Paddlefish, Zooplankton and Electroreceptors

If people were taught critical thinking instead of simply accepting what "science" tells them because it came from "science", there would be less credulity when it comes to evolutionary pronouncements. "It evolved this capability" could be met with, "How?" People do not seem to realize that the abilities that organisms have are complex, and everything must be in place at the same time. Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 all need to be fully functional, and there is no need to evolve Item 1 by itself. The more specialized an organism's abilities, the more startling it becomes to us.

Paddlefish, also known as spoonbill catfish, are cartilaginous fish that inhabit freshwater lakes. They only like to feed on plankton, a category of aquatic food that includes tiny crustaceans like brine shrimp and water fleas. Paddlefish hunt using sensors on their paddle, or nose, that guide them right to their small prey. Biologists from Ohio University recently discovered why this system works so well. 

Special cells called electroreceptors are embedded within tiny pockets distributed along the skin surface of the paddlefish's long nose. These receptors, which detect weak electric currents, would be useless unless they could send their signals to the brain for processing—which they do via other neurons. The researchers determined the range of electric intensity over which the paddlefish's system was most effective.

Swim over and read the rest of "Paddlefish Are Tuned to Eat Only Plankton", here.