Century-Old Evolutionary Rule Disproved

by Mark Varney

A long-held rule in evolution called "Cope's Rule" has bitten the dust. Cope's Rule, developed a century ago by dinosaur bone hunter Edwin Cope, stated that plants and animals evolve into larger and larger sizes. According to the Chicago Tribune, January 16, 1997, Cope's Rule has been taught as true in high schools and universities for the past century.

However, David Jablonski, a University of Chicago paleontologist, had the audacity to actually collect data to see if Cope's rule was true. He spent 10 years measuring fossils from 1,086 species of snails, oysters, and clams. In all, he made more than 6,000 measurements with his trusty calipers. His conclusion: Cope's Rule is not true.

How could such a rule, widely believed and taught by a century's worth of eminent scientists, not be true? How were the experts in biology, paleontology, and evolution hoodwinked for a century? Explanations given by two of the current crop of eminent scientists for the acceptance of this century-long evolutionary boo-boo were telling.

Steven Jay Gould, the noted Harvard paleontologist, wrote the following about Jablonski's research: "One would think that issues so fundamental, and so eminently testable, had been conclusively resolved long ago--except for a pervasive trait of the human psyche. We tend to pick the most Ônotable' cases out of general pools, often for idiosyncratic reasons that can only distort a proper scientific investigation." Translation: Evolutionist do not look at all the data, but sift through the data until they find something that appears to support their theory.

Douglas Erwin, Smithsonian paleontologist: "I think it is going to be a classic demonstration of the fact that a lot of what we think of as trends are not trends at all. There is, instead, some sort of perceptual bias that wants to find trends." Translation: Evolutionists see trends and processes where none actually exist. Could it be that perhaps the whole general theory of evolution is a "classic demonstration of the fact that a lot of what we think of as trends are not trends at all?"

Perhaps this latest egg on the face of evolutionists will instill a bit of humility in the "evolution is a fact" breed of scientists. If they were wrong for a hundred years about such an easily testable thing such as Cope's Rule, teaching it as a "fact," could not they also be wrong about the virtually untestable general theory of evolution? The truth of the matter is found in Hebrews 3:4: "For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God."

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