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Evolution? 'It's not
only a theory. It is a historical January 23, 2009 http://tinyurl.com/evolution-evident-provable - - - Excerpt: ... His [David Attenborough's] next documentary for BBC1, Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life, trans- mitting on February 1, will look at one of the over- arching themes of his career: evolution. Darwin showed how all life is related. Attenborough feels that people need reminding that his discoveries aren't just a matter of opinion. "The proof comes from fossils, geographical distri- bution, genetics," he says. "Since Darwin propounded [his theory] we have dealt with every one of the objec- tions there have been. That's what this programme is about: showing the evidence. What really gets me down is when people say, 'It's only a theory that we are related to apes.' It's not only a theory. It is a his- torical fact, evident and provable." ... - - - end excerpt - - - Follow-ups: Links/excerpts to some helful information regarding evolution's past/present/future, science, and how the scientific method is a superior methodology when it comes to open-minded search for verity: - - - Frequently Asked Questions About Evolution http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/faq/index.html - - - - - - 340 aspects of the christian bible that don't jive with science and history, the first 58 of which are in Genesis http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/science/long.html - - - ... one species of animal you may be interested in, that being homo sapiens, here's a fascinating book regarding evolu- tion in the past 10,000 years. - - - The 10,000 Year Explosion: How Civil- ization Accelerated Human Evolution http://tinyurl.com/civilization-spedup-humanevolu - - - Excerpt: Resistance to malaria. Blue eyes. Lactose tolerance. What do all of these traits have in common? Every one of them has emerged in the last 10,000 years. Scientists have long believed that the "great leap forward" that occurred some 40,000 to 50,000 years ago in Europe marked end of significant biological evolution in humans. In this stunningly original account of our evolutionary history, top scholars Gregory Cochran and Henry Harpending reject this conventional wisdom and reveal that the human species has undergone a storm of genetic change much more recently. Human evolution in fact accelerated after civilization arose, they contend, and these ongoing changes have played a pivotal role in human history. They argue that biology explains the expan- sion of the Indo-Europeans, the European conquest of the Americas, and European Jews' rise to intellectual prominence. In each of these cases, the key was recent genetic change: adult milk tolerance in the early Indo-Europeans that allowed for a new way of life, increased disease resist- ance among the Europeans settling Amer- ica, and new versions of neurological genes among European Jews. Ranging across subjects as diverse as human domestication, Neanderthal hybridization, and IQ tests, Cochran and Harpending's anal- ysis demonstrates convincingly that human genetics have changed and can continue to change much more rapidly than scientists have previously believed. A provocative and fascinating new look at human evolution that turns conventional wis- dom on its head, The 10,000 Year Explosion reveals the ongoing interplay between culture and biology in the making of the human race. - - - end excerpt - - - - - - Details Of Evolutionary Transition From Fish To Land Animals Revealed http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081015144123.htm - - - Excerpt: ScienceDaily (Oct. 15, 2008) - New research has provided the first detailed look at the internal head skeleton of Tiktaalik roseae, the 375-mil- lion-year-old fossil animal that represents an important intermediate step in the evolutionary transition from fish to animals that walked on land. A predator, up to nine feet long, with sharp teeth, a crocodile-like head and a flattened body, Tiktaa- lik's anatomy and way of life straddle the divide between fish and land-living animals. First des- cribed in 2006, and quickly dubbed the "fishapod," it had fish-like features such as a primitive jaw, fins and scales, as well as a skull, neck, ribs and parts of the limbs that are similar to tetrapods, four-legged animals. The initial 2006 report did not describe the inter- nal anatomy of the head, because those parts of the fossil were buried in rock. In the October 16, 2008, issue of Nature, the researchers describe this region and show how Tiktaalik was gaining structures that could allow it to support itself on solid ground and breathe air. - - - Image: A new study of Tiktaalik roseae (middle), a 375-million-year-old transitional fossil, high- lights an intermediate step between the condition in fish like Eusthenopteron (bottom) and that in early limbed forms like Acanthostega (top). http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2008/10/081015144123.jpg - - - ... - - - end excerpt - - - Microraptor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microraptor Excerpt: Like Archaeopteryx, Microraptor provides important evidence about the evolutionary relationship between birds and dinosaurs. Archaeopteryx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeopteryx Excerpt: Archaeopteryx plays an important role not only in the study of the origin of birds but in the study of dinosaurs. The first complete specimen of Archaeop- teryx was announced in 1861, only two years after Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species, and it became a key piece of evidence in the debate over evolution. Over the years, nine more fossils of Archaeopteryx have surfaced. Bird evolution http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_evolution Excerpt: There is significant evidence that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs, specifically, that birds are members of Maniraptora, a group of theropods which includes dromaeosaurs and oviraptorids, among others. As more non-avian theropods that are closely related to birds are discovered, the formerly clear distinction be- tween non-birds and birds becomes less so. Recent dis- coveries in northeast China (Liaoning Province), dem- onstrating that many small theropod dinosaurs had fea- thers, contribute to this ambiguity. Origin of birds http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_birds Excerpt: The origin of birds has been a contentious topic within evolutionary biology for many years, but more recently a scientific consensus has emerged which holds that birds are a group of theropod dinosaurs that evolved during the Mesozoic Era. - - - - - - Super-Predators: Humans Force Rapid Evolution of Animals By Robert Roy Britt, Editorial Director posted: 12 January 2009 http://www.livescience.com/animals/090112-super-predators.html - - - Excerpts: Acting as super-predators, humans are forcing changes to body size and reproductive abilities in some species 300 percent faster than would occur naturally, a new study finds. Hunting and fishing by individual sportsmen as well as large-scale commercial fishing are also outpacing other human influences, such as pollution, in effects on the animal kingdom. ... - - - end excerpt - - - Human evolution http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_evolution Timeline of human evolution http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_human_evolution Dawn of Man: The Story of Human Evolution, by Robin McKie http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0789462621 "Dawn of Man, which accompanies a BBC television series, tells the story of human evolution, warts and all, over the last 4 million years or so. From a shared ancestor with the higher apes, an upright, walking ape-human in Africa, McKie takes our story through the Ice Age to domination by modern humans." The Complete World of Human Evolution http://www.amazon.com/Complete-World-Human-Evolution/dp/0500051321 "Human domination of the earth is now so complete that it is easy to forget how recently our role in the history of the planet began: the earliest apes evolved around twenty million years ago, yet Homo sapiens has existed for a mere 150,000 years. In the inter- vening period, many species of early ape and human have lived and died out, leaving behind the fossilized remains that have helped to make the detailed picture of our evolution revealed here." The Last Human: A Guide to Twenty-Two Species of Extinct Humans http://tinyurl.com/22humanspeciesextinct "... Paleontological and anatomical data for each species were combined with anthropological and climatological research to produce this volume, covering 22 species and 7 million years. ... As paleoanthropologist Ian Tatter- sall points out in his introduction to this marvelous new book on our ancestors, we Homo sapiens find ourselves in the unusual situation of being alone on the planet as the sole surviving hominid. For most of the history of the hominid lineage, the world was home to coexisting pre- humans and humans. ..." "human evolution" http://tinyurl.com/humanevolutionPHF O - r - i - g - i - n - s / E - v - o - l - u - t - i - o - n (Top Posts - Science - 081703) http://prohuman.net/science/origins_evolution.htm - - - [follow-up/reply to an evolution skeptic and a fan of ancient religions which imagine a particular god as a creator / controller regarding naturalistic matters] The evidence for evolution is strong. The evidence for God is non-existent. You fail to understand evolution. A desire to live forever (and the fear of not continuing to live when you die) seems to be the driving force behind your God theory. An obvious glaring weakness in your God theory is the overwhelming lack of evidence that your God (or any God, for that matter) actually exists outside of human imagination. Put another way, imagining a God exists does not a God create, it simply reveals the ability of creatures to pass down myths and act as if they reflect reality when, point in fact, they reflect nothing more than human imagination -and- the way in which human imagination (especially when the seduction of pleasant immortality -and- the threats of eternal death or eternal torment are tied to belief in a supposedly all-powerful being) can be passed down from parents and others to the vulnerable and receptive minds of chil- dren. Many other things are passed down, but none more imaginary than magic beings supposedly doing magic things and formalizing that belief in a sanctioned protected manner to such a degree that it has become deeply entrenched (in many contradictory forms) in most human cultures around the world. - - - Primate Culture Is Just A Stone's Throw Away From Human Evolution, Study Finds http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090112110058.htm - - - Excerpt: ScienceDaily (Jan. 15, 2009) - For 30 years, scientists have been studying stone-handling behavior in several troops of Japanese macaques to catch a unique glimpse of primate culture. By watching these monkeys acquire and main- tain behavioral traditions from generation to generation, the scientists have gained insight into the cultural evolution of humans. ... - - - end excerpt - - - Human evolution, the future, the following writer projects that by 2050, some humans will have become so advanced that it will, in essence, mark the arrival of a new species, far superior to the defective one that has resulted from billions of years of naturalistic processes (however, keep in mind that the following is just one of many possibilities, and all it takes is one very bad day, either as a result of human act -or- a result of natural- istic disaster) to destroy the chances that the following will transpire: - - - The Future of Humans written by David Tow http://tinyurl.com/FutureofHumansbyDavidTow - - - Complete article: By 2020 the early prediction and prevention of most human diseases including cancer and neuro- degenerative pathologies such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's will be achieved. Personal genome information will be readily and cheaply available, encoded in chip form as well as stored on the internet for instant medical access; enabling enhanced diagnosis and treatment of in- herited and environmental diseases, by drugs and dosages based on individual metabolism and aller- gies. Molecular engineers will also apply the process of evolution to the production of custom-built proteins with the capability of correcting genetic diseases including haemophilia, muscular dystro- phy and sickle cell anaemia; as well as improving the body's immune response to diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. Other medical advances which will revolutionise the quality and longevity of human life will in- clude- stem cell technology to replace and grow new organs, smart implants to deliver drugs and instruct cells to make specific hormones such as insulin, self replicating nano-scale robots to per- form micro surgery and tiny biological fuel cells capable of producing electricity from glucose in the bloodstream. The quest for human perfection will be applied to the very beginning of life- allowing embryo screening for defective chromosomes and genes that cause a range of developmental disorders and diseases. This will also provide the oppor- tunity to select for desired physical character- istics as well as eliminating undesirable ones. These developments will increase the average human lifespan by 30 percent over the next 20 years. By 2030 the rapidly changing human social and technological environment will accelerate the evolutionary process. Changes in cognitive skills driven by future computer-cyber interaction, to- gether with increased mixing of human traits and immune responses in a globalised world, will create new challenges for the human genome. This combination will drive human evolution into fast forward and possibly chaotic mode. To cope with an era of hyper-change, smart drugs or cognitive enhancers will be used in conjunction with brain-computer interfaces to facilitate direct transference of information and knowledge-en- hancing learning, decision-making and creative skills. Humans will increasingly work in cooper- ative groups, exchanging and absorbing informa- tion and sharing virtual and augmented realities in local and global networks. Support will also be provided by self-learning adaptive robots, assisting in the implementation of complex tasks in both living and workplace environments. The symbiosis of humans and autonomous robots will continue into the far future blurring the nature of human boundaries and creating the first true humanoids. This symbiosis will be enhanced by advances in synthetic biology- not only correcting genetic deficiencies but achieving specific varia- tions in human behaviour, cognitive capacity, meta- bolism and disease resistance by creating new gen- etic forms. By 2040 humans will be enclosed by a people-cen- tric sensory web- tracking individual and group movement and behaviour via embedded, ubiquitous sensors and micro processors. The sensory web will be part of the wider web, connected to the range of human artifacts and infrastructure- clothing, living and work spaces, vehicles, buildings and urban envir- onments. This environment will create automatic his- tories- recording all personal experiences from pre- birth to death. The impact of this increasingly dense sensory sur- round on humans, coupled to the intelligent web, is unknown; except that the young mind in particular will try to adapt to its new environment, including abstract virtual realities, in accordance with evolu- tionary theory- dramatically affecting future social behaviour and development. The fast forward evolution of human cognitive capa- city amplified by advanced artificial intelligence and the billions of cooperative minds seamlessly linked through the power of the web will mark a massive advance in human problem-solving and knowledge generation capability.. By 2050 the impact of cyberspace on the evolution of the brain is likely to be extremely significant. Chil- dren will be neurally rewired as the interactive internet becomes an invisible part of their lives. From this per- iod onwards humans will spend most of their lives in cyberspace as human and computer intelligence are seamlessly co-joined. During this time the Web 5.0 will emerge as a global sentient intelligent network of networks, incorporating combined artificial and human intelligence- eventually creating a form of global consciousness. (ref Future Web / Future Media ) Genetic mutation will still occur but it will no longer be the physically fittest who survive. The combination of modern medicine, sentient intelligent technology and a virtual cyber reality will ensure that only the fittest minds will inherit the cosmos. The children of 2050 will be the first generation to truly experience a world in which virtual realities will match the real-world realities of today. The immersive cyber-future threshold has just been reached. A new species begins to emerge. - - - end of article - - - - - - Evolution: 24 myths and misconceptions http://tinyurl.com/evolutionmythsnmisconceptions - - - Excerpts: If you think you understand it, you don't know nearly enough about it ... Darwin presented compelling evidence for evolution in On the Origin and, since his time, the case has become overwhelming. Countless fossil discoveries allow us to trace the evolution of today's organisms from earlier forms. DNA sequencing has confirmed beyond any doubt that all living creatures share a common origin. Innumerable examples of evolution in action can be seen all around us, from the pollution-matching peppered moth to fast- changing viruses such as HIV and H5N1 bird flu. Evolution is as firmly established a scien- tific fact as the roundness of the Earth. And yet despite an ever-growing mountain of evidence, most people around the world are not taught the truth about evolution, if they are taught about it at all. Even in the UK, the birthplace of Darwin with an edu- cated and increasingly secular population, one recent poll suggests less than half the population accepts evolution. For those who have never had the oppor- tunity to find out about biology or science, claims made by those who believe in super- natural alternatives to evolutionary theory can appear convincing. Meanwhile, even among those who accept evolution, mis- conceptions abound. Most of us are happy to admit that we do not understand, say, string theory in physics, yet we are all convinced we understand evo- lution. In fact, as biologists are discovering, its consequences can be stranger than we ever imagined. Evolution must be the best- known yet worst-understood of all scienti- fic theories. So here is New Scientist's guide to some of the most common myths and misconceptions about evolution. Shared misconceptions: Everything is an adaptation produced by natural selection http://tinyurl.com/evolutionmyths13615 Natural selection is the only means of evolution http://tinyurl.com/evolutionmyths13616 Natural selection leads to ever-greater complexity http://tinyurl.com/evolutionmyths13617 Evolution produces creatures perfectly adapted to their environment http://tinyurl.com/evolutionmyths13640 Evolution always promotes the survival of species http://tinyurl.com/evolutionmyths13687 It doesn't matter if people do not understand evolution http://tinyurl.com/evolutionmyths13621 "Survival of the fittest" justifies "everyone for themselves" http://tinyurl.com/evolutionmyths13671 Evolution is limitlessly creative http://tinyurl.com/evolutionmyths13679 Evolution cannot explain traits such as homosexuality http://tinyurl.com/evolutionmyths13674 Creationism provides a coherent alternative to evolution http://tinyurl.com/evolutionmyths13688 Creationist myths: Evolution must be wrong because the Bible is inerrant http://tinyurl.com/creationistmyths13695 Accepting evolution undermines morality http://tinyurl.com/creationistmyths13696 Evolutionary theory leads to racism and genocide http://tinyurl.com/creationistmyths13689 Religion and evolution are incompatible http://tinyurl.com/creationistmyths13722 Half a wing is no use to anyone http://tinyurl.com/creationistmyths13683 Evolutionary science is not predictive http://tinyurl.com/creationistmyths13677 Evolution cannot be disproved so is not science http://tinyurl.com/creationistmyths13675 Evolution is just so unlikely to produce complex life forms http://tinyurl.com/creationistmyths13694 Evolution is an entirely random process http://tinyurl.com/creationistmyths13698 Mutations can only destroy information, not create it http://tinyurl.com/creationistmyths13673 Darwin is the ultimate authority on evolution http://tinyurl.com/creationistmyths13633 The bacterial flagellum is irreducibly complex http://tinyurl.com/creationistmyths13663 Yet more creationist misconceptions http://tinyurl.com/creationistmyths13717 Evolution violates the second law of thermodynamics http://tinyurl.com/creationistmyths13720 - - - Index to Creationist Claims http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/list.html A sample (excerpt) that applies to one of the topics discussed in this thread yesterday (see the full index for further details on other claims and refutations): Claim CB141: http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CB/CB141.html DNA and chromosome counts differ widely between different organisms. This dissimilarity contradicts the similarity we expect from com- mon descent. Chromosome counts should be either the same because the different forms of life descended from a common ancestor ... or more complex as organisms get more complex ... Neither is the case. For example, humans have 46 chromosomes, some ferns have 512, and some gulls have 12. ... Response: 1. Chromosome counts are poor indications of similarity; they can vary widely within a single genus or even a single species. The plant genus Clarkia, for example, has species with chromo- some counts of n = 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 17, 18, and 26 (Lewis 1993). Chromosome counts in the house mouse species (Mus domesticus) range from 2n = 22 to 40 (Nachman et al. 1994). Chromosomes can split or join with little effect on the genes themselves. One human chromosome, for example, is very similar to two chimpanzee chromosomes laid end to end; it likely formed from the joining of two chromosomes (Yunis and Prakash 1982). Because the genes can still align, a change in chromosome number does not prevent reproduction. Chromosome counts can also change through poly- ploidy, where the entire genome is duplicated. Poly- ploidy, in fact, is a common mechanism of speciation in plants. - - - - - - Recent articles evidential in the evolution of life: - - - February 4, 2009 Oldest fossil evidence for animals found http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29017633/ - - - Excerpts: The oldest fossilized evidence of animals has been unearthed in Oman and reveals that tiny sea sponges were abundant 635 million years ago, long before most of the planet's other major animal groups evolved, according to a new analysis. This early life hardly looked like us, but some of the so-called demosponges can be sizable today. Demosponges still make up 90 percent of all sponges on Earth and 100 percent of Earth's largest sponges, including barrel sponges, which can be larger than an old-style phone booth. ... Now that there is evidence of animals going back to 635 million years ago, it is worth asking if future research will find evidence of animal fossils going back even further. Love doubts the date will get much earlier than a glaciation event called the Stur- tian, 720 million years ago, which caused big changes in ocean chemistry. - - - end excerpts - - - - - - February 4, 2009 Ancient snake was as long as a bus Reptile slithered about South America's rainforests 60 million years ago http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29014818/ - - - Excerpts: A colossal snake about the length of a school bus slithered about South America's rainforests some 60 million years ago, according to an analysis of the skeletal remains of what is now considered the largest snake ever identified. "It's the biggest snake the world has ever known." ... "The snake's body was so wide that if it were moving down the hall and decided to come into my office to eat me, it would literally have to squeeze through the door." Fossils of the extinct snake species, now called Titanoboa cerrejonensis, were discovered in the Cerrejon Coal Mine in northern Colombia. From the fossilized vertebrae, the researchers con- servatively estimate the snake weighed about 2,500 pounds and measured nearly 43 feet nose to tail tip. The giant reptile was a boine snake, a type of non- venomous constrictor that includes anacondas and boas. In the same fossil rainforest, the researchers also found giant sea turtles and crocodile relatives. In fact, while alive, the snake likely gorged on its crocodilian neighbors. ... - - - end excerpt - - - - - - February 4, 2009 'Seuss-like' sea creatures found http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29021242/ - - - Excerpts: A newly identified species of carnivorous sea squirt lurks in the deep sea off Australia, where it traps and devours meaty prey swimming past. - - - Image: A new species of sea squirt was discov- ered in the deep sea off Australia. The creature traps nearby fish in a manner similar to a Venus flytrap. http://tinyurl.com/Seusslike-Seacreature - - - ... The transparent organism is triggered to feed when a fish or other swimming snack touches the sea squirt. Similar to what happens in a Venus flytrap, the funnel-shaped section of the squirt's body traps and collapses around prey. Sea squirts are considered tunicates, a type of marine organism with a rubbery outer covering called a tunic. The animal typically feeds by pushing water in and out of tiny tubes, filtering out bacteria and algae and other bits of food. ... In addition to surveying the life that exists in the area's deep sea, researchers hope to use the corals there to shed light on climate changes over the past 100,000 years or so. ... - - - end excerpts - - - - - - February 5, 2009 Texas creationist takes evolution quotes out of context http://tinyurl.com/mcelroyoutofcontextquotes - - - Excerpts: ... Texas Board of Education ... chairman Don McElroy, a dentist with no training at all in a relevant field of science. He did not look these up himself, of course, he just cribbed them from creationist material. That material, as always, is highly dishonest. A few examples. McElroy's quote. This is from Ernst Mayr's book What Evolution Is: "The earliest fossil prokaryotes (3.5 billion years ago) were cyanobacteria ... [which] are morphologically [body type] indistinguishable from [the] still living species and nearly all of the them can be placed in modern genera." Page 47 Now the full quote in context: "The earliest fossil prokaryotes (3.5 billion years ago) were cyanobacteria (see Fig. 3.1). What is most remark- able about the cyanobacteria is their morphological stasis. About a third of the early fossil species of prokaryotes are morphologically indistinguishable from still living species and nearly all of them can be placed in modern genera. There are a number of possible reasons for this constancy. They reproduce asexually, they have very large populations, and they are able to live under highly variable and often extreme environmental conditions. All this may favor stability." ... - - - end excerpts - - - - - - Key Insights Into How New Species Emerge http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090205161109.htm - - - Excerpts: ScienceDaily (Feb. 6, 2009) - A team of researchers are reporting the ongoing emergence of a new species of fruit fly--and the sequential development of a new species of wasp--in the February 6 issue of the journal Science. Jeff Feder, a University of Notre Dame biologist, and his colleagues say the introduction of apples to America almost 400 years ago ultimately may have changed the behavior of a fruit fly, leading to its modification and the subsequent modification of a parasitic wasp that feeds on it. - - - Image http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2009/02/090205161109-large.jpg A female apple maggot fly, Rhagoletis pomonella, im- plants an egg into an apple. Wasps that attack the flies and eat their larvae appear to be changing on a genetic level in the same way that the flies themselves appear to be changing genetically. - - - The result is a chain reaction of biodiversity where the modification of one species triggers the sequential mod- ification of a second, dependent species. The National Science Foundation supports the research. "It's a nice demonstration of how the initial speciation of one organism opens up an opportunity for another species in the ecosystem to speciate in kind. Biodiver- sity in essence is the source for new biodiversity." For almost 250 years after the introduction of apples to North America, insects referred to as hawthorn flies, Rhagoletis pomonella, continued to meet on the small, red fruit of hawthorn trees to mate and lay eggs. Then, in the mid-1800s, some of these "hawthorn flies" began to mate and lay eggs on apples instead. ... the flies at- tracted to apples eventually became genetically differ- entiated from the flies attracted to hawthorns, and so did the wasps that live on the flies' larvae. The genetic distinctions mainly show up as gene fre- quency differences between the flies and their associated wasp populations rather than fixed, all or none, differ- ences. This is consistent with the process by which new biological species arise. ... "What is startling is how fast populations can ecologically adapt to new habitats and begin to evolve into different species in front of our eyes," he said. Feder says the research is important because it provides insights into solving Darwin's mystery of the origins of new species. "Clues can be found right before us as we sit on our deck chairs barbecuing and drinking pop. All we have to do is open our eyes and we can see new life forms coming into being in that scraggly old apple tree in our backyard." ... - - - end excerpts - - -
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