Some surprising science stories of 2009

I recently received the 2009 annual report from Access Research Network,an organization that exists to provide "accessible information on science, technology and society issues from an intelligent design perspective." The part that intrigued me was its review of some of the key news stories this past year that came from mainstream, nontheological sources. There were two main findings -- more articles are coming out critical of evolution, and scientists keep finding patterns in nature that could not happen by chance or law. Here are some of the science stories that back up this assertion. Again, keep in mind that these are written by those with no interest in helping the intelligent design community. This blog covers some of their findings; the rest will follow in the next blog.

Several articles point out the disappearance of what was known as the modern synthesis. In the 1930s and 40s, scientists gathered evidence from natural selection, population genetics, cytology, systematics, botany, morphology, ecology, and paleontology to wrap it into one modern theory of neo-Darwinian evolution. But the modern synthesis has fallen apart because of revolutions in the molecular, microbiological, and genomic areas. What's interesting is that articles are now appearing in the peer-reviewed scientific literature declaring the modern synthesis theory needs to be abandoned because it no longer fits the new data.

There has also been more research done and reports on cellular motors. Scientists are now finding that some of these incrediby small but complex machines work together in groups. In other words, molecular motors are actually coordinating their efforts. This contradicts earlier models that pictured these motors competing with each other in some sort of tug-of-war.

Then there was the hoopla surrounding the Ida fossil lemur. People soon realized how much hype was involved. There is no doubt that the scientists behind it were hoping to capitalize on the Darwin bicentennial by creating a sensational "missing link" media blitz. Critical articles have since come out to show that it may simply be a typical lemur.

One amazing story came out in the middle of the year dealing with white blood cells. These soldiers of our immune system get to the site of infection or injury by crawling swiftly along the lining of the blood vessel. They grip it tightly to avoid being swept away in the blood flow, all the while searching for temporary road signs made of specialized molecules that let them know where to cross the blood vessel barrier so they can get to the damaged tissue. You can see an animation of this at Harvard BioVisions. Click on the media file labeled "Extravasation." The legs on these blood cells don't just walk; they act as probes as they press into the tissue lining the vessels so they can locate the damaged tissue and make their way to it. These tiny legs are used for gripping, moving, and sensing distress signals from the damaged tissue.

These are just some articles that came out last year critical of evolution and indicating design in nature. More to follow in the next blog.