Posted on 08/05/2004 8:29:50 AM PDT by AdmSmith
Atlanta (August 4,2004)It's no secret that life in the 21st century moves at a rapid pace. Human inventions such as the Internet, mobile phones and fiber optic cable have increased the speed of communication, making it possible for someone to be virtually in two places at once. But can humans speed up the rate of one of nature's most basic and slowest processes, evolution?
A study by J. Todd Streelman, new assistant professor of biology at the Georgia Institute of Technology suggests that humans may have sped up the evolutionary clock for one species of fish.
Cichlid fish are well known to biologists for their rapid rate of evolution. While it takes many animals thousands of years to form new species, the cichlids of Africa’s Lake Malawi are estimated to have formed 1,000 new species in only 500,000 years, lightning speed in evolutionary terms. In the 1960s a fish exporter may have unwittingly set the stage for an evolutionary explosion when he introduced individuals of the species Cynotilapia afra to Mitande Point on the lake's Thumbi West Island. As of 1983, the species hadn't budged from Mitande Point. But when Streelman, then at the University of New Hampshire, Durham, and colleagues went to the island in 2001, they found the fish had evolved into two genetically distinct varieties in less than 20 years. The study appears in the August 13 edition of Molecular Ecology.
"This is a great example of human-induced evolution in action," said Streelman. "It adds to a growing list of cases, including introduced salmon, flies and plants, where human disturbance has set the stage for contemporary evolution on scales we've not witnessed before."
The fish have evolved into two genetically distinct and differently colored populations, one on the north side of the island, the other on the south, said Streelman. Cichlid color patterns are important in mate selection, so these distinct markings may promote the evolution of new species.
Whether or not that happens and how long it will take is a question to which Streelman is eager to find the answer. "It could be that we'll have new species in another 20 years, although this depends on a number of factors. Either way, we have a wonderful opportunity to follow the evolutionary trajectory of these populations over time. We plan to return to the island next July to do further study," he said. "Thumbi West will be a valuable place to work for years to come."
Ping for your list
Cichlid's are nasty in a fish tank. You can't put them with normal fish because they'll kill most other species off.
Hmmm, survival of the fittest?
"Be kind."
What does that mean????
So flesh man now controls TIME???? Sure hope the skull is evolving at the same pace as the brain.... won't be a pretty sight if not.
Ugh..speed this, speed that. Hey...speed weight loss, have your stomach stapled!!
Welcome, to the world of instant gratification, where immediate results are the norm. No more waiting..not even for evolution.
Nah, just notoriously territorial. They don't kill other fish for food like a pirahna, they just kill them for turf like a gang.
I wish we'd speed it up for ourselves. Instead, we're using various socialist and bleeding-heart liberal schemes to ensure that the less fit reproduce at a much higher rate than the more fit -- in other words, artificially causing the process of evolution to run in reverse.
Sure. Man invented time and holds the patent.
"Be kind to the poor Cichlids"
Here is his article http://hcgs.unh.edu/Staff/kocher/pdfs/Streelman2004.pdf
Cichlids are among the most loving and attentive parents in the animal kingdom.
Ever seen what they do to other species?
So flesh man now controls TIME????
"Sure. Man invented time and holds the patent."
OK under the PLEA to be kind, I will try!!!!
Who issued the patent??? Which "man" and which "age" (time)?
Do you know what triggers the expiration of that "patent"???
Ok but not sure I have TIME!
Cichlids are territorial. They require a larger tank than other tropical fish. They should never be kept in a tank smaller than 40 gallons. But if you maintain a population of no more than 1 fish per four gallons of water and give them plenty of rocks and shells to nest in, they won't fight. Behaviorally, they are among the most interesting aquarium fish to watch. They are highly intelligent (as fish go).
Isaac Newton invented time. The patent will expire when we discover the true reality behind time. What is the true reality behind time? Kant said we can't know.
But he didn't cite Zeno's prior art in his application, so the patent could be nullified, if challenged...
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