Why do whales have legs & pelvic bones separated from the rest of their skeletons?

[Subduction Zone]

Isn't it interesting that none of you ... scientists are stepping up to answer the OP?

It's a scientific question, isn't it?

And how about you walk your talk and [be the first to] answer the OP with peer-reviewed scientific literature, yourself?

The answer is obvious.

We are waiting for answers from the creationist perspective.

I don't think any have been given so far.

 

[Subduction Zone]

The author of your article casually states that "some modern whales have a pair of bones embedded in their tissues, each of which strengthens the pelvic wall and acts as an organ anchor".

Do you have any respectable studies which back up these assertions? Actually, please tell me what an 'organ anchor' is.

The first thing I do before I go out for a night of drinking and driving I make sure that my liver is anchored in place.

Nothing cuts a wild night short faster than your liver coming lose. It looks like those whales know what they are doing.

 

[AV1611VET]

The answer is obvious.

We are waiting for answers from the creationist perspective.

I don't think any have been given so far.

Peer reviewed scientific literature, answers from the creationist perspective ... keep moving that goalpost.

 

[AV1611VET]

It looks like those whales know what they are doing.

Driving without a license?

 

[Subduction Zone]

Peer reviewed scientific literature, answers from the creationist perspective ... keep moving that goalpost.

I missed your earlier reply, so I did not move the goalpost. It is nice of you to admit there are no science based articles that support your side. And I don't think I even mentioned peer reviewed articles here. So that is a double fail on that post.

So that's one fail for me, that I admitted, and two fails for you.

 

[jayem]

He gave whales pointless back legs out of frugality? Looks like either laziness or incompetence to me...

I don't know if the genome of any whale species has been sequenced. It would be interesting to know if whales still have the genes coding for functional hind limbs (like modern birds still have the genes for teeth.) I'd suspect they do. Then they'd also have other genes that modify the expression of the leg genes (which is called epistasis, IIRC.) It does seem unecessarily complicated to keep the programming for building a leg, and then add additional programming to change its design. Why not just program simply for the result you want?

 

[Subduction Zone]

I don't know if the genome of any whale species has been sequenced. It would be interesting to know if whales still have the genes coding for functional hind limbs (like modern birds still have the genes for teeth.) I'd suspect they do. Then they'd also have other genes that modify the expression of the leg genes (which is called epistasis, IIRC.) It does seem unecessarily complicated to keep the programming for building a leg, and then add additional programming to change its design. Why not just program simply for the result you want?

I am not sure how they found the teeth gene in chickens. They have only managed to partially turn it back on, they could tell if they let the chicks grow to term that their upper and lower teeth would grow together and fuse.

It would be much much more difficult to run the same sort of experiment on whales. I don't think they can identify too many genes yet and experiments like the chicken teeth one are cut and try. Change a particular gene and see what happens. That is not too difficult when you have a thousand eggs that you can incubate. That is a thousand different experiments that you can run, a thousand genes that can be changed. With whales you would have to have an artificial womb of some sort.

 

[Split Rock]

Isn't it interesting that none of you ... scientists are stepping up to answer the OP?

It's a scientific question, isn't it?

And how about you walk your talk and [be the first to] answer the OP with peer-reviewed scientific literature, yourself?

"Evolution-deniers: The Theory of Evolution explains this evidence quite well. What is your alternative explanation for such evidence? "

 

[Split Rock]

How many answers do you want?

I know the moon, for example, has six different answers; but that's science for you.

This isn't about the moon, this is about whales.

 

[AV1611VET]

This isn't about the moon, this is about whales.

Which, by the way, came before mankind.

 

[motherprayer]

Which, by the way, came before mankind.

No it didn't. The moon was invented by Niel Armstrong.

 

[AV1611VET]

No it didn't. The moon was invented by Niel Armstrong.

... That's funny!

 

[verysincere]

This isn't about the moon, this is about whales.

Just be thankful that AV doesn't confuse it with Thalidomide and space shuttle accidents. (But give him time.)

 

[motherprayer]

... That's funny!

Glad to see you smile!

 

[AV1611VET]

Glad to see you smile!

Thank you! I'm normally quick with a smile and a laugh, but that Bill Nye video hit me hard for some reason, and I've been in a bit of a bad mood lately.

Otherwise, I'm okay.

 

[motherprayer]

Thank you! I'm normally quick with a smile and a laugh, but that Bill Nye video hit me hard for some reason, and I've been in a bit of a bad mood lately.

Otherwise, I'm okay.

Ah. Remember, Billie's just a guy. He's flawed just like the rest of us

 

[AV1611VET]

Ah. Remember, Billie's just a guy. He's flawed just like the rest of us

Yes, indeed! Thank you!

Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

 

[motherprayer]

Yes, indeed! Thank you!

Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

Bless you!

 

[Split Rock]

Which, by the way, came before mankind.

Correct!

 

[Oafman]

Correct!

Yeah I was just thinking that. Like a stopped clock, right twice a day!

(Just kidding AV )