"The Dorset breed of sheep was developed in southern England several hundred years ago. Dorsets had many likable traits and were imported to the United States in the late 1800s. They were a
medium-sized white breed. The ewes were good mothers and could give birth more than once a year. And Dorsets always had horns. Well, until around 1948 anyway. At that time, in a purebred flock in the United States, a lamb was born that never grew horns. This condition is called polled (hornless).
Animals with horns require more space, especially at the feed or water trough. To avoid these problems, farmers can dehorn (remove the horn buds from) their lambs soon after they are born. That way the horns don’t grow and the problems associated with them don’t develop.
When the polled lamb was born, farmers were very interested. Imagine having all the good qualities of the Dorset breed without the annoying horns. Just think, hornless sheep without all the work associated with dehorning. So, when the lamb grew up, it was used for breeding; soon there were more Dorsets with the polled trait.
Since farmers liked the polled sheep, they started selecting for them. In other words, they would keep the polled sheep for breeding and get rid of the horned ones. Through this artificial selection, soon a new breed had developed, the Polled Dorset. This breed has become so popular that it is now the second most popular breed in the United States. Horned Dorsets are now rare.
First let’s ask what was lost in the polled lamb? Its horns. And what increased? Variety. Initially, Dorsets had always had horns; now some had horns and some did not. Variety can be gained when some animals lose a trait that previously all animals in the group had. Can variety also be lost? Certainly. This was done through selection. When the Dorsets were selected for the polled trait, the horned trait was then lost from the group.
Why was the lamb polled? This was a result of a mutation that destroyed information in a gene necessary for horn growth. Mutations are really errors in the information stored in genes. They are commonly known by the disease they cause (e.g. sickle cell anemia in people, spider lamb syndrome in sheep). Some mutations are not obviously harmful and may go unnoticed. It is very unusual for a mutation to be beneficial, although farmers may be convinced that this one in Dorsets was. What has virtually never been observed is a mutation that adds information, like one for growing horns on dogs or cats.
If mutations don’t add information, how did the information get there to begin with? The answer is in Genesis, the first book in the Bible. God put it there when he created life at the beginning. He said that he created animals (and
plants) to reproduce after their own kind. Dogs give birth to nothing but dogs. Much of the variety we see in people, animals and plants was a part of the information God originally placed there. Since the Fall of man, mutations have increased variety somewhat, but they have never added information or created a new kind of animal." CMI
And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, ... Genesis 1:25
Animals with horns require more space, especially at the feed or water trough. To avoid these problems, farmers can dehorn (remove the horn buds from) their lambs soon after they are born. That way the horns don’t grow and the problems associated with them don’t develop.
When the polled lamb was born, farmers were very interested. Imagine having all the good qualities of the Dorset breed without the annoying horns. Just think, hornless sheep without all the work associated with dehorning. So, when the lamb grew up, it was used for breeding; soon there were more Dorsets with the polled trait.
Since farmers liked the polled sheep, they started selecting for them. In other words, they would keep the polled sheep for breeding and get rid of the horned ones. Through this artificial selection, soon a new breed had developed, the Polled Dorset. This breed has become so popular that it is now the second most popular breed in the United States. Horned Dorsets are now rare.
First let’s ask what was lost in the polled lamb? Its horns. And what increased? Variety. Initially, Dorsets had always had horns; now some had horns and some did not. Variety can be gained when some animals lose a trait that previously all animals in the group had. Can variety also be lost? Certainly. This was done through selection. When the Dorsets were selected for the polled trait, the horned trait was then lost from the group.
Why was the lamb polled? This was a result of a mutation that destroyed information in a gene necessary for horn growth. Mutations are really errors in the information stored in genes. They are commonly known by the disease they cause (e.g. sickle cell anemia in people, spider lamb syndrome in sheep). Some mutations are not obviously harmful and may go unnoticed. It is very unusual for a mutation to be beneficial, although farmers may be convinced that this one in Dorsets was. What has virtually never been observed is a mutation that adds information, like one for growing horns on dogs or cats.
If mutations don’t add information, how did the information get there to begin with? The answer is in Genesis, the first book in the Bible. God put it there when he created life at the beginning. He said that he created animals (and
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| IF Evolution were True.... |
And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, ... Genesis 1:25