Recent developments in the peppered moth example of evolution require an update of the information on this web page (Charlie Liebert 01/2001). In addition to the fact that the example was NEVER an example of evolution it has now been revealed as a fraud. Evolutionists often point to the peppered moth as evidence for evolution and it is cited, often with a photograph of the moths on different tree trunks. These moths in England were mostly light in color before the industrial revolution and then as the trees and other outside surfaces darkened because of the burning of coal more of the dark variety appeared. They explained that the moths would land on the trunks of the trees during the daylight hours and birds would see them and eat more of the dark ones as the trees changed color. Since both varieties were alive before the surfaces changed there is really NO evolution here. The population distribution of the moths changed as the light colored moths were eaten more often because of the change in color of the tree trunks. The moths had adapted to the new environmental conditions. For true evolution to take place new information would have to added to their DNA. This has not happened. This process called Natural Selection does not create new information but is a destructive process that removes biological diversity from ecosystems. Natural selection is exactly what we would expect in a world cursed by sin. It cannot be the force behind evolution because it is not creative and doesn't add complexity to living things. In addition death and struggle as a creative process would make God a terrible person. Death has been defeated by the God of the Bible. It IS NOT the process by which he creates.
The following is quoted directly from Creation ExNihilo Magazine, June - August, 1999. Peppered Moths A classic evolutionary story comes unstuck. By Carl Wieland
"However, it turns out that this classic story is full of holes anyway. Peppered moths don't even rest on tree trunks during the day. British scientist Cyril Clarke investigated the peppered moth for 25 years, and saw only two in their natural habitat by day - no other researchers have seen any. Kettlewell and others attracted the moths into traps in the forest either with light, or by releasing female pheromones - in each case, they only flew in at night. So where do they spend the day? Clarke writes, 'The latest story is that they rest on the leaves in the top of trees, but it's not really known ... either way, they're very good at hiding.'
The moths filmed by the birds were laboratory - bred ones placed onto tree trunks by Kettlewell; they were so languid that he once had to warm them up on his car bonnet (hood). And all those still photos of moths on tree trunks? One paper described how it was done - dead moths were glued to the tree. University of Massachusetts biologist Theodore Sargent helped glue moths onto trees for a NOVA documentary. He says textbooks and films have featured 'a lot of fraudulent photographs'.
Other studies have shown a very poor correlation between the lichen covering and the respective moth populations. And when one group of researchers glued dead moths onto trunks in an unpolluted forest, the birds took more of the dark (less camouflaged) ones, as expected. But their traps captured four times as many dark moths as light ones - the opposite of textbook predictions! University of Chicago evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne agrees that the peppered moth story, which was 'the prize horse in our stable', has to be thrown out. He says the realization gave him the same feeling as when he found out that Santa Claus was not real. Regrettably, hundreds of millions of students have once more been indoctrinated with a 'proof' of evolution which is riddled with error, fraud and half - truths."
All statements are documented and references are furnished in the original document. Dr. Carl Wieland is editor of Creation ExNihilo Magazine
Here are some web pages for your information. The classic story:
http://www.utm.edu/~rirwin/moth.htm
http://www.jps.net/picnic/index01.htm
The fraud revealed:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs/4122.asp
http://www.icr.org/pubs/btg-b/btg-124b.htm
http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs/508.asp
http://www.exchangedlife.com/Creation/pepper.htm
http://www.trueorigin.org/pepmoth1.htm
http://www.clcoc.simplenet.com/news/peppered.htm