Re: Evolution!!
Donald Howes (dhowes@ansc.une.edu.au)
Mon, 20 Jul 1998 10:49:08 +1000>>Glenn,
>>
>>How do you know "They are not trying to change it in an evolutionary
>>manner"? If they had changed a fruit fly into a falcon, then I doubt
>>that you would say that.
>
>Because they are not applying a consistent selection pressure over the past
>100 years. A few experiments place one set of selection pressures on the
>bug for a few years and then the authors write a paper and go on to another
>problem. For a scientist to spend a lifetime on a long term, multi-human
>generation generation experiment as would be required to fundamentally
>alter the fly, would mean that the guy never published an article. Few want
>to do that. Even the space experiments sent up on satellites or martian
>probes, which may take 20 years of a researcher's time, create complaints
>that there is too much of one's life spent on one experiment. Nobody wants
>to do an experiment whose results will not be published for another 10,000
>years!
>glenn
I dont understand this, I may well be just plain stupid, but what does
selective pressure do? I take it you are not talking about random
mutations, selective pressure sounds like natural selection, impling micro
evolution. Aren't we saying that random, or even not-totally-random
mutations are what change things most, how does this need selective pressure?
Donald
____________________________________________
Donald Howes
Acting Research Systems Co-ordinator
Research Services
University of New England
Ph 6773 3263
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the
salvation of everyone who believes" Romans 1:16
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