Mole-Rats, Evolution, and Pain Sensitivity

This is something you are unlikely to see in a typical news collection. Scientists conducted a study on mole-rats to see how they responded to pain. This was in no wise a thrown-together experiment, but involved serious research that included examination of RNA. What prompted such research, I have no idea.

Engraving of East African mole rat by Eduard Rüppell, 1835

Experiments involved several types of critters and controls, with some showing resistance to pain and others would eventually resist pain later. Evolutionary explanations were severely lacking, especially since the results were inconsistent across genera and different genetic responses were seen. A creationist perspective could include how they were designed to adapt because of their diverse genome.

Researchers studying mole-rats and the East African root rat discovered that several had pain insensitivity to several different irritants (called “algogens” throughout the journal paper). Some had multiple pain insensitivities, while others had none. The varying types of pain resistance seemed to correlate with their specific diet, habitat, and shared ecosystems with other organisms. Those without pain insensitivity lived in areas without those environmental pressures. This perfectly fits a creation worldview, where originally perfect created kinds front-loaded with vast genetic diversity have had to adapt to a post-fall world.

To read the rest, you can squeak over to "Evolved to Feel No Pain?"