On the general topic of "Unintelligent Design", I thought I'd chime in with another example:
Members of the class
Gastropoda (snails, slugs, conchs, etc.) undergo a transformation in their embryonic stage that twists their viscera around 180 degrees.
This has the effect of putting the anus (and the mantle cavity that goes along with it) right above the head of the organism. This allows some space for the organism to retract its head into its shell.
Unfortunately it also positions the anus right by the gill. This would be like having your own anus positioned between your eyes.
That doesn't exactly smack of the "evidence of brilliant design" creationists say is all around us. Or maybe God just has it in for snails.
Just read about that in Hickman, Roberts, and Larson's
Animal Diversity, my wife's zoology textbook.
[This message has been edited by crashfrog, 02-11-2004]
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