False scorpion embedded in Baltic amber
Photo by George Poinar Jr.
In their eagerness for simplistic answers and in line with their belief in never questioning those who supply them, creationists have swallowed the nonsense that somehow the notion of 'Sin' and 'The Fall', made to sound nice and sciencey with Michael J Behe's scientifically nonsensical notions of 'devolution' from an assumed initial perfection and 'genetic entropy', can explain parasites.
Parasites are, of course, entirely inconsistent with the notion of creation by an omnibenevolent, intelligent designer who wishes only to reduce the suffering in the world.
The problem for them is that they've also swallowed the nonsensical idea that is on a par with flatearthism - that Earth is only a few thousand years old and was created in 6 days in 'Creation Week' (although the exact dating and duration of that 'event' is as elastic as need be to explain the contradictory evidence).
But what then of the evidence that parasites existed way before this legendary 'Creation Week' and much earlier than the equally legendary 'Fall'?
In fact, as major environmental drivers of evolution, parasites are probably almost as old as the first cells and certainly, if we class predators as parasites on their prey, almost certainly account for the biodiversity seen in the Cambrian biota as predator and prey were the results of arms races.
And now, a scientist at Oregan State University, George Poinar Jr, has found that a group of arthropods known as false scorpions, were subjected to parasitism by a nematode worm. The victims and parasites were trapped in Baltic amber about 30 million years ago (The actual age is difficult to establish exactly for various reasons - see the panel on the right, but none of the geochronology techniques come anywhere near to 10,000 years.).
How is the age of Baltic Amber determined and why does it vary so much depending on the method used? The age of Baltic amber is determined using a variety of scientific methods, each based on different principles and yielding results that can vary significantly. Here's an overview of the primary methods used and the reasons for the variations:He has published his findings in the journalHistorical Biology and explained them in an Oregan State University press release:Reasons for Variation in Age Determination
- Radiometric Dating
Radiometric dating methods measure the decay of radioactive isotopes within the amber or the surrounding sediment. Common techniques include:
- Carbon-14 Dating: This method is only applicable to relatively young organic materials (up to about 50,000 years). Since amber is much older, this method is not typically used directly on the amber but can be used on organic inclusions or surrounding sediments.
- Potassium-Argon (K-Ar) or Argon-Argon (Ar-Ar) Dating: These methods date volcanic layers above or below the amber-bearing sediments. The decay of potassium-40 to argon-40 provides a date range for the sediments in which amber is found.
- Stratigraphy
This method involves dating the layers of rock or sediment in which the amber is found. By determining the age of these layers using index fossils or other stratigraphic markers, scientists can estimate the age of the amber. This method relies on the principle of superposition, where lower layers are older than upper layers.- Palynology
Palynology is the study of pollen and spores. By examining the pollen trapped within the amber or in the surrounding sediments, researchers can identify the plants that were present when the amber formed. This can provide an approximate age based on the known periods during which those plants existed.- Chemical and Physical Analysis
Some methods involve analyzing the chemical composition or physical properties of the amber itself:
- Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy: Different types of resins have distinct infrared spectra. By comparing the spectra of Baltic amber to those of resins from known geological periods, scientists can estimate its age.
- Thermoluminescence (TL): This technique measures the light emitted from a material when it is heated. The amount of light correlates with the time elapsed since the material was last heated or exposed to sunlight.
Conclusion
- Differences in Sample Sources: Amber can be found in various sedimentary contexts. The age of the amber may be influenced by the specific geological context in which it is discovered. Sediments can vary in age even within the same geographical region.
- Methodological Limitations and Assumptions: Each dating method has its own set of assumptions and limitations. For example, radiometric dating relies on certain assumptions about initial conditions and closed systems. Stratigraphic dating assumes that the sedimentary layers have not been disturbed since their formation.
- Reworking of Amber Deposits: Amber can be redeposited from older sediments into younger ones through geological processes like erosion and sedimentation. This can result in older amber being found in younger sediments, complicating age determination.
- Variation in Resin Formation Times: The trees that produced the resin which eventually became amber may have existed over long periods. Different samples of amber could represent resin from different times, even if they are found in the same geological layer.
- Analytical Precision: Different methods have varying degrees of precision and accuracy. For instance, radiometric dating might provide a narrower age range compared to stratigraphy or palynology, which can be more general.
The age of Baltic amber can vary widely depending on the method used due to differences in the principles, assumptions, and contexts of each method. By using a combination of these methods, scientists aim to triangulate a more accurate age range for the amber.
The early worm gets the arachnid, fossil research by an Oregon State University scientist has shown. In a parasitic first, a Baltic amber specimen has revealed that millions of years ago tiny worms known as nematodes were living inside of and feeding on the outer protective layer of pseudoscorpions.Sadly, the body of the paper in Historical Biology is behind a pay wall, so only the abstract is freely available:
This is very strange. No other invertebrate-associated nematodes are known to have this detailed habit.
George Poinar Jr., author
College of Science
Oregan State University, Corvallis, OR. USA
Findings were published in Historical Biology.
Pseudoscorpions are a highly diverse lineage of arachnid, said Poinar, an international expert in using plant and animal life forms preserved in amber to learn about the biology and ecology of the distant past. Smaller than scorpions and lacking a stinger and tail, pseudoscorpions live in a range of habitats globally and are associated with a wide variety of parasitic organisms including nematodes.
Nematodes are among the planet’s most abundant animals, “free-living” in water, soil and the Earth’s crust in addition to parasitizing a large collection of plant and animal species.
The fossil nematodes studied by Poinar show well-developed spear-type structures known as stylets. Similar to a hypodermic needle, a nematode uses its stylet to pierce cells and pull out food – in this case from the pseudoscorpion’s hypodermis, part of the outer covering known as the integument.
Aside from the stylets, and being able to determine that some females were still enclosing eggs, other pertinent characters are not clearly visible, so I placed the nematodes in the established collective group genus Vetus, which was established in 1935 for fossil nematodes that could not be placed in any known extant family.
George Poinar Jr.
Age estimates of Baltic amber vary widely, Poinar notes, from 23 million years to 55 million depending on who is doing the estimating and which method is used.
The fact that some nematodes were able to establish such unique parasitic associations as what we are seeing is very unusual. It is hoped that this initial paper will spur researchers to follow up and find more about the systematic placement of these nematodes.
George Poinar Jr.
AbstractIf any creationists can perform the necessary mental gymnastics to think of how parasites could have been created several tens of millions of years before 'Creation Week' before there was 'Sin' or Satan or 'genetic entropy' to cause 'devolution'[sic], or indeed before there was a universe at all let alone the small flat planet with a dome over it that creationists believe their god created in the Middle East, 10,000 years ago, I'd love to hear it.
A new type of ectoparasitic nematode development in the integument of a pseudoscorpion in Baltic amber is presented. The adult nematodes feed, apparently mate and oviposit in cavities within the integument of the host. Nourishment is obtained from the host’s hypodermis through a short stylet. Since these nematodes defer description because many of its pertinent characters are not clearly visible, it is described in the established collective group genus, Vetus Taylor, which was erected for fossil nematodes that could not be placed in any known extant family.
Poinar, G. (2024). Ectoparasitic nematodes developing in the integument of a Baltic amber pseudoscorpion. Historical Biology, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2024.2341848
© 2024 Informa UK Ltd.
Reprinted under the terms of s60 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Meanwhile, normal people with an IQ above that of a plank, should be able to work out why such mental gymnastics is needed by creationists, to avoid the obvious conclusion that the primitive book they rely on for their 'science' is not fit for purpose and needs consigning to the trash can along with the other recyclable waste.
What Makes You So Special? From The Big Bang To You
How did you come to be here, now? This books takes you from the Big Bang to the evolution of modern humans and the history of human cultures, showing that science is an adventure of discovery and a source of limitless wonder, giving us richer and more rewarding appreciation of the phenomenal privilege of merely being alive and able to begin to understand it all.
Available in Hardcover, Paperback or ebook for Kindle
Ten Reasons To Lose Faith: And Why You Are Better Off Without It
This book explains why faith is a fallacy and serves no useful purpose other than providing an excuse for pretending to know things that are unknown. It also explains how losing faith liberates former sufferers from fear, delusion and the control of others, freeing them to see the world in a different light, to recognise the injustices that religions cause and to accept people for who they are, not which group they happened to be born in. A society based on atheist, Humanist principles would be a less divided, more inclusive, more peaceful society and one more appreciative of the one opportunity that life gives us to enjoy and wonder at the world we live in.
Available in Hardcover, Paperback or ebook for Kindle
Nematodes and other parasites existed long before Adam and Eve. Predation, diseases, venoms, poisons, intense heat, intense cold, volcanic eruptions, death, and extinctions are older than Humanity, and older than the 6000 years of Creationism. Plus much of earth's prehistory was more or less unbreathable, especially the Precambrian Era which was largely anaerobic to hypoxic, and the early Paleozoic Era which was hypoxic. Only by the Carboniferous period in the late Paleozoic Era did earth's atmosphere become breathable with sufficient oxygen.
ReplyDeleteDinosaurs suffered from cancer, tooth decay, mosquitoes, ticks, internal worms, and broken bones. There's a record of a turtle like reptile afflicted with cancer 240 million years ago in the Triassic period. What did this reptile do to deserve this? Did it eat a forbidden apple and made God angry? This God doesn't need any reasons to be angry and doesn't need any reasons to be cruel. Cruelty is an inherent, intrinsic part of its character. It inflicts cruelty for the sake of cruelty.
Incidentally the 1755 Lisbon earthquake happened on a Sunday when people were praying in church. Churches were wrecked that day with people in it. So being Godly and being a pious Christian is no guarantee that a person will be spared from Nature's fries. Nature is blind, amoral, non moral, indifferent, indiscriminate in its behavior. Religious folks can't understand this and they can't understand that Nature is largely cruel and malevolent.
A typo was made. It should have read being a pious Christian is no guarantee of being spared from Nature's furies. Also, Dinosaurs suffered from biting flies and arthritis and tooth decay. It should also be noted that a reptile was afflicted with Pagers disease 289 million years ago in the Permian period. This is incredibly disturbing. Creationists cannot explain this and cannot justify this no matter what mental gymnastics and mental Olympics they make for arguments. Blaming Adam and Eve is a lame stupid execuse and cop out. The creationists don't have a leg to stand on with their arguments and execuses.
ReplyDelete