Hi Mr Jack
An artefact can be identified as designed if:
1. It can be identified as having a purpose or function to a third party
2. That third party influenced the form of the artefact
3. That influence was intentional
So an object that has no obvious function cannot be described as designed - an amorphous lump of rock is not designed, for example (fails on 1). Whereas as elephant poo could be said to have a function to a dung beatle but the dung beatle is incapable of influencing the elephant poo in any way, so elephant poo is not designed (passes 1, fails 2). Criteria 3 is there to root out symbiosis, and co-evolution - aphids did not design Buchnera, Buchnera did not design aphids.
But does it rule out co-evolution? Aphids cultivated and domesticated by ants? Hummingbirds and long pistle flowers, the long tongued hawk moth
Manduca rustica in Madagascar, with the star orchid that only can be fertilized by that specific moth and the moth has no other need for that long a tongue except to pollinate that flower.
Not an artifact, but certainly a modified for a function tool.
Enjoy
http://www.fs.fed.us/...inator-of-the-month/hawk_moths.shtml
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