Michael J. Behe

About the author: Michael J. Behe is Associate Professor of Biochemistry at Lehigh University. His field of specialization is molecular biology.

Charles Darwin himself wrote that his theory of evolution would "break down" if it were proven that any complex organ could not have developed over a long period of time in gradual increments. Modern molecular biology has helped prove that there are certain complex organs in both animals and insects that could not have evolved by gradual, successive additions. The concept of irreducible complexity helps illustrate that if only one part of a complex organ breaks down, the organ will not work. Such organs could not possibly have evolved over long periods of time.

[Charles] Darwin knew that his theory of gradual evolution by natural selection carried a heavy burden...