Making insects sprout wings, described in Science, vol 306, p199, 8 Oct 2004. Aphids are tiny insects that often plague rose growers because aphids suck plants dry. Aphids are known to produce offspring with or without wings, regardless of whether the parent aphids have wings. A study of the aphid Uroleucon nigrotuberculatum showed it produced more winged offspring when levels of carbon dioxide and ozone increased, and also when there were more parasites and predators.
Editorial Comment: This apparently dramatic difference in body structure produced by a changing environment is called “phenotypic plasticity”. Non-winged aphids can only produce winged offspring if they already have the genes for wings. The aphids are not evolving; they are responding to a changing environment with a mechanism that is already built in. The wingless variety may represent a degenerative state caused by smaller amounts of carbon dioxide in the present day atmosphere compared with the original created atmosphere.
After Noah’s flood the atmosphere changed dramatically and carbon dioxide levels would have decreased, due to the removal of CO2 by the 40 days and nights of rain, and also the removal from circulation of many CO2 containing carbonate compounds due to the burial of many shells and corals. Many secular scientists actually do believe the atmosphere once had more carbon dioxide, although they would disagree with Creation Research as to the when and why. (Ref. adaptation, phenotypes, environment)