Hello everyone, heres a brief summary of what we chatted about today. Also remember the test for Taxonomhy/Evolution is Wednesday the 26th.

Irreducible Complexity:

• Proposed by Michael Behe.  In Darwin’s day he did not have access to the information that we have regarding biochemistry.  The information that we have about biochemistry indicates that many of the processes and structures which life depends on are an extremely complex series of interconnected parts of reactions and processes.
• For evolution to proceed there must be a benefit to the population.  Irreducible Complexity says that there is no way that a whole series of chemicals, reactions, and processes could evolve in a single step as the result of chance mutation.  The odds are too enormous.
• These multi-step processes could not evolve one step at a time because there is no benefit to having just one of the steps in a 20 step process. Eg. mouse trap. Michael Behe uses the example of the mousetrap to explain the concept of irreducible complexity:
• “If any one of the components of the mousetrap (the base, hammer, spring, catch, or holding bar) is removed, then the trap does not function. In other words, the simple little mousetrap has no ability to trap a mouse until several separate parts are all assembled.
• Because the mousetrap is necessarily composed of several parts, it is irreducibly complex. Thus, irreducibly complex systems exist.”

Heres the link to Bill Nye’s discussion on the importance of evolution and the harm in creationism, the response video and the Harvard inner life of cell video! Have a great week.