Complex Molecules and Organs 5

c. “To my mind the human brain is the most marvelous and mysterious
object in the whole universe and no geologic period seems too long to
allow for its natural evolution.” Henry Fairfield Osborn, an
influential evolutionist speaking to the American Association for the
Advancement of Science in December 1929, as told by Roger Lewin, Bones
of Contention (New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1987), p. 57. [Even
greater capabilities of the brain have been discovered since 1929.
Undoubtedly, more remain.]

“And in Man is a three-pound brain which, as far as we know, is the
most complex and orderly arrangement of matter in the universe.” Isaac
Asimov, “In the Game of Energy and Thermodynamics You Can’t Even Break
Even,” Smithsonian, August 1970, p. 10.

Asimov forgot that the brain, and presumably most of its details, is
coded by only a fraction of an individual’s DNA. Therefore, it would
be more accurate to say that DNA is the most complex and orderly
arrangement of matter known in the universe.

The human brain is frequently likened to a supercomputer. In most
respects the brain greatly exceeds any computer’s capabilities. Speed
is one area where the computer beats the brain—at least in some ways.
For example, few of us can quickly multiply 0.0239 times 854.95. This
task is called a floating point operation, because the decimal point
“floats” until we (or a computer) decide where to place it. The number
of floating point operations per second (FLOPS) is a measure of a
computer’s speed. As of this writing, an IBM computer can achieve
3,000 trillion FLOPS (3 petaFLOPS). One challenge is to prevent these
superfast computers from overheating. Too much electrically generated
heat is dissipated in too small a volume.

Overall, the human brain seems to operate at petaFLOPS speeds—without
overheating. One knowledgeable observer on these ultrafast computers
commented:

“The human brain itself serves, in some sense, as a proof of concept
[that cool petaFLOPS machines are possible]. Its dense network of
neurons apparently operates at a petaFLOPS or higher level. Yet the
whole device fits in a 1 liter box and uses only about 10 watts of
power. That’s a hard act to follow.” Ivars Peterson, “PetaCrunchers:
Setting a Course toward Ultrafast Supercomputing,” Science News, Vol.
147, 15 April 1995, p. 235.

How, then, could the brain have evolved?

http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/LifeSciences11.html#wp1008873