dhw; Your argument is that the adaptations were mechanical - and you would say that either your God stepped in to do a dabble, or he had preprogrammed the first cells to pass on the instructions not only for the production of Astyanax mexicanus but also for its adaptation to the new, unfriendly environment. Why is this any more convincing than the suggestion that their own (God-given?) intelligent cells took the decision to dispense with those features that were irrelevant to the new environment, and to enhance those that were useful? Of course the decision could only be implemented by biochemical means.-I doubt the dabble. I think the mechanisms were in place to adapt energy consumptions to the most useful functions.