Evolution, yes or no?

jonmartensen · Post by **jonmartensen** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 5:52 pm

Lyrs wrote:
El Banana wrote:Like, for example, the evolution of echolocation.
For this mechanism, you need specialized ears, specialized brains, and a specialyzed voicebox. All of these evolving simultaneously is a bit.... strange.

they don't. read up on a term called pre-adaption.

Sounds like intelligent design.

Lyrs · Post by **Lyrs** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 5:57 pm

jonmartensen wrote:Sounds like intelligent design.

sorry, i spelt it wrong. preadaptation. and no it's no intelligent design.

what it is, is sayign that something had a different use then it now is. i'll have to look for examples.

Lyrs · Post by **Lyrs** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 6:06 pm

a good example/definition is found within Ever Since Darwin: Relections in Natural History by Stephen Ray Gould. a very good read if you want to understand evolution.

i don't remember it specifically.

:continues to search:

Lyrs · Post by **Lyrs** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 6:10 pm

However like all other sciences, you have to take it with a grain of salt, because it's a theory.

Lyrs · Post by **Lyrs** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 6:13 pm

okay, i've come upon an acceptable answer.

http://home.earthlink.net/~misaak/guide/CB/CB926.html

Lyrs · Post by **Lyrs** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 6:20 pm

okay, i've finally found it. (and i thought the web was goign to make finding things easy.)

http://www.stephenjaygould.org/library/ ... html#note1

for a counter-gould view, you might want to read this as well:

http://www.stephenjaygould.org/reviews/ ... hange.html

and this:

http://www.scitec.auckland.ac.nz/~%20ki ... pingou.htm

kthulhu · Post by **kthulhu** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 6:27 pm

Evolution? It occurs, in my opinion. Radiation can damage DNA and cause genetic changes - mutations, of course. A mutation is not always a bad thing, though.

Furthermore, inbreeding (which is common in many species) can reinforce genetic tendencies, both good and bad, and also caused mutation like qualities - look at dog breeds, many of which have been sadly interbred to produce "pleasing" physical characteristics.

How can a Scottish Terrier be related to a wolf? By centuries of breeding down. Of course, this is a human assisted process - a Scottie probably wouldn't survive on its own in the wilderness like a wolf, and it's only through the pleasing characteristics it has to humans that it survives.

So yes, I'd say evolution exists, and is a continuing, if slow, process.

Where did evolution, and hence existence, come from? Who knows? Maybe God did it, maybe it was just a big bang and chemical reactions...

Don't worry about it.

KhayotiK · Post by **KhayotiK** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 6:34 pm

kthulhu wrote:Where did evolution, and hence existence, come from? Who knows? Maybe God did it, maybe it was just a big bang and chemical reactions...

Don't worry about it.

Good call.

Kamoc · Post by **Kamoc** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 7:35 pm

double kill.

red team takes the lead.

head shot.

Jim Hawkings21122 · Post by **Jim Hawkings21122** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 8:30 pm

Kamoc wrote:double kill.

red team takes the lead.

head shot.

Can I be on the red team?