Originally Posted by Ringman

If evolution were true you could not find something half way between with all the other fossils that would permiate the fossil record. Like a pre-bat with a little bit longer fingers so that the membrane could later grow between them. Of course in the mean time it could not run as fast as it used to and could not fly at all so survival of the fittest would weed it out.


Cut-pasted from this thread -http://orbisvitae.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=43055

Certainly we can expect (based on existing fossil evidence) that before there were bats that there were organisms similar to the modern tree shrew.

What a transitional fossil is ...

By analogy from observing existing organisms:

Fossil {B} is transitional if it shares some traits with fossil {A} that are not shared with fossil\organism {C} AND it shares some traits with fossil\organism {C} that are not shared with fossil {A} AND it shares more traits with both fossil {A} and fossil\organism {C}.

We do not predict that you will find evidence of the "- (evolutionary path) - " nor does evolution predict that all {B} will be found, all that is predicted is that IF a fossil is found that it will show transitional characteristics, traits between ancestors and descendants as well as shared traits with ancestors, shared traits with descendants and shared traits with ancestors and descendants and many shared traits with both.

Thus from some ancestral shrew-like animal 65 million years ago, similar to this {A}:
[Linked Image]

... to the 54 million year old "new" bat fossil {B}:
[Linked Image]

... to this modern bat skeleton {C}
[Linked Image]

We can see that {B} is indeed intermediate between {A} and {C} but that more characteristics are shared by all three than are different between {A} and {C} AND that {B} shares some traits with {A} that it does NOT share with {C} (four claws on front arms, long tail, no echolocation) and it shares some traits with {C} that it does NOT share with {A} (long fingers being the most evident}.

Thus {B} is an intermediate fossil along the transition from non-bat to bat.

When you ask for a transitional bat fossil, this IS one.

Another cut-paste - this from www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns9999647
The New Scientist reports on Nov., 13th, 2004, in an article titled Rogue finger gene got bats airborne, that
A change to a single gene allowed bats to grow wings and take to the air, a development that may explain why bats appeared so suddenly in the fossil record some 50 million years ago. ... Although it is a small developmental change, if it allowed the ancestors of bats to grow extended digits it could explain how bats evolved flight so rapidly,...Relatively few transitional forms would have existed just briefly before being displaced by more advanced forms.

Apologies for the cutting and pasting but I don't have much spare time just now. Also the transition from running to flying would not be likely. A much more likely transition is from tree climbing- jumping from branch to branch- gliding from branch to branch and from tree to tree- flying. All gradual - no big changes all at once.

One unerring mark of the love of the truth is not entertaining any proposition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant. John Locke, 1690