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Zimmer's book Parasite Rex is a nasty and amazing little book about parasites. I never thought I'd find myself reading such a book, but it's a surprising page turner, and chronicles all sorts of parasites and their deviously complex behaviors. One disturbing case is a parasite which initially neuters a male crab and then later gives it a virtual sex change, making it think it's female so it'll disperse its "eggs," which happen to be the parasite's eggs.

I found the parallel between allergies and parasites pretty interesting as well.

From memory (I'm not religious, so don't take my word for it), but the whole point of the Christian religion is that people have fallen, and needed to be shown the error of their ways.

Also keep in mind, the "morality" that these studies are uncovering is not "the ten commandments", but more along the lines of how many people is it ok to kill in certain circumstances. There's a good introduction by Carl Zimmer here

String theory and multiple universes are superstitions currently. There's work happening on both, but no sane man would really "believe" either. The theory of evolution or big bang however are "tested" by evidence. Both do a good job explaining how the universe came to be what it is today. Religion and ID don't. Instead of explaining anything they assume someone decided things this way. I might take ID a wee bit more seriously if it tried to explain WHY the creator made the world like what it is.

Man-made evolution can be found in artificial intelligence labs. Check Avida for example.

Now while some theories (like Newton's and Einsteins') are very solid and very tested, evolution and big bang are not. Still they're a good deal more than mere hypothesis (like ID).

And, contrary to your belief, theories can be disproved without proving an alternative.

Science is a way of sound assumptions, evidence and logic. It's not a complete explanation of everything, but it's the best one, a "best guess". It's not about faith as a scientist does not have to believe in anything. A theory is more than an explanation, it's a model. Every theory allows predictions, and a theory can be valuable even when its predictions are false. So we have this set of models which seem the most likely - there's no faith in it.

Only a wise man knows how little he knows.

any precursor to an irreducibly complex system that is missing a part is by definition nonfunctional

This is covered in TFA under the section titled "QUESTION #1:WHAT GOOD IS HALF AN EYE?"

IMHO For a computer AI, or perhaps just I (there is nothing artificial about a living computer intelligence), to be developed successful you need to take advantage of evolution . Example approach:

Create a digital environment where multiple organisms can coexist.

Give organisms the ability to replicate themselves.

Add some mutations. (They can even be able to mutate their own replication/mutation function)

Give them limited lifetime.

Give them rewards. For example when they replicate faster, when they accomplish goals and so on. Rewards could be things like for example longer lifetime (more time to replicate more childs).

Give organisms ability to communicate.

Force them to have sex to replicate. When replicating take information from both parents and bring to child. This is to reduce fatal mutations, and add to goal and reward program.

After this it is up to admin to play with organisms senses, information, goals, rewards and sit back and enjoy the show of life watching generation after generation learn new skills, starts wars or whatever. Evolution has begun.

Read more about this here:
http://www.carlzimmer.com/articles/2005/articles_2 005_Avida.html

Spot on! here is a cool article about exactly what you are describing:
http://www.carlzimmer.com/articles/2005/articles_2 005_Avida.html

Read up on current AI development in progress. Your ideas sounds like coming from someone that has an hour ago just grasped the AI idea and mumble out his initial thoughts.

Here is an interesting article you can start reading: http://www.carlzimmer.com/articles/2005/articles_2 005_Avida.html .. it explains a whole different take on the AI quest, and be sure: Out there is a trillion of ideas between yours and this one.

But thank you, I had a good laughter reading your website, proving me how much I grasp about AI.

also check out these related spiderweb photos off of the photo index of parasites.

also check out these related spiderweb photos off of the photo index of parasites.

One interesting example of host behavioral modification is in the single-celled protozoan Toxoplasma gondii.

This organism has two different hosts in it's life cycle, cats and rats. An infected cat will shed parasites in its feces which are then picked up by rats. The parasites take up residence in the rat until it is eaten by a cat, completing the life cycle.

The parasite takes up residence in various tissues of the rat, including the brain. Interestingly enough, infected rats show behavioral modifications. They become less cautious and more "curious", and may lose their normal aversion to the scent of cat urine -- thus making them easier prey.

Toxoplasma gondii also frequently infects humans, with some estimates suggesting up to half of the population having been exposed. It is dangerous to human fetuses and individuals with deficient immune systems (such as those with AIDS), but healthly carriers are usually asymptomatic.

It is uncertain whether or not the organism produces behavioral changes in humans, but there have been some suggestions that it might. Toxoplasma gondii link.