Darwin And Irreducible Complexity

In On The Origin Of Species, the work in which Charles Darwin first put forth the theory of evolution, he wrote:

“If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.”

Had Darwin lived an additional 120 years or so, he would’ve become familiar with the compelling argument of irreducible complexity, which basically demonstrates that, indeed, there are many complex biological systems that “could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive slight modifications.”

And I’d like to think that Darwin (unlike many of his scientific successors) would be intellectually honest enough to not just ignore the implications of such an argument.

A Wasp that can do Brain Surgery?

I don’t usually post for the sole purpose of linking to something I think is interesting, but tonight, I will make an exception.

As a Christian, I am always interested to find occurrences in nature that seem too remarkable to have happened just by chance, without a Creator behind it. This is certainly one of the more remarkable things I have come across.

Apparently, during its reproductive process, the emerald cockroach wasp does what basically amounts to a form of neurosurgery on a cockroach that makes it docile and ultimately suitable as a nest for the wasp’s larva.

But maybe this is no evidence for a Creator at all, and the wasp just decided one day to try and operate on a cockroach after watching an episode of ER.

Yeah, maybe the Cubs will win the World Series this year too.