The Coming and Going of Species

Thousands of new species are being discovered while thousands of others go extinct.

The International Institute for Species Exploration has issued its annual top-10 list of new species discovered within the past 12 months and in doing so has estimated as many as 18,000 new species are found annually, about half of which are insects or arachnids.

Included on the current list are the olinguito (pictured above), which is a photogenic member of the raccoon family; the Dracaena Kaweesakii, which is a new species of dragon tree growing in Thailand; and a sea anemone named Edwardsiella andrillae, which is the only anemone known to live in ice.

However, Camilo Mora, a professor of geography at the U. of Hawaii who has written extensively on the subject of species discoveries, disputes the 18,000 figure as being too high. “All of those species are not necessarily new,” he said. “They can be corrections of names of species that have two different names, errors like misspellings, and so on. After these are accounted for, there are usually about 8,000 a year that turn out to be valid.” Still, Dr. Mora has calculated there may be 7.4 million to 10 million plant and animal species, not including bacteria and viruses, waiting to be named.

Dr. Mora also discussed the other side of the coin—the loss of species. He says an estimate of 20,000 species extinctions per year could be an underestimate. He blames loss of habitat, climate change, overexploitation and invasive species as leading causes for the extinction of species. Some other scientists see harmful mutations as also a threat to some species.

One interesting thing about this report published in the New York Times is that the word “evolution” was not  used once. Apparently, the scientists involved consider these new species to be ones that just hadn’t been discovered yet, not species which had just recently evolved. This doesn’t mean the researchers are denying new species can evolve, just that evolution doesn’t seem to be the main factor involved in new species being found.

Actually, creationist scientists are quick to point out their acceptance of the idea of speciation (the development of new species). How else can one explain the vast number of species we find today plus the many that have gone extinct? Surely there weren’t this many species on board Noah’s ark. 

It is entirely reasonable, genetically speaking, for there to have been a rapid explosion of new species following the Flood. As an example, there may have been only one pair of cats on the ark. Today, according to Wikipedia, there are 41 cat species. In fact, Wikipedia says, “The 41 known cat species in the world today all descended from the same ancestor.” The important thing to remember is that while there may be many new species since the Flood, no new “kinds” of creatures have developed since the Creation. 

Another observation about the coming and going of species is that clearly more are going than coming. The world of living organisms seems to be going downhill, with many more species becoming extinct than new ones being found. Natural selection, which allegedly has caused single-celled organisms to evolve into human beings over millions of years, appears powerless to reverse this trend. Harmful mutations apparently are becoming a more powerful force than they were thousands of years ago in the years following the Flood.

When it comes to the human race, harmful mutations are also building up in our genes, and, sad to say, we are physically degenerating as a species just like all other species. But, for us, there is good news. The Creator has stepped in to offer us the promise that He will again restore Homo sapiens to the perfect state our original ancestors enjoyed in the Garden of Eden. He offers this promise as a gift to all people, but it must be embraced through faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ, who died so that sin and death can themselves be destroyed.

“ ‘Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?’
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

Reference: Nicholas Bakalar, “Welcoming the Newly Discovered.” New York Times

(Photo of an olinguito from Wikipedia, by Mark Gurney)
  
**************************************

Want to be automatically notified each time there is a new post? Just e-mail your request to admin@lutheranscience.org].

****************************************

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Why do cats meow?

Some people argue it is a vocalization invented mainly for the benefit of humans or to get treats. Cats rarely meow at each other.

Source: Jackson Galaxy, parade.com/kitty

****************************************

NOTE ON VISITOR COMMENTS: Visitor comments are invited including those containing alternate views. However, comments containing profanity, personal attacks or advertisements will not be published. After posting a comment, please allow several hours for it to appear on the blog.