Fake Evolution and the Tibetan Snow Lotus
Way, way up on the Tibetan Plateau is the Tibetan Snow Lotus. Of course, after China invaded Tibet in 1950, they have even influenced language; it is better known as Snow Lotus or even Chinese Snow Lotus. Or use the scientific name ( Saussurea laniceps ). There are different varieties of this flower. People who can brave the rarefied air go up there and pick this endangered flower for various reasons. The most popular is that it is useful in Chinese folk medicine. While there is scientific evidence that it can treat rheumatoid arthritis, human tests seem nonexistent. Icy Tibetan Snow Lotus ( Saussurea gossypiphora ), Wikimedia Commons / Prateek ( CC BY-SA 2.5 IN ) Because people are picking these flowers, Darwin's disciples are claiming that since the lotus is now growing shorter, we see evolution in action. Not hardly! What we have is something that may be called natural selection (if you can call people picking flowers and driving them to extinction "natural"). There i...