A Baraminological Analysis of Subtribe Flaveriinae (asteraceae: Helenieae) and the Origin of Biological Complexity

WHAT THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT The subtribe Flaveriinae (Asteraceae: Helenieae) includes a number of plant species sometimes called yellowtops, glowworts, and false broomweed. Different species of this subtribe differ in their chemical pathways involved in photosynthesis. Somes species use a system known as C 3 photosynthesis, some use a system known as C 4 photosynthesis, and others display characteristics intermediate between the two. The authors apply a creationist research method known as baramnology to determine whether the species might have been created separately, or whether they may have descended from a single created ancestral species. They present a large amount of evidence that suggests the entire subtribe belongs to a single lineage which includes additional species not included in the study. The evidence also implies that the originally created ancestor used C 3 photosynthesis, and that the C 4 photosynthesis present in some species emerged since the creation. The characteristics of the intermediate species and the genetics of C 4 species support the hypothesis that latent genetic information may have been present in the ancestor, and activated during post-Flood diversification of the group, possibly through a mechanism called Altruistic Genetic Elements. A R T I C L E