----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Seeberger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Brin-L" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2002 11:51 AM Subject: Re: Evolution Question
> > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "John D. Giorgis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Brin-L" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2002 10:59 AM > Subject: Re: Evolution Question > > > > At 10:49 AM 4/13/02 -0500 Robert Seeberger wrote: > > >Bull,<G>, The way that is stated depends on sudden speciation, when in > fact > > >speciation is a very gradual process that could be observed only onder > long > > >term scales. There hasnt been enough time since evolution was first > > >postulated to have observed an example of speciation. > > > > Well, in bacteria, there has been plenty of time - in terms of sheer > > numbers of generations. > > > > I don't know enough about bacteria to determine how they define "species" > > (like when somebody goes to the Mariana Trench and "discovers" new > bacteria > > species), but it seems like there should be a better example than just > > "resistant strains" (which are classified as members of the same species, > > IIRC, ala chihuahas and Great Danes.) > > > OTOH classification at the species level is arbitrary at times, if lions and > tigers can interbreed, are then boxers and dachshunds really the same > species? They can be. But, I think that the definition of speciation can be defined a bit clearer than that. It is from within a breeding population, there emerges at least two seperate populations that do not breed with each other. And, at http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/speciation.html there are are a number of examples of speciations having occured in recorded history. So, I don't think we have to look at borderline cases at all. Horses and donkeys. Dogs and wolves. Housecats and wildcats? > What does this say about the various human races? (Yes I realise how un-PC > that is, but in context of the discussion I think it is valid.) Well, I think that, by the classic definition, there is no speciation in humans. I have seen nothing that indicates that the relative fertility of races with respect to each other is significantly lower than fertility within a race. Dan M.
