Where to begin ...

I would like to comment on a pair of letters to the editor written by Mark Streubel and Shane Hand regarding evolution.

For Mr. Streubel and Pastor Huck: Irreducible complexity, at its core, is an argument from incredulity that has been thoroughly debunked. Scientists have demonstrated in the lab and the field that systems such as the eye, the immune system and bacterial flagellum can go from simple to complex and from complex to simple, and still benefit their host. Furthermore, creationists have not found any evidence to support “Design” in any of these systems they claim are irreducibly complex. One would think that rather than attacking evolution, creationists might try to create an actual working theory of intelligent design, which currently does not exist.

My response to Mr. Hand is that he got so much wrong, I don’t even know where to begin.

Evolution does not teach us that man originated from apes.

It says we are apes, and have a common ancestor with modern apes, which genetics thoroughly reinforces. Chimpanzees and humans share 96 percent of their DNA, hardly an argument against shared ancestry.

There are also no such things as “secular scientists,” as they are no more or less likely to be religious than the rest of the population. They are just more informed about science and thus overwhelmingly reject creationism.

The myths about Lucy are created from whole cloth by creationist apologists. Nebraska man was a hoax that was rejected by science more than 80 years ago. Java Man was discovered in 1891 and consisted of a skull, femur and teeth. The skeletons of other individuals were found miles away, but no one ever claimed they belonged to the same individual.

Mutations are neither bad nor good; they are just beneficial or non‑beneficial. Whether they are beneficial or non‑beneficial depends on the environment individuals must survive. A good example of this is sickle cell anemia, which shortens the lives of carriers in normal situations, but helps them live longer in areas infected by malaria. Actual science disagrees with the assessment that mutations don’t create change through time.

Mr. Hand, now is a good time in your educational career to stop relying on your pastor and creationist Web sites for factual information on science. Try  talking to a science teacher some time. You might find out how truly fascinating our natural world is.

Dave Thompson
Phoenix