Scientists 'see new species born'

BBC News Online science editor ^ | 2004 June | By Dr David Whitehouse

[restornu]

And this conflicts with Genesis how?

Though God all things are possible!

Some call it evolution...

others view it in terms of "A Work In Progress" when one door closes another one Opens!

[phantomworker]

Just to level set, what is the definition of "species"?

[nicmarlo]

a new species? wouldn't that mean VERY YOUNG???? ppppfffffttttt!!! : )

[phantomworker]

If its highly likely that fruit flies live in rotten fruit and just hatch, then why do I feel like rotten fruit sometimes with the fruit flies I attract? Drum roll..... LOL (Sorry I couldn't resist that one)

[nicmarlo]

lol! (I'm not going to answer that one!!!! : )

[fzx12345]

Wake me up when the fruit flies speciate into something else besides other fruit flies.

[phantomworker]

And here I thought I was the new species........

Yes, dear, there is no Santa Claus.

[PatrickHenry]

... what is the definition of "species"?

You'll encounter more than one definition. It's a tad fuzzy because all creatures form a continuum, so where you draw the line between closely-related species can seem arbitrary. Usually, the line is drawn where the two versions don't interbreed, at least not often or successfully, but there are exceptions to that.

As time goes on, and the two groups mutate in isolation, it becomes increasingly obvious where the line should be drawn. It's even more obvious if the intermediate stages no longer exist. But sometimes it's a tough call. This seems to be because the development of new species is an ongoing process.

[phantomworker]

Great. Thank you. That makes a lot of sense.

[bobdsmith]

That fly turned into that women? woa

[restornu]

We need to get nully take
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1525629/posts?page=24#24

[bobdsmith]

Wake me up when the fruit flies speciate into something else besides other fruit flies.

Some people just prefer to use alarm clocks

[PatrickHenry]

In discussing whether the races of man were distinct species (and concluding -- contrary to the opinion of most of his contempories -- that they were not), Darwin himself expressed confusion over the term "species":

But it is a hopeless endeavour to decide this point, until some definition of the term "species" is generally accepted; and the definition must not include an indeterminate element such as an act of creation. We might as well attempt without any definition to decide whether a certain number of houses should be called a village, town, or city. We have a practical illustration of the difficulty in the never-ending doubts whether many closely-allied mammals, birds, insects, and plants, which represent each other respectively in North America and Europe, should be ranked as species or geographical races; and the like holds true of the productions of many islands situated at some little distance from the nearest continent.

Descent of Man, Chapter 7.

[null and void]

Not going there.

[phantomworker]

Wise man.

[austinmark]

[FreeReign]

Wake me up when the fruit flies speciate into something else besides other fruit flies.

Close your eyes and go to sleep.

[Lakeshark]

Drum roll.....

Might not let you forget that one....

:-)

[restornu]

Was this the kind of fly?

[Gumlegs]

Maybe it was an elephant fly.