On Tue, 05 May 1998 19:39:58 -0500, Glenn R. Morton wrote:
GM>Stephen, I have said all that I am going to say about Longisquama. I simply
>don't find it of profit to continue with you on these.
I now have the NATURE article that started you off on this, and having read it
I can now understand why you have downplayed it, and don't want to continue
with this thread.
Norell M.A., et. al., in reply to Feduccia A. & Martin L.D., "Theropod-
bird link reconsidered," Nature, Vol. 391, 19 February 1998, p754, state
about Longisquama:
"...Longisquama is a poor-quality fossil, and the interpretation of
single elements is controversial. Longisquama lacks other characters-
present in non-avian Maniraptora-that would ally it with birds. Single
features do not overturn a hypothesis that is strongly supported by a
plethora of character evidence.
Ironically, if one does use Feduccia and Martin's reasoning that
Longisquama is a close bird 'ancestor' as advocated elsewhere, the
temporal paradox increases. Longisquama comes from rocks about
220 million years old, creating a fossil-free gap of more than 80
million years before the appearance of Archaeopteryx. Any empirical
measure of stratigraphic fits will prefer a hypothesis of maniraptoran
relationships over this one."
(Norell M.A., et. al., reply to Feduccia A. & Martin L.D., "Theropod-
bird link reconsidered," Nature, Vol. 391, 19 February 1998, p754)
So your attacks on Christian apologists like Morris & Parker and Davis
& Kenyon, regarding the lack of "true transitional forms (that is, in the
sense of forms containing incipient, developing or transitional
structures-such as half-scales/half-feathers.." (Morris H.M. & Parker
G.E., "What is Creation Science?," 1987, p11), are not warranted.
Steve
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Stephen E (Steve) Jones ,--_|\ sejones@ibm.net
3 Hawker Avenue / Oz \ Steve.Jones@health.wa.gov.au
Warwick 6024 ->*_,--\_/ Phone +61 8 9448 7439
Perth, West Australia v "Test everything." (1Thess 5:21)
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