Dr. Martin Rundkvist is a Swedish archaeologist, journal editor, public speaker, skeptic, atheist, lefty liberal, bookworm, and father of two.
A Dear Reader who calls themself Ophistokont made me curious about what this intriguing word might mean. It's very rare, with only seven Google hits and no entry in Merriam-Webster. Ophi- should have to do with snakes. -stok- calls stoichiometry to mind, having to do with elements. -ont has to do with being. Something that forms the basic element of a snake-like thing, maybe?
I didn't make that up unaided. Those seven Google hits explain (mostly in German) that an ophistokont is the end of a single-cell being from which its motile flagellum extends. These little whip-like outboard motors have been the object of creationist speculation along the lines that "this is too cool to have evolved by natural selection": speculation refuted here.
Comments
Are you sure he/she's not misspelling opisthokont?
Posted by: RPM | April 12, 2007 9:54 AM
Those of you who wonders what Martin is up to at the moment kan get a glance of him in action here:http://arkland.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/martin-and-the-masters-of-metals/
Posted by: Lars L | April 12, 2007 10:45 AM
Are the "Intelligent Design" types thinking that they have a Deity capable of Intelligently Designing these adaptations, but Not Intelligent Enough to hide evidence of His Own Handiwork?
Their All-Powerful, All-Knowing God is *incapable* of making it *look* like His Creation evolved naturally?
Wow. What a putz deity that would be. Ha.
Posted by: El Cid | April 12, 2007 6:37 PM
RPM, I'm not sure if they mean "ophisthokont", but that word is even rarer and means some kind of ur-organism evolving away from us bilaterians.
Posted by: Martin R | April 14, 2007 1:43 AM