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San Francisco, 6:37 PM
Tue Nov 10
25 posts in the last 24 hours
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07/19/09
It is possible that other animals have a similar thing happen. Perhaps some animals are attracted to different traits despite being of the same species. As an example, perhaps with the bird of paradise, some females focus more on the dance while others focus more on the color of the male. This preference to focus on the dance or the color could be a matter of nurture, not nature. Therefore, the focus on either the dance or the color becomes passed down and speciation can occur between the good dancers and the birds with good colors.
07/17/09
The first is, as you mentioned, the new hardships or abundances. But the second is the lack of gene flow between the two groups. Sufficient genetic exchange between two groups prevents speciation, even in wildly different environments. Insufficient genetic exchange between neighboring groups causes speciation even without differing hardships and abundances (as founder's effect becomes amplified over time).
07/17/09
This study is staying that in thousands of generations, you have blues and reds and they cant breed with each other and produce offspring (or maybe the offspring is sterile).
07/17/09
07/18/09
Whaaaaaaat? Did you read the post or are you just having trouble understanding it?
This is not about disproving evolution
07/17/09
Geographic isolation just gives a population the opportunity to experience hardships or abundance distinct from their brothers and sisters.
07/18/09
This difference is partially due to the fact that over 2000 generations both groups are very unlikely to make the same choices when it comes to mating.
07/18/09
07/17/09
07/17/09
god bless Atwood.
07/17/09
I mean the new population must have had something going on where the new trait spread enough to become another species.
What am I not getting here?
07/17/09
And how sure are we of their models?
07/17/09
07/17/09
SPIDER-MAN = Menace or Pest?
07/17/09
07/17/09
But from the abstract it looks like they didn’t include environmental selection in the model.
I think where they’re going with this is that environmental/geographical selection might not be necessary for evolution, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t play a role. The evolution of most new species probably occurs due to environmental/geographical selection (as well as other factors ie. genetic drift, bottle necking etc) but there are exceptions to the rule (such as the species mentioned at the end of the abstract) which could have evolved by the process demonstrated in the model.
07/17/09
07/17/09
I'm not sure there's anything "natural" about models, though I'm down with them being a different species.
07/17/09
07/17/09
07/17/09
07/17/09
I guess it's important to watch what you say about evolution around science-y people.
07/17/09
07/17/09
07/17/09
07/17/09
07/17/09
Damn you Annalee, making me think and stuff!
07/17/09
I haven't read the actual article yet (I'm going to go do that now) but from what I can tell the results are all based on mathematical modelling which isn’t always entirely translatable to the real world.
07/17/09
07/17/09
07/17/09
07/17/09
Here here.
I mean, there is literally no reason for the peacock outside of sexual selection. You can't tell me that tail was actually good for anything but impressing the ladies.
07/17/09
It's this.... http://www.theonion.com/content/news/7_million_people_direct?utm_source=a-section
07/17/09
I think these guys have stumbled on a matter of phraseology, not anything particularly different.
07/17/09
07/17/09
I do believe that being able to carry such a tail (and be alive while doing it) it's a living proof of the male's speed, strength or wits; thus, females find him attractive.
07/17/09
It's all due to the intelligent designer!! IT'S THE INTELLIGENT DEEEEEEEESSSSSSIGNNNNNNNNNNNER!!!!!!!!!!
But seriously, who knew that entropy applies to biology?
07/17/09
07/17/09
Only in reference to "disorder" in genetics and not energy. As creatures reproduce, we get variants due to the inherent messiness of DNA combining from the egg and sperm. These variants start off small but over time they increase due to breeding patterns till eventually it becomes a new species.
07/17/09