[continued from previous message]   
      
   >> He was known for using quotes from evolutionary scientists out of   
   >> context and misrepresenting their views, according to the search results.   
   >> In essence, Gish's arguments against hominin evolution, and evolution   
   >> in general, relied on selective presentation of fossil evidence,   
   >> misinterpretations of scientific data, and claims that gaps in the   
   >> fossil record supported his creationist views.   
   >>   
   >> Ron Okimoto   
   >>   
   >   
   > The ID perps have been putting up junk claims about Jonathan Wells after   
   > his death.  He is supposed to have been the Newton of the ID creationist   
   > scam.   
   >   
   > https://scienceandculture.com/2025/09/evolutions-stubborn-icons-   
   > peppered-moths-and-miller-urey-still-shambling-along/   
   >   
   > The saddest thing about the moth example of Wells regurgitating the   
   > Icons of scientific creationist science denial is that the Wellsian lie   
   > about "no moths on tree trunks" got incorporated from his book into the   
   > Ohio model lesson plan for teaching the ID perp's obfuscation and denial   
   > switch scam in the Ohio public schools.  The initial drafts had that   
   > lie, but the section was rewritten instead of deleted.  When the   
   > obfuscation and denial had to be supported by a lie the whole section   
   > should have been deleted.  Wells knew that he was lying in the book   
   > because it was pointed out that a reference that Wells used had found   
   > 10% of the moths in trees on the trunk.  When you consider the surface   
   > area of the trunk compared to the rest of the tree (leaves have two   
   > surfaces) 10% was likely more than they expected to have found by chance   
   > association.  My guess is that the number was inflated because it was   
   > easier to find moths on the tree trunks than other parts of the tree.   
   > The Wellsian lie was defended on the ARN discussion board as an   
   > "exaggeration" as if fictional Vulcan logic could defend the ID   
   > creationist scam artists.   
   >   
   > The moths are just examples of natural selection in action.  It doesn't   
   > matter that Gish used to claim that they were still moths.  Humans are   
   > still apes, apes are still mammals, mammals are still amniotes, amniotes   
   > are still tetrapod vertebrates etc.   
   >   
   > Ron Okimoto   
   Google quote:   
   During the Industrial Revolution, soot and ash from coal burning created   
   a selective pressure that favored dark-colored peppered moths ( Biston   
   betularia) through camouflage, a phenomenon known as industrial   
   melanism. The color shift is a classic example of natural selection in   
   action.   
   END QUOTE:   
      
   This is the usual scenario because the light morph color pattern was   
   obviously adapted to a lichen background.  Coal burning pollution killed   
   the lichen and covered the trees with soot, but the soot is toxic.   
   Melanin isn't just used as a pigment.  Melanin likely first evolved to   
   protect the cells from free radicals and heavy metals.  Melanin also   
   protects the organism from UV light, but bacteria around deep sea vents   
   do not need the UV protection, nor did they need the pigment camouflage   
   properties of melanin.   
      
   One of the selection factors for dark morphs could be due to melanin's   
   ability to absorb heavy metals and free radicals that would be an issue   
   for the animals ingesting contaminated foliage.  The trunks and branches   
   were not the only parts of the trees being dusted with soot.   
      
   Ron Okimoto   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)