When Catholics Argue for Intelligent Design

Ann Gauger, Anthony Esolen, Aristotle, beauty, Benjamin Wiker, Bible, biology, Brian Miller, Bruce Chapman, Christianity, consciousness, cosmology, creator, Faith & Science, faith and science, Father Michael Chaberek, God's Grandeur, Günter Bechly, Human Origins, Intelligent Design, intermediates, J. Budziszewski, Jay Richards, John Bergsma, Logan Gage, materialism, Michael Behe, moral law, natural law, paleontology, Pedro Barrajon, Richard Sternberg, Roman Catholicism, Scott Ventureyra, Sophia Institute Press, Thomas Aquinas
The evidence from science is clear, but with the discussion of philosophical questions, the necessity of a Creator becomes overwhelming.  Source
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Fossil Friday: The Abrupt Origin of Butterflies

abrupt appearance, animal phyla, butterflies, caddisfly, Cambrian Explosion, Darwinian theory, Early Cretaceous, Eocene, Evolution, Florissant, Fossil Friday, fossil record, Hesperiidae, Intelligent Design, Lepidoptera, macrolepidopterans, Mesozoic, moth, Nymphalidae, paleontology, Papillionidae, Pieridae, Prodryas persephone, Tertiary Butterfly Explosion
This phenomenon could rightfully be called a Tertiary Butterfly Explosion analogous to the Cambrian Explosion of animal phyla. Source
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New Scientist: Ichthyosaurs Evolved “Astonishingly Rapidly”

Cartorhynchus, cetaceans, Current Biology, Cymbospondylus youngorum, Darwinian gradualism, dolphins, Early Eocene, Evolution, Fossil Hill, fossil record, Frontiers in Earth Science, Günter Bechly, ichthyosaur, land mammals, Mesozoic, Neo-Darwinism, Nevada, New Scientist, Pakicetus, paleontology, Permian-Triassic extinction, porpoises, Science (journal), Sclerocormus, Tethys Sea, whales
This is a case of evolutionary biology trying to explain away the data that otherwise was not directly expected under their model. Source
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Fossil Friday: The Abrupt Origins of Lagomorphs and Rodents

beavers, Carl von Linné, China, comparative morphology, Cretaceous, Dan Graur, Darwinism, Early Paleocene, East Asia, Euarchontoglires, Evolution, Fossil Friday, fossil record, Glires, guinea pigs, gundis, hamsters, hares, incongruence, Lagomorpha, Lagomorphs, mammals, mice, molecular clock studies, Mongolia, Nebraska, Oligocene, Palaeolagus haydeni, Paleocene, PaleoDB, paleontology, pikas, placental mammals, porcupines, rabbits, rats, Rodentia, rodents, squirrels, Systema Naturae, Tübingen
Molecular biologist Dan Graur mentioned his weird idea that guinea pigs are not rodents at a lecture at my university in Tübingen when I was still a student. Source
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Fossil Friday: The Abrupt Origins of Treeshrews (Scandentia) and Colugos (Dermoptera)

Alfred Brehm, arboreal animals, bats, chimeras, colugos, Cretaceous Period, Cynocephalidae, Darwinian predictions, Darwinian theory, Early Eocene, Euarchotoglires, Eudaemonema webbi, Evolution, flying lemurs, Fossil Friday, fossil record, Galeopithecidae, Late Paleocene, Micromomyidae, Microsyopidae, Mixodectidae, Myanmar, North America, Pakistan, Paleocene, Paleogene, paleontology, phylogenetics, Plagiomenidae, plagiomenids, Plesiadapiformes, primates, Ptilocercidae, Thailand, treeshrews, Volitantia, Western Canada
Even as a paleontologist I admit that calling this a real scientific discipline seems like an insult to sciences like physics or chemistry or molecular biology. Source
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Fossil Friday: Fossil Sea Cows and the Abrupt Origin of Sirenia and Desmostylia

Afrotheria, Calvert Marine Museum, common descent, Darwinism, Desmostylia, dugongids, dugongs, elephants, Embrithopoda, Eocene, Evolution, Fossil Friday, fossil record, Ishatherium subathuensis, Jamaica, Lincoln Creek Formation, mammals, manatees, Paleocene, PaleoDB, paleontology, Pezosiren, Proboscidea, protosirenids, science, sea cows, Sirenia, sirenians, Steller’s sea cow, synapomorphies, Tethytheria, Washington State, whales
So, is every thing OK with Darwinism after all? No so fast. Actually, there are some problems that do not square well with a Darwinian scenario. Source
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Fossil Friday: Fossil Hyraxes and the Abrupt Origin of Hyracoidea

Afrotheria, Archaeohyracidae, Early Oligocene, East Africa, Egypt, elephant shrew, Fayum, Fossil Friday, fossil record, Geniohyiidae, George Cuvier, George Gaylord Simpson, Hippomorpha, Hyracoidea, hyraxes, Late Oligocene, Megalohyrax gevini, Microhyrax lavocati, Miohyracidae, Namahyracidae, Paenungulata, Paleogene, paleontology, phylogenetics, Pliohyracidae, Rukwalorax, Sagatheriidae, science, scrotum, Tanzania, Titanohyracidae, Titanohyrax andrewsi, Titanohyrax mongereaui, Titanohyrax tantulus
Of course, it is only we “nitpicking” intelligent design proponents who point out such incongruences. Source
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Possible Cave “Proto-Writing” Challenges Slow Evolution of Human Consciousness

Ben Bacon, birth cycle, cave paintings, consciousness, Durham University, Europe, Evolution, Human Origins, humans, hunter-gatherers, Ice Age, Live Science, Melanie Chang, Neanderthals, paleontology, Paul Pettitt, Portland State University, reproductive cycles, science, University College London
London-based wood carving conservator Ben Bacon has, with academic colleagues, shaken up Ice Age paleontology. Source
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Fossil Friday: The Giant Armadillo Glyptodon and the Abrupt Origin of Xenarthrans

Afrotheria, America, Antarctica, anteaters, Argentina, armadillos, Astegotheriini, Cingulata, clades, Darwinists, Early Eocene, Early Eocene Climatic Optimum, Glyptodon asper, glyptodonts, La Meseta Formation, megafauna, Megalonychidae, Megatherium, Middle Ypresian, molecular clock, Natural History Museum of Vienna, New World, paleontology, pampatheres, Patagonia, Peltephilidae, phylogenetic systematics, Pilosa, placental mammals, Pleistocene, primates, Prostegotherium, Riostegotherium, science, sloths, South American Land Mammal Ages, Tubulidentata, vermilinguans, Xenarthra, xenarthrans
Should we dare to consider the possibility that something is wrong with the Darwinist assumptions? Heaven forbid! Source
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