How ancient whales lost their legs, got sleek and conquered the oceans

EurekAlert (AAAS) ^ | 22 May 2006 | Staff

[Junior]

Placemarker

[skinkinthegrass]

It's an excellent example of descent with modification.
Touche! :D
...good point.

[colorado tanker]

The first two discovered, desert hedgehog and indian hedgehog, were named for species of hedgehogs, while sonic hedgehog was named for Sega's video game character Sonic the Hedgehog. In addition to orthologues of the three mammalian hh genes, zebrafish have two further homologues: echidna hedgehog, named for the eponymous spiny anteater, and tiggywinkle hedgehog named for a character from Beatrix Potter's books for children.

LOL! Gotta love a scientist with a sense of humor.

[Quark2005]

Now if they could just explain how half of a whale/dolphin brain falls asleep at a time so the creature doesn't drown we might be on to something.

None of this changes the fact that there has been found a lineage of transitional fossils demonstrating the evolution of whales from land mammals, or the fact that the inactive vestiges of the genes that control the development of limbs have been clearly identified in cetaceans (as explained in this article).

Of course there are many details that evolution has not yet explained. Curious, though, that no matter how important a discovery is made about the evolution of life on earth, that creationists always try to distract attention to points that remain unknown; that's because the information that is known doesn't bode too well for creationism. </understatement>

(Ignore that man behind the curtain!)

[Old Professer]

Moby Dyke?

[peyton randolph]

Just read the article, absorb the information and have a conversation about it with somebody intelligent intelligently designed enough to believe it.

---

There. Fixed it. (just kidding).

[Coyoteman]

Curious, though, that no matter how important a discovery is made about the evolution of life on earth, that creationists always try to distract attention to points that remain unknown; that's because the information that is known doesn't bode too well for creationism.

Literary version: "Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, Alice in Wonderland

Creationist version:

"Why, sometimes I've declared as many as six things impossible before breakfast."

[Stultis]

Now if they could just explain how half of a whale/dolphin brain falls asleep at a time so the creature doesn't drown we might be on to something. Hint: it really is a big deal, because each hemisphere must have the necessary tracts and nucleii for full function. That's something that isn't present in human brains, btw.

From what I can tell (admittedly only from quick googling) it is NOT apparent at this time what, if any, neural structures may be present in cetaceans that allow this. This is a hot topic, but the research still seems to be in an early stage.

It also seems far from clear that cetaceans have "full function" during these periods of "drowsing," when they close one eye and the opposite side of the brain reduces its activity levels. In fact they often sink a bit in the water and seem to loose some function. It may provide just enough wakefulness to alert them to predators and remind them to breath. (NOTE: Breathing is a conscious activity for cetaceans. In humans, and other land animals, it is an automatic function that does not require consciousness.)

In any case it's not yet clear that there are any drastic physiological/neural differences behind this capability. It may just be (in the typical fashion of evolutionary tinkering) a slight modification, or modified usage, of structures already present.

[Dimensio]

A bunch of wristwatch parts tumbled in a clothes dryer for 35,000,000 years won't put themselves together into a wristwatch; not even if you run it for 100,000,000 years.

I don't believe it.

While I will not dispute your claim, I do not see how it is in any way related to the current topic of discussion. Did you perhaps post this to the wrong discussion?

[Right Wing Professor]

There's a great deal about science that members of the Darwin fan club won't - or perhaps can't - understand.

And that seems to give you satisfaction. Yes, there is much about biology we don't understand, but we're understanding more every day. Whereas that ol' book is just the same as it was 1700 years ago.

[microgood]

To deny obvious truths spread about you by the creator is blasphemous!

These "obvious truths" are not being spread by the creator, but by scientists. There is a big difference (although probably not to you).

[balrog666]

Grooooooooooooooooooooooan!

[TRY ONE]

How ancient whales lost their legs ---

Answer: Well, about 35 million years ago 3 or 4 whales were running in the Preakness and the lead whale broke its hind leg in three place......After that the Animal Racing Assoc. restricted whales from racing again. Soon after that, the whales lost all their legs....

[hosepipe]

[ How ancient whales lost their legs, got sleek and conquered the oceans ]

(Eddie Murphy laugh)...

[hosepipe]

[ How ancient whales lost their legs, got sleek and conquered the oceans ]

The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense - Tom Clancy

[freedumb2003]

I would rather walk with the Lord than to follow their atheistic belief system.

False Dichotomy. Strawman. Appeal to Authority. Non Sequitur.

Congrads for packing so many logical fallacies in such a brief statement.

[freedumb2003]

How ancient whales lost their legs, got sleek and conquered the oceans

Well, here is the "got sleek" part:

Pretty impressive.

[Dimensio]

If he had added an insulting snide comment regarding those who accept evolution, he could also have fit an ad hominem in there, though some might argue that an ad hominem is already implied with his incorrect implication that all who accept evolution are atheists.

[Almagest]

And don't forget "poisoning the well."

[jennyp]

(Anything is possible when you don't understand how anything happens.)

So true!