Evolution cannot account for irreducible complexity

Now I will go into my arguments without further ado. I will use two examples of irreducible complexity and show that evolution cannot account for these. The Blood clotting cascade system [1][2] There are three "prongs" to the blood clotting cascade: two pathways which initiate the cascade (the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways) and the cascade itself, which forms the clot. This argument is only about the cascade itself, not the initiating portions. "Leaving aside the system before the fork in the pathway, where some details are less well known, the blood-clotting system fits the definition of irreducible complexity. " (Behe) I will here list a short version of the clotting system. [3] 1. Formation of Prothrombinase, 2. Prothrombin converted into the enzyme Thrombin, 3. Fibrinogen (soluble) converted to Fibrin (insoluble) The first step is not part of the irreducible system. I will now write a more technical version of this. [4] The sequence is triggered off by a reaction involving XII which then reacts with factor XI, converting it to an active XIa, activating factor IX in turn. In the presence of calcium ions IX reacts with factor VIII and phospholipids released from platelets to form a complex which converts factor X to the active Xa. Xa then reacts with factor V, platelet phospholipids and calcium ions to form a complex which converts prothrombin to thrombin. This enzyme converts fibrinogen to fibrin monomer by splitting two small polypeptides from the molecule and the fibrin monomer then polymerizes to form a fibrin clot. This is rendered more stable and urea insoluble by factor XIII following its activation by thrombin. The first traces of thrombin potentiate factors V and VIII which are destroyed as the level of thrombin increases. Clotting is now decelerated and the thrombin already formed is neutralized by antithrombin. In the presence of tissue juices the above pathway (Intrinsic system) is short-circuited; a protein factor and certain phospholipids in the tissue react with VII in the presence of calcium to activate X directly. The subsequent events in this (Extrinsic system) is the same as the intrinsic system. If at any point in time the cascade lacks a step, no clotting is performed. Not even in mice. That is not even intermediate. Alone, these clotting components would have no selective priority and thus evolution would not be able to select for them. In fact, evolution would select against these, because they are unnecessary and useless, like "vestigial organs". Bacteria flagellum [5][6] I have included [5] for general reading. I will quote from [6]. "Some bacteria boast a marvelous swimming device, the flagellum, which has no counterpart in more complex cells. In 1973 it was discovered that some bacteria swim by rotating their flagella. So the bacterial flagellum acts as a rotary propellor -- in contrast to the cilium, which acts more like an oar. The structure of a flagellum is quite different from that of a cilium. The flagellum is a long, hairlike filament embedded in the cell membrane. The external filament consists of a single type of protein, called "flagellin. " The flagellin filament is the paddle surface that contacts the the liquid during swimming. At the end of the flagellin filament near the surface of the cell, there is a bulge in the thickness of the flagellum. It is here that the filament attaches to the rotor drive. The attachment material is comprised of something called "hook protein. " The filament of a bacterial flagellum, unlike a cilium, contains no motor protein; if it is broken off, the filament just floats stiffly in the water. Therefore the motor that rotates the filament-propellor must be located somewhere else. Experiments have demonstrated that it is located at the base of the flagellum, where electron microscopy shows several ring structures occur. The rotary nature of the flagellum has clear, unavoidable consequences . .. " (Behe) "The consequences. .. [referred] to are inferred by the nature of its irreducibly complex components, the discovery of which undermines a Darwinian explanation of origins. " (ARN) "In summary, as biochemists have begun to examine apparently simple structures like cilia and flagella, they have discovered staggering complexity, with dozens or even hundreds of precisely tailored parts. It is very likely that many of the parts we have not considered here are required for any cilium to function in a cell. As the number of required parts increases, the difficulty of gradually putting the system together skyrockets, and the likelihood of indirect scenarios plummets. Darwin looks more and more forlorn. New research on the roles of the auxiliary proteins cannot simplify the irreducibly complex system The intransigence of the problem cannot be alleviated; it will only get worse. Darwinian theory has given no explanation for the cilium or flagellum. The overwhelming complexity of the swimming systems push us to think it may never give an explanation. " (Behe) The same observation in regard to the blood clotting cascade system applies here. I will now state, clearly, that Michael Behe is no young-earth creationist. He agrees with evolution by common descent. One cannot say there are other purposes for these components because quite simply there are not any others. (I typed this out except for the quotes from [6], by the way. )