December 5, 2003
WHO'DA THUNK IT:
A Fossil, Decidedly Male, and Old as the Hills (JAMES GORMAN, 12/05/03, NY Times)
A 425-million-year-old fossil found in Herefordshire, England, may be the oldest record of an animal that is unarguably male. [...]The new fossil, of calcite found in volcanic ash, has modern descendants that are almost exactly the same, down to two hairs on the end of its swimming appendages.
It also offers a striking example of evolution almost standing still. "This," Dr. Siveter said, "is an animal whose basic ground plan hasn't changed in 425 million years." It has evolved hardly at all.
Hardly evolved in 425 million years? Shocking... Posted by Orrin Judd at December 5, 2003 10:16 AM
Well, it evolved right out of existence, didn't it?
As changes go, that would seem pretty significant.
Also, you seem to be imposing a notion of directionality upon evolution that simply isn't there.
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at December 5, 2003 11:26 AMJeff:
As I was going up the stair,
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today...
I wish that he would go away!
Well, that species has not changed much. But there has been other activity in the family, as evolution by natural selection would suggest.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at December 5, 2003 2:26 PMThis is a perfect example of the phrase "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
A thought on the "design" vs "random mutation" controversy. We are constantly asked the question "how can something that obviously appears designed for a purpose come about through mindless, random change". What the question doesn't realize is how much what we consider "design" in the human context has in common with random mutation. Trial and error is a major component of much of what we call design.
At a technical conference I attended last year, the guest speaker was the man (I forget his name) who designed the Gossamer Condor which won the prize for man-powered flight. The design challenge that he had to solve was to create a craft that was just barely strong enough to fly, so as to be as light as possible. He experimented with many different designs, and one of the techniques they used was after every flight they would take the parts that broke and make them slightly stronger (heavier) and the parts that didn't break, they would make it slightly weaker (lighter). This is a perfect example of a process of random mutation coupled with natural selection.
Posted by: Robert D at December 7, 2003 12:42 PMRobert:
I agree. That would appear to be exactly how Evolution worked--with an intelligent being or beings experimenting in order to achieve a desired end.
Posted by: oj at December 7, 2003 1:16 PMHe must have been asleep when he designed our backs.
Robert, I believe you are talking about Rutan, and I have heard (though I don't know much about him) that he is an outspoken freethinker.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at December 7, 2003 9:03 PMActually, it was Paul MacCready (here's a link http://www.nasm.edu/nasm/aero/aircraft/maccread_condor.htm). Dick Rutan was the guy who circumnavigated the globe nonstop without refuelling.
Posted by: Robert D at December 7, 2003 9:56 PM