Biologists at the University of California, San Diego, have uncovered the first genetic evidence that explains how large-scale alterations to body plans were brought about during the early evolution of animals. This fills a major gap in explaining evolution because it gives us an insight into the way new animal body plans might arise from a simple genetic mutation. At the same time, it effectively answers a major criticism creationists had long leveled against evolution - the absence of a genetic mechanism that could permit animals to introduce radical new body designs.
In simple terms, the newly identified mechanism takes away one of the underhand ploys used by people who do not understand the nature of evolution, and who seek to prevent it being taught in schools. Motivated by their reading of the Bible, these people call themselves 'creation scientists', pretending to argue from a scientific viewpoint that evolution is seriously flawed as a theory, and is unproven.
This immediately identifies the 'creationists' as people with no real understanding of either scientific theories or the nature of scientific proof (a matter addressed in Fingerprints and science, January 2002). Theories are 'best approximations', and expected to have flaws which will later be worked out, just as Einstein refined Newton's laws by adding new conditions for very fast travel. In fact, much of science involves testing theories to find discrepancies. This means that gaps in a theory are deliberately sought out by scientists, not because the theory is 'wrong', but because there is clearly still something to learn.
What it comes down to is a semantic quibble, with scientists using 'theory' as another word for a model or paradigm, while the opponents of science and evolution deliberately muddy the waters, using 'theory' in the sense of 'as opposed to practice'. In other words, these people call themselves 'scientists', but rely on distortion to achieve a political goal of censorship
