ways, that is a cause that a rational scientist should pursue.
The message is clear: Foolish scientists! Abandon your magic and your alchemy and your evolution. Embrace the Discoveroids’ time-tested scientific doctrine of intelligent design.
How long can the Discoveroids keep this new theme going? Who knows? As long as their generous patrons keep the cash flowing, they’ll persevere. They know they won’t impress us, and they’ve probably given up winning in court, but that doesn’t matter. They’ll stay with it as long as they can.
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