September 20, 2005
LACKING PUNCTUATION:
'Whale riders' reveal evolution (Alison Ross, 9/21/05, BBC News)
Scientists have examined the genes of "whale lice" to track whale evolution.The small parasitic crustaceans were taken off right whales, which have been driven to the brink of extinction in some waters by commercial hunting.
The genetics of the lice reveal their hosts split into three species 5-6 million years ago, and these were all equally abundant before whaling began.
6 million years and they're still just whale lice and right whales--impressive demonstration of stasis. Posted by Orrin Judd at September 20, 2005 11:51 PM
Cycle breaking comment.
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at September 21, 2005 9:29 AM"6 million years and they're still just whale lice and right whales--impressive demonstration of stasis."
Does the latter clause refer to the former?
That's a corker of an unwitting self-portrait.
Posted by: Brit at September 21, 2005 10:11 AM"6 million years and they're still just whale lice and right whales--impressive demonstration of stasis."
I'm sorry Orrin... did you intend for this to be a critique of the theory of evolution?
If so - how?
Posted by: creeper at September 21, 2005 2:11 PMNo.
Posted by: oj at September 21, 2005 2:22 PMThe observation that whales and lice remained whales and lice over six million years appears utterly unremarkable. Was there a point to the post?
Posted by: creeper at September 21, 2005 3:37 PMYes--that's it.
Posted by: oj at September 21, 2005 4:07 PMOrrin, it's utterly unremarkable in the context of the theory of evolution, and it doesn't contradict it, if that's what you're trying to get at.
Posted by: creeper at September 22, 2005 1:41 AMCreeper:
Nothing to see here, just the standard obfuscation.
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at September 22, 2005 7:53 AMcreeper:
Of course it doesn't contradict evolution--it teaches us about how evolution proceeds.
Posted by: oj at September 22, 2005 8:14 AMJeff,
"Nothing to see here, just the standard obfuscation."
Doesn't hurt to point it out to the casual passers-by.
Posted by: creeper at September 22, 2005 8:29 AMOrrin,
"Of course it doesn't contradict evolution--it teaches us about how evolution proceeds."
The article sure does. Hope you get something out of it.
Posted by: creeper at September 22, 2005 8:31 AMYes, confirmation.
Posted by: oj at September 22, 2005 10:12 AMThe study of the whale lice did confirm what had been previously concluded from the study of the right whales themselves, so as far as that goes: yes, confirmation.
The article does not confirm anything contrary to the theory of evolution, if that's what you were hoping for.
Posted by: creeper at September 22, 2005 10:52 AMYes, it confirms what we observe to be true of evolution that it isn't Darwinian.
Posted by: oj at September 22, 2005 11:01 AMYou didn't read the article, did you?
Posted by: creeper at September 22, 2005 11:34 AMand comprehended it.
Posted by: oj at September 22, 2005 11:44 AMOkay: You didn't read the article and comprehended it, did you?
Posted by: creeper at September 22, 2005 12:09 PMOrrin:
What we observe of naturalistic evolution is many things.
Among them that plate tectonics would make terrestrial life impossible absent adaptability, another word for survival of the fittest.
Unless, of course, you insist on some Designer involved in Natural History's every tittle and jot.
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at September 22, 2005 12:10 PM"We never observe naturalistic evolution."
Since you state that as a fact, how do you know this?
Posted by: creeper at September 22, 2005 1:54 PMcreeper:
Because you guys don't offer any instances, nor does any Darwinist.
Posted by: oj at September 22, 2005 2:06 PM"What do you think the article says?"
That scientists studied the DNA of whale lice to verify the timeline of allopatric speciation of the right whales.
Posted by: creeper at September 22, 2005 2:06 PMWhat did right whales speciate into?
Posted by: oj at September 22, 2005 2:10 PM"What did right whales speciate into?"
The Atlantic Northern Right Whale, Eubalaena glacialis, the Pacific Northern Right Whale, Eubalaena japonica, and the Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australis.
Posted by: creeper at September 22, 2005 2:14 PM