Re: laws of thermodynamics

Humans are good at finding patterns, even if there isn't one, so our perceptions of "orderly" are not necessarily correct.

For example, a random increase in variation with a fixed limit to the variation will produce an apparent trend in the mean, unless you start exactly at a midpoint relative to the limits. Dan Miller's work on muricid gastropod evolution has shown some instances of this. The first ones had no spines. Today, there are many spiny ones. The average spininess has increased over time. However, since it is impossible to have fewer than zero spines, the average had to go up or remain the same. Random variation can account for some of this change.

Likewise, in evolution, the diversity of organisms represents an increase in variation relative to a single ancestral form. As already mentioned, there's an important role played by energy input from the sun, and to a lesser degree, geothermal energy. As organisms use energy from the sun, some of it is lost as heat, some is used in maintenance, and some goes towards making inedible parts like skeletons. Only about 10% is stored in a form available to something that eats it. Thus, the 2nd law has a big effect on evolution.

If someone is trying to invoke the 2nd law in support of a young earth view, it may be worth noting the violations of the 2nd law that characterize global flood scenarios. Supplying and removing vast quantities of water involve the release of corresponding amounts of heat. Likewise, trying to cram a significant amount of the geologic record into a single year places the release of energy from all the volcanoes, earthquake, etc. in that same period. The recent tsunami is an example of the amount of energy released when all that happens at present rates. Compacting sgnificant geothermal energy release to within a year quickly cooks Noah.

    Dr. David Campbell
    Old Seashells
    University of Alabama
    Biodiversity & Systematics
    Dept. Biological Sciences
    Box 870345
    Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0345 USA
    bivalve@mail.davidson.alumlink.com

That is Uncle Joe, taken in the masonic regalia of a Grand Exalted Periwinkle of the Mystic Order of Whelks-P.G. Wodehouse, Romance at Droitgate Spa
Received on Tue Jan 4 15:19:34 2005