The Never-Ending Problems In Evolutionary Biology | The Institute for Creation Research

 
The Never-Ending Problems In Evolutionary Biology

In 1995, a reviewer of the book, Darwinism Evolving: Systems Dynamics and the Genealogy of Natural Selection by Depew & Weber said, “. . . evolutionary biology remains a turbulent, dynamic area of biology and of science in general” (American Library Association, choice card #356-57, v. 33). Many unsolved problems in evolution thinking were listed, and the problems continue for scientific materialists. Consider the following “problematic” quotes:

One of the most difficult problems in evolutionary paleontology [the study of fossils] has been the almost abrupt appearance of the major animal groups (A. G. Fisher, evolutionist, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, 1998, fossil section.)

The formation of species has long represented one of the most central, yet also one of the most elusive subjects in evolutionary biology (Palumbi, “Marine Speciation,” Annual Review of Ecology & Systematics, 1994, p. 548.) 

Why species do ot enlarge their ranges indefinitely, by incrementally adapting to conditions farther and farther away, is a major question in evolutionary biology. (Futuyma, D. & M. Kirkpatrick. 2017. Evolution 4th ed. Sinauer Associates. 487.)

As Darwin noted in the Origin of the Species, the abrupt emergence of arthropods in the fossil record during the Cambrian presents a problem for evolutionary biology (Osorio, Bacon & Whitington, American Scientist, May/June 1997, p. 244.) 

Indeed, from a quick look at the fossil record, it is easy to get the impression that rodents have always been rodents. (Hautier, L & P. Cox. 2015. Evolution of the Rodents. Cambridge. 4.)

How natural selection operates at the molecular level is a major problem in evolutionary biology (Yokoyama, “Color vision of the Coelacanth,” Journal of Heredity, May/June, 2000.) 

Looking at the great blue whale, 30 m long, or a fast-swwimming dolphin, it is hard to imagine how they evolved from terrestrial mammal ancestors, and yet that is what happened. [emphasis added] (Benton, M. 2015. Vertebrate Paleontology. Wiley Blackwell. 372.) 

How protein enzymes evolved is perhaps the greatest unsolved problem [in The Emergence of Life]. (Futuyma, D. & M. Kirkpatrick. 2017. Evolution 4th ed. Sinauer Associates. 437.)

Genetic variability is an open problem within Darwin theory (David Berlinski, Commentary, September, 1996, p. 38.)

Indeed, the fact that dioecy [female & male flowers are borne on separate plants] has evolved from hermaphroditism [both female & male reproductive organs on the same flower] repeatedly distinguishes it as a central problem in evolutionary biology (Tia-Lynn Ashman, “A prescription for gender study in the next century,” American Journal of Botany, January 2000, p. 147).

Thus we see formidable and fundamental problems of evolutionism. We suspect these “problems” of secular biologists derive from the fact that they are looking at the evidence from the wrong perspective. There is a better alternative, one which fits the evidence—that of sudden creation of each basic type at some unobserved event in the past. Today we see the separate groups, and variation within each group, but their origin was accomplished by some another process.

Cite this article: Frank Sherwin, D.Sc. (Hon.). 2000. The Never-Ending Problems In Evolutionary Biology. Acts & Facts. 29 (12).

The Latest
NEWS
Secular Paper Admits ''Unreasonable Likelihood'' of Abiogenesis
A recent popular science article begins with the words, “A new study published in July 2025 tackles one of science’s most profound mysteries...

NEWS
September 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What...

ACTS & FACTS
Pervasive Genome Functionality Destroys the Myth of Junk DNA
In 2001, the first rough draft of the human genome was published in a collaborative effort between private industry and the public sector.1,2...

NEWS
Happy Labor Day 2025
“For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:9) Labor Day was...

ACTS & FACTS
The Age of Reptiles Myth
We hear about the Age of Reptiles, also called the Age of Dinosaurs, almost as early as we can understand the idea. Even kindergarteners might be taught...

ACTS & FACTS
The Tiktaalik Missing Link Myth
In 2004, the paleontological community—and the world—was presented with what many evolutionists considered to be a dyed-in-the-wool missing...

ACTS & FACTS
Archaeopteryx, Myth of a Transitional Fossil
In 1860, one year after the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, a wonderfully preserved fossil feather was discovered in...

ACTS & FACTS
Busting the Myth about Lucy
by Brian Thomas, Ph.D., and Chris Rupe, Ph.D.* Most folks consider our ape ancestry as established science, with Lucy as the main link. However,...

ACTS & FACTS
Evolutionary Vestigial Features: Worse Than Myth, a Scam
Due to teachers’ influence during the formative years of young people’s lives, they can be a powerful force in spreading evolution to new...

ACTS & FACTS
Blind Cavefish Unmask the Convergent Evolution Myth
Within the ever-expanding theory of evolution, there is a system of specialized language designed to identify each major interpretative concept. Some...