Thread: So... what predictions does intelligent design "science" make?

A few minutes ago, the claim was posted that the theory of evolution is not predictive.

However, evolution has been the basis of many predictions. For example:

* Darwin predicted, based on homologies with African apes, that human ancestors arose in Africa. That prediction has been supported by fossil and genetic evidence (Ingman et al. 2000).
* Theory predicted that organisms in heterogeneous and rapidly changing environments should have higher mutation rates. This has been found in the case of bacteria infecting the lungs of chronic cystic fibrosis patients (Oliver et al. 2000).
* Predator-prey dynamics are altered in predictable ways by evolution of the prey (Yoshida et al. 2003).
* Ernst Mayr predicted in 1954 that speciation should be accompanied with faster genetic evolution. A phylogenetic analysis has supported this prediction (Webster et al. 2003).
* Several authors predicted characteristics of the ancestor of craniates. On the basis of a detailed study, they found the fossil Haikouella "fit these predictions closely" (Mallatt and Chen 2003).
* Evolution predicts that different sets of character data should still give the same phylogenetic trees. This has been confirmed informally myriad times and quantitatively, with different protein sequences, by Penny et al. (1982).
* Insect wings evolved from gills, with an intermediate stage of skimming on the water surface. Since the primitive surface-skimming condition is widespread among stoneflies, J. H. Marden predicted that stoneflies would likely retain other primitive traits, too. This prediction led to the discovery in stoneflies of functional hemocyanin, used for oxygen transport in other arthropods but never before found in insects (Hagner-Holler et al. 2004; Marden 2005).

With predictions such as these and others, evolution can be, and has been, put to practical use in areas such as drug discovery and avoidance of resistant pests.

However, I am not aware of any predictions made by intelligent design "scientists". Let's hear about them.

I think everyone has heard this one: A tornado sweeping through a junkyard isn't going to assemble a 747.

Which is wrong on so many levels, I don't even know where to begin.

Of course, everybody knows that ID is just creationism dressed up in a cheap tux. Intelligent Design sounds just that much more credible than creationism.
And of course since ID is just creationism, what predictions can you possibly have? None, just a bunch of fallacious bible prophecies.

On a side note: Maybe you know this already, Fred Hoyle, the genius who came up with the whole 747 'prediction', also attempted to dismiss Archaeopteryx as a hoax.

Furthermore, 'Intelligent Design' is hardly the right term to describe what we see in nature.
How does a creationist account for the fact that over 99% of all species that have ever lived on this Earth are now extinct? Not to mention the number of extinct species increase everyday. This of course is where the 'Stupid Design' theory comes into mind, but let's all try to be serious here.

You prolly already know this, but just in case here's a quick link about reverse engineering a chicken to a dinosaur (yay dinos). They've already discovered that chicken embryos have tails early on and extra teeth; I recently saw a show on it on the Science Channel, but I can't remember what the heck it was called.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/03/05/dinosaur-chicken.html

I saw one of Hovind's YouTubes, where he predicted that a sausage could conduct electricity.

I'm not entirely sure what he was trying to prove, but by that time I was LOLing so hard it didn't really matter.

It predicts we aren't intelligent enough to think for ourselves. Instead we have to follow, without question all that is written about God. Should we indeed think for ourselves and question that which has been written by so many, we condemn *ourselves* to an eternity of suffering.

How many times do we have to tell you!

Get a powerful microscope and look at an atom! Inscribed on the atom will be "GODDIDIT"

While agreeing with the general gist of your point, to be fair, the Genesis story locates (as best as can be established) the Garden of Eden in Africa - and as I recall, remarkably close to the currently presumed location of where modern humans arose.

That's my devils advocacy for the day - in terms of ID predictions, that's the best I've got, and funnily enough, it's not one they are allowed to use since they are still trying to convince everyone that ID isn't creationism.

Let's have a thought experiment. Pretend you have some alien who has no knowledge of earth or anything on it. Now show this "alien" the condition of earth back when there was no life. Now explain evolution to this alien. Now can this alien predict humans, for example? Anything?

intelligent design still can't explain man titties. well, except for the fact that they make a good place to put the clasps for, er...never mind.

maybe god is just into S&M. he does get his freak on every once in awhile...maybe so.