Speciation

From Flood Geology

Galápagos Islands

An aura of mystery surrounds the Galápagos Islands, located off South America’s coast in the Pacific Ocean. Why are so many species of animals found only on these islands? Why do they play such a prominent role in the debate over origins?

Species and Kinds Are Not the Same

As creationists, we must frequently remind detractors that we do not deny that species vary, change, and even appear over time. The biodiversity represented in the 8.7 million or so species in the world is a testament, not to random chance processes, but to the genetic variability and potential for diversification within the created kinds.

Is Fixity of Species Biblical?

Before the time of Charles Darwin, a false idea had crept into the church—the belief in the “fixity” or “immutability” of species. According to this view, each species was created in precisely the same form that we find it today. The Bible nowhere teaches that species are fixed and unchanging.

Species, Families, and Kinds

While biologists debate what constitutes a species, the Bible alludes to a much broader category, called a “kind.” The biblical kind often includes many different species, but they still belong to the same family.

Articles About Speciation

• Technical Research Paper

  On the Origin of Eukaryotic Species’ Genotypic and Phenotypic Diversity

  April 20, 2016 from Answers Research Journal

  This study shows that created heterozygosity, together with natural processes that are observable, is sufficient to account for species’ diversity.

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• A Follow-up Response to Professor Keathley’s Erroneous Claims

  

  March 31, 2016

  If Keathley is unable or unwilling to get the most basic facts right about his opponents, should he be taken seriously when he tries to criticize them?

• Does Ken Ham Embrace Evolution?

  March 30, 2016

  Kenneth Keathley distinguishes our view from universal common ancestry, but putting “Ken Ham Embraces Evolution” as the title of his post is highly misleading.

• Book Chapter

  2.7 Speciation, Yes; Evolution, No

  March 28, 2016 from Creation: Facts of Life

  If evolutionists really spoke and wrote only about observable variation within kind, there would be no creation-evolution controversy.

• Red Wolf Species Classification Affirms Biblical Creation, Puzzles Evolutionists

  March 14, 2016 from Answers in Depth

  As researchers sequence the DNA of more organisms, they find species (like the red wolf) they called unique physically are not so unique genetically.

• Technical Research Paper

  Mitochondrial DNA Clocks Imply Linear Speciation Rates Within “Kinds”

  June 3, 2015 from Answers Research Journal

  The mechanism of speciation remains one of the most contested scientific questions among both evolutionists and creationists.

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• Magazine Article

  Revisiting Darwin’s Laboratory

  

  Jan. 1, 2014 from Answers Magazine

  The Galápagos Islands are a scientist’s dream come true.

• Sizeable Sturgeons Set Evolutionary Speed Records?

  June 20, 2013 from News to Know

  Are sturgeons living fossils or evolutionary fast-trackers?

• New Loris Species Emerges

  Jan. 5, 2013 from News to Know

  Lots more loris species than previously thought, all sweating out their survival.

• Speciation and Evolution's Power

  Sept. 1, 2012 from News to Know

  Does speciation really demonstrate “evolution’s power”?

• Super-Sized Ants

  Jan. 14, 2012 from News to Know

  Supersoldier ants said to “illuminate evolutionary processes”

• Nile Crocodile Actually Two Separate Species

  Sept. 24, 2011 from News to Know

  If you swim with African crocodiles, better check their I.D. first.

• Number of Estimated Species Reaches 8.7 Million

  Sept. 3, 2011 from News to Know

  Classification scheme is key to species count.

• Flies with Lice

  May 28, 2011 from News to Know

  Nomadic lice hitching a ride on flies direct the course of evolution. Hmmm.

• Snails Go On the Offensive

  May 21, 2011 from News to Know

  The venom gland in a poisonous mollusk sheds light on the origin of defense/attack structures.

• Will Bennett's "Chaos Theory of Evolution" Catch On?

  Oct. 23, 2010

  Only time will tell whether Keith Bennett’s “chaos theory of evolution” will catch on, but we’ll at least give his new idea a listen.

• Killer Whales Quickly Evolving?

  Sept. 4, 2010

  Killer whales “are still evolving, and quickly,” BBC News reports. But is it really so?

• Man’s Best Friend

  Aug. 7, 2010

  Some say dogs are man’s best friend, and that seems to be true for creationists as well.

• Kangaroos from America?

  July 31, 2010

  The kangaroo may be an Australian icon, but according to some scientists, kangaroos and other marsupials have American roots.

• No Speciation?

  May 8, 2010

  Rapid speciation (multiple species descending from a single population) is often cited as confirmation of the creation worldview. Can we say the same when no speciation occurs?

• Where Small Dogs Evolved

  Feb. 27, 2010

  You may not have been asking, but some scientists think they have the answer to where small dogs “evolved.”

• Evolution Without Molecules-to-Man Evolution

  Jan. 2, 2010 from News to Know

  If molecules-to-man evolution is a myth, why does evolution seem to explain some scientific observations?

• Creating Evolution

  Dec. 12, 2009 from News to Know

  Are British birders behind the origin of a new blackcap species?

• Origin of (a) Species

  Nov. 21, 2009 from News to Know

  Scientists have watched as a new species is “born”—or is that “evolved”?—on one of the Galapagos Islands, home of Darwin’s famous finches.

• What They Didn't Find

  Sept. 12, 2009 from News to Know

  The scene is reminiscent of a movie: intrepid explorers pierce the wilderness and stumble upon a trove of amazing species rarely—if ever—seen before.

• A Trio of Speciation Reminders

  Aug. 22, 2009 from News to Know

  The news this week presented three interesting stories that reinforce the creationist understanding of created kinds, speciation, and “evolution.”

• We Are the Champions (of Evolution)

  Aug. 8, 2009

  “Mammals are special,” declares the leader of a new study on animal success rates. Just what does he mean?

• Bird Populations Become Separate Species

  July 18, 2009 from News to Know

  Due to a difference in a single gene, one bird species is splitting into two. Does this fit with the evolution model or the Genesis model of created kinds?

• Magazine Department Article

  Evolution in Action

  April 1, 2009 from Answers Magazine

  The Lerista skink is an exciting example of variation within a kind.

• Fixity of Species

  March 16, 2009

  In the early 1700s, if someone said something about a “species” or “genus,” it would have had nothing to do with classification systems. So, why is this important today and what can we learn from it?

• Dead Tigers Live

  Jan. 24, 2009 from News to Know

  The Caspian tiger was dead—but now it’s alive?

• Magazine Article

  Do Species Change?

  

  Jan. 1, 2009 from Answers Magazine

  It seems obvious to everyone today that species change.

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• Magazine Article

  Understanding Where New Species Came From

  Jan. 1, 2009 from Answers Magazine

  The scientific world is still debating the nature of species.

• Rapid Speciation of Fish New Evidence For Evolution

  Oct. 11, 2008

  Evolution observed in nature—again! Will it convince us this time?

• New "Proof" of Evolution Found In Water Lily Species

  Aug. 23, 2008

  Darwin fans fret no more. From the climes of Canada comes definitive proof of evolution in action. At least, that’s what the headline says.

• Magazine Department Article

  One of a Kind?

  

  July 1, 2008 from Answers Magazine

  Whether to lump or split species is an ongoing debate among biologists.

• Magazine Department Article

  Crash Landing

  March 31, 2008 from Answers Magazine

  International news outlets proclaimed headlines like “Butterfly unlocks evolution secret.”

• Not One, But Six Giraffe Species

  Jan. 5, 2008

  The giraffe, the world’s tallest animal, may not be a single species but instead may contain several species, according to a report in BMC Biology.

• "Rapid" Evolution: an Account

  July 14, 2007

  Rapid speciation occurs to a butterfly population on an island in the South Pacific.

• Frogs: America or Bust

  June 9, 2007

  A recent evolutionary finding from Central and South America lends support to creationists’ post-Flood speciation model.

• Helpful Parasites?

  May 5, 2007

  Researchers have discovered parasites that are helpful rather than harmful.

• Big-Brained Apes Demonstrate Evolution?

  Oct. 28, 2006

  Scientists from North Carolina’s Duke University claim to have demonstrated, for the first time, “an evolutionary connection between available food supplies and brain size.”