The theories of Creation & Evolution compared

We'll look at one more example of the genetics of evolution and if the no new information is not addressed by the YEers, then I guess we'll just assume the point is conceded and that new information can arise.

For this example, I wish to look at something that IDers would call irreducibly complex if it was not for the fact that we know it evolved.

YEers are fond of dismissing drug resistance as some loss of function or other information loss and not a true example of evolution. So let's look specifically at the evolution of resistance to the antibiotic vancomycin.

Vancomycin works by attacking the D-alanyl-D-alanine in the cell wall of the bacterium. There are two genes, VanR and VanS, whose job is to make proteins to detect the presence of vancomycin. When detected, a cascade of other enzymes are created to protect the cell. VanH starts by converting precursor materials into D-lactate. VanA then joins the D-lactate with D-alanyl to make D-alanyl-D-lactate, instead of D-alanyl-D-alanine which is usually used in the cell wall. VanX hydrolyzes the D-alanyl-D-alanine that is still being made before it can be used in the cell wall.

This is the usual process, but there are variations. Some bacteria have VanB instead of VanA to make D-alanyl-D-lactate. Some bacteria replace the D-alanyl instead and make D-serine-D-alanine component instead of D-alanyl-D-lactate.

Once the resistance evolved, it was spread through plasmids.

And before you say that this was just a latent feature that became activated in response to the antibiotic please tell us just why you think that bacteria would be carrying around a gene such as VanX that hydrolyzes its own cell wall.

Such a complicated cascade of steps would be thought to be irreducibly complex. Yet we know it evolved. Another IC pathway shown to be not IC.