Newly found species fills evolutionary gap between fish and land animals

EurekAlert (AAAS) ^ | 05 April 2006 | Staff

[Dimensio]

Basic to the theory is the lack of an intelligence behind the life we see here, now.

I do not understand. There exists no such theory.

Hence the Great Debate among evolutionists, creationists and intelligent designers.

Nosir. The debate exists because certain individuals find certain observations of reality a challenge to religious beliefs that they do not wish to abandon.

Where the proto-organism came from would be central to the issue, don't you think?

No, it is not relevant to the theory of evolution. It appears as though you have an incorrect understanding regarding the basis for the theory of evolution.

[Religion Moderator]

Knock off the personal attacks!

[Calpernia]

No, that was the snakehead.

[Coyoteman]

Just for the record....

Does this suggest that man evolved from modern chimpanzee?

No. The exact line of descent is still being worked out, but it is certainly not from modern chimpanzees. (Chimpanzees have evolved a little also, but forest fossils are pretty difficult to find. Genetics are probably a better field to use for these relationships, much as I love bones.)

[metmom]

For the simplest proof there are 6.7 billion people on earth and no two have been found to be exactly the same so some change has occurred.

So how many species are there? 6.7 million just of humans alone? If every single individual of plant, animal, or insect is considered a species because it is different form every other kind, then the Tree of Life needs some major correction; especially everytime something is born or dies. So how is *species* defined? Who gets to decide where to draw the line? If any change is evolutiion, then we should see new species arising regularly. Where are they? Just out of curiosity, what was the last known change from one species to another and when and where did it occur?

[William Terrell]

There is no need for that proposition. Except for Occam's Razor.

[TitansAFC]

Gotcha.

Just seemed a bit odd to be listed there. Not picking a fight.

[William Terrell]

The only place this debate is Great is in the minds of the creationists and intelligent designers. There is no debate among 99+% of scientists. And there is no debate between creationists/intelligent designers and that 99+% of scientists. The creationists/intelligent designers are just trying to create the illusion there's a debate, in the minds of an uninformed public, for political purposes, to advance their religious beliefs.

Ah, so, of course, you 99% of the scientists would be willing to stipulate to an intelligent designer as well as anything, as the genisis of life on Earth, then.

[Dimensio]

Ah, so, of course, you 99% of the scientists would be willing to stipulate to an intelligent designer as well as anything, as the genisis of life on Earth, then.

Should evidence of such a designer be found, I do not see why not.

[metmom]

"Tiktaalik blurs the boundary between fish and land-living animal both in terms of its anatomy and its way of life," said Neil Shubin,...

He can't get more specific than *blurs*? The statement that humans evolved form something similar is a pretty safe one for an evolutionist to make, very non-commital and certainly not new. There is nothing in the article, however, that states *This is it*. It sounds like wishful thinking on his part.

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"There is no need for that proposition. Except for Occam's Razor."

Occam's razor helps my side, not yours.

[William Terrell]

Ok, if you like, from one species to another starting from lifelessness until we have the vast diversity in form and quantity we have today.

But, to have gone from the simplest one celled form to a very complex form, "different but not more" understates the reality, wouldn't you agree?

[grey_whiskers]

The fact remains that egg laying in trees a very dangerous activity. Birds do it not because it is a great adaptation to living in trees but because their ancestors laid eggs and there was either not enough selective pressure to change or the needed variation never happened.

My browser crashed in the middle of my reply, remind me to freepmail you sometime during the next week over this...

Cheers!

[job]

Ok, not that I really ever like getting into to this, but evolution is ABSOLUTELY NOT AN OBSERVED FACT.

Paleontologists have studied different fauna and flora from different aged stratas, found different fossil remains, and have made INFERENCES as to the relation of the observed fossil finds. NO ONE, unless thay are millions of years old, can have actually observed evolution. but if you believe in evolution, that could not have happened either because you would now be extinct.

[metmom]

The contention by the scientist that he brought up is a good one. There's way too much speculation in some of the things that guy said. Where's the evidence to back up the claim that predators were the cause ofthis creatures apparently moving to land. Pretty high level of reasoning ability demonstrated by that creature there. It's as bad as the comment I heard on a show about cheetahs that explained that the cheetahs left their previous region to avoid an outbreak of anthrax. Sheesh. Where do these people come up with this stuff?

[grey_whiskers]

Thunderous applause, yet again.

(Whispered murmurs: "How does he do that?")

Take a bow, Radio.

Cheers!

[Dimensio]

Paleontologists have studied different fauna and flora from different aged stratas, found different fossil remains, and have made INFERENCES as to the relation of the observed fossil finds. NO ONE, unless thay are millions of years old, can have actually observed evolution. but if you believe in evolution, that could not have happened either because you would now be extinct.

This is incorrect. Evolution does not require a timescale of millions of years to occur. Evolution -- albeit of a lesser magnitude -- can occur within human lifetimes, and this has been observed.

[Central Scrutiniser]

No, that is the vietnamese snakefish (which tastes good, a delicacy in SE Asia). The lungfish can be bought for a personal aquarium, but leave space at the top, even though it is a fish, it breathes air from the surface to live. A fascinating species.

[jec41]

So how is *species* defined?

Those species that have so changed they can't reproduce.

Evolution is defined as on going change or a fact. A theory explains the fact. I don't know the last new species , they occur every day. Goggle up new species, you will find many. Just out of curiosity, what was the last Creation or Intelligent Designer that you observed as a material fact?

[Coyoteman]

Gotcha.

Just seemed a bit odd to be listed there. Not picking a fight.

Nor did I interpret it as such. It was a civil question.

I suspect the Smithsonian folks who put the picture together put modern chimpanzee at one end and modern humans at the other as an illustrative device.

There is a terrible lack of fossils from the forests in the 5-10 mya year range. Only when critters headed for the grasslands did we start getting a better fossil record.

I'm out for the night.