title: From The Origin of Species to the origin of bacterial flagella.
abstract: In the recent Dover trial, and elsewhere, the 'Intelligent Design' movement has championed the bacterial flagellum as an irreducibly complex system that, it is claimed, could not have evolved through natural selection. Here we explore the arguments in favour of viewing bacterial flagella as evolved, rather than designed, entities. We dismiss the need for any great conceptual leaps in creating a model of flagellar evolution and speculate as to how an experimental programme focused on this topic might look.
authors.affiliation: Division of Immunity & Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT UK. m.pallen@bham.ac.uk
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Pallen
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Matzke
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005407:Flagella / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D012070:Religion and Science; D012641:Selection, Genetic
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins