Two new papers support Michael Behe’s thesis in Darwin Devolves

That much evolution consists in dumping rather than adding complexity:

In the first study, in the journal Nature Microbiology, the researchers found that in Africa, where “most rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for falciparum malaria recognize histidine-rich protein 2 antigen,” the malaria parasite has repeatedly evolved a way to sometimes elude detection, giving it a selective advantage, since this sneakier form of the parasite is less likely to be treated with anti-malaria drugs and eliminated. But what gets lost in the media hype is that the trick is managed by deleting histidine-rich protein 2 (pfhrp2) and 3 (pfhrp3) genes — devolution.

A similar story unfolds in a Current Biology article focused on the yeast S. cerevisiae. Behe says the thinking used to be that, as an earlier and simpler evolutionary form, it was no wonder this yeast had fewer introns than later, more sophisticated organisms higher up the evolutionary tree. But as Behe underscores and as this recent paper argues, it looks instead like the yeast devolved, tossing off genetic information to achieve a niche advantage while sacrificing functionality outside the niche.

Two Recent Papers Buttress Michael Behe’s Thesis in Darwin Devolves, “Two Recent Papers Buttress Michael Behe’s Thesis in Darwin Devolves” at Evolution News and Science Today (November 27, 2021)

Details, details. Subtraction is just addition with minus numbers, right?

Would it be legal to teach Darwin Devolves in a U.S. school system?

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