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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: J. C. Dithers who wrote (93542)	1/13/2005 3:19:09 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

If you are going to count what isn't there so am I- and I'll say there are millions of transition species we have not found. It is amazing we have as many fossils as we do (imo). I'm not sure what you know about fossilization, but it is a relatively rare event: colostate.edu If a transition species lasted for only a short time, it would stirke me as very odd that we did find it. On the other hand, many transition species have been found (species that managed to hang around for a while)- you may simply be unaware of their existence: talkorigins.org A nice example of transitions: Condylarths, the first hoofed animals Protungulatum (latest Cretaceous) -- Transitional between earliest placental mammals and the condylarths (primitive, small hoofed animals). These early, simple insectivore- like small mammals had one new development: their cheek teeth had grinding surfaces instead of simple, pointed cusps. They were the first mammal herbivores. All their other features are generalized and primitive -- simple plantigrade five-toed clawed feet, all teeth present (3:1:4:3) with no gaps, all limb bones present and unfused, pointy-faced, narrow small brain, eyesocket not closed. Within a few million years the condylarths split into several slightly different lineages with slightly different teeth, such as oxyclaenids (the most primitive), triisodontines, and phenacodonts (described in other sections). Those first differences amplified over time as the lineages drifted further and further apart, resulting ultimately in such different animals as whales, anteaters, and horses. It's interesting to see how similar the early condylarth lineages were to each other, in contrast to how different their descendants eventually, slowly, became. Paleontologists believe this is a classic example of how 'higher taxa" such as families and orders arise. On the presence of transitional fossils also see: tim-thompson.com

To: J. C. Dithers who wrote (93542)	1/13/2005 4:10:38 PM
From: cosmicforce	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

You do know about lateral gene transfers? That is evidence of the mechanisms for evolutionary change arising without heredity; a common fallacy held by the Creationists is that there isn't any non-heritable change. We have several means, lots of motive and a very long opportunity. And we have species evolving pathways that never formerly existed, like the recently discovered ability a new species of bacteria that can metabolize "unnatural" compounds such as chlorinated hydrocarbons. What more does one need? genomenewsnetwork.org chem.rug.nl