Re: IC redux


Robert J. Kolker wrote:
> Natt Serrasalmus wrote:
> >
> > Do you accept that IC even exists anywhere at all, or do you consider the
> > fundamental concept of IC to be a flawed description of how things like Rube
> > Goldberg machines work?
>
> Anything that exists in nature is the result of natural process.

Well, except for the Cretaceous walking cuckoo. That had two legs
until aliens came down in flying saucers from Andromeda and exposed all
the cuckoos they could catch to the genetic leg multiplier ray, to get
true-breeding walking cuckoos with four legs. Then they released them
back into the wild. But that's the only thing that the aliens ever
did. At least, those particular aliens, the Andromedans. They were
only doing it for a reality TV show, and frankly, they were
disappointed by the results. But I don't want to accuse any other
aliens of not having a try.

So far, scientists have not found one fossilised four-legged walking
cuckoo that hasn't been mistaken for two two-legged cuckoos mating, and
of course both sorts of walking cuckoo do not exist now, except for the
specimens taken back to Andromeda (well, obviously their descendants,
which are now running the place). And I am not aware that any other
case has been credibly reported of fossil evidence of development that
is not reasonably in line with our theories about evolution by natural
selection.

Frankly, I find that suspicious. As /we/ go into space, we clearly
intend to fiddle with things that we find and mess them around. So can
it be that aliens haven't already done it to us? And yet that seems to
be the case.

If anything is found that does prove alien or other intelligent
intervention in terrestrial development at any point in time, I expect
we'll be told about it.

.