liquidpele;5854923:
Evolution of birds video series (in 5 parts):
- youtube.com/watch?v=NB46sz5eoZg
- youtube.com/watch?v=02V8Y1OhWHc
- youtube.com/watch?v=-B2c79tq-Do
- youtube.com/watch?v=L_Uiuy-lfGs
- youtube.com/watch?v=v6vHdRfi14c
I lifted this quote from your first article.
"Because birds evolved from reptiles and the integument of present-day reptiles (and most extinct reptiles including most dinosaurs) is characterized by scales, early hypotheses concerning the evolution of feathers began with the assumption that feathers developed from scales, with scales elongating, then growing fringed edges and, ultimately, producing hooked and grooved barbules (Figure 6 below). The problem with that scenario is that scales are basically flat folds of the integument whereas feathers are tubular structures. A pennaceous feather becomes ‘flat’ only after emerging from a cylindrical sheath (Prum and Brush 2002). In addition, the type and distribution of protein (keratin) in feathers and scales differ (Sawyer et al. 2000). The only feature shared by feathers and scales is that they both begin development as a morphologically distinct placode – an epidermal thickening above a condensation, or congregation, of dermal cells (see Figure 8 below). Feathers, then, are not derived from scales, but, rather, are evolutionary novelties with numerous unique features, including the feather follicle, tubular feather germ (an elevated area of epidermal cells), and a complex branching structure (Prum and Brush 2002; Figure 7 below).
Figure 6. Hypothetical intermediate stage in the evolution of feathers from scales, with ‘cracks’ separating sections of a large scales into smaller, lateral plates, or protobarbs (From: Regal 1975"
First of all there is the bland assertion “That because birds evolved from reptiles”, which has not been demonstrated. It is an assumption.
Then there is the bland assertion that feathers are “evolutionary novelties”, another assumption offered without proof.
Question - how did the feathers “evolve”, or why would they even begin to form, and from what?
It also points out that feathers could not have evolved from scales, yet reptiles have scales.
The last quote, which accompanied a diagram, states “A hypothetical intermediate stage”.
That’s a lot of hypothetical, assertive smoke and mirrors if you ask me. Then there’s the little fact of cold blooded creatures with two chambered hearts becoming warm blooded with four chambered hearts, the fusing of backbones to give landing strength (those first prototypes must have had a lot of bad landing accidents), solid bones becoming hollow with struts inside, quite different lung structure, enlarged sternums to hold all the muscle required for flight (the ‘breast’ on chickens), and of course the evolutionary origin of birds migrating from Siberia to Australia each year (no doubt there was a good evolutionary reason to do so, just like with our freshwater eels descending to the depths of the Coral Sea to breed. They die and their offspring swim thousands of kilometres from pitch black darkness to the very same stream their parents came from. Good evolutionary theory no doubt. Where did that come from and what gave the initial impulse to go back to the very stream their parents came from, and why?).
Then there’s the male peacock display of brilliant feathers which doesn’t do a single thing for the likelihood of survival, and our lyre birds where the male decorates the nest with any brightly coloured thing going, again absolutely unnecessary from a survival viewpoint.
If evolution is driven by the demand to survive, where do these little peccadilloes come from? They look more like the idle designs of an artist if you ask me.
I take it that you look at these questions and conclude “
It’s impossible, it must have been magic” ?
Please forgive me for not answering any of the questions, but I’d like to skip to the point where we talk about why you will accept evidence or natural explanations or not. Do you really expect there to not be hypotheticals in science? Science is about building models that fit the evidence, if you have a better model then present it, but it better fit all the current evidence.