Some argue that intricate structures such as the vertebrate eye could not be the
ID: 51942 • Letter: S
Question
Some argue that intricate structures such as the vertebrate eye could not be the product of evolution because they are irreducibly complex. By this they mean that:
the initial steps leading to these structures would not have had a selective advantage.
chance alone cannot create complexity.
mutations are generally deleterious and therefore cannot create complex adaptations.
the complexity of life cannot be explained by reductionist mechanisms such as evolution.
there is no evidence for the transitional forms needed to explain the evolution of complexity.
a.the initial steps leading to these structures would not have had a selective advantage.
b.chance alone cannot create complexity.
c.mutations are generally deleterious and therefore cannot create complex adaptations.
d.the complexity of life cannot be explained by reductionist mechanisms such as evolution.
e.there is no evidence for the transitional forms needed to explain the evolution of complexity.
Explanation / Answer
An irreducibly complex evolutionary pathway states about one or more unselected steps and one or more necessary-but-unselected mutations not considered during evolution. The degree of irreducible complexity is the number of unselected steps in the pathway. Hence, option a is correct.
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