Only a few of an organisms genes specify its shape. Most of the genes control the detailed composition of proteins. There could have been wholesale changes at the cellular level, but you'd never know it from the fossil record.
That's not wild speculation, either. We observe such low-level divergence occurring in the real world, almost in realtime. Consider the wide variety of bacteria that exist in the world today, all sharing very similar morphologies. If you only knew the shapes, you'd never guess at the extreme variety.
The only really surprising result from this discovery is that an ecological niche has remained so stable for 360,000,000 years.
"Only a few of an organisms genes specify its shape."
I'd have to just take your word on that, but I suspect it would be in a "this is science's best guess at this point" kind of declaration.
"Most of the genes control the detailed composition of proteins. There could have been wholesale changes at the cellular level, but you'd never know it from the fossil record."
But does this really amount to a hill of beans, when other creatures have changes radically, and wholesale, as one would assume they should. It would make more sense to me, in an evolutionary sense, if the lamprey were extinct or changed significantly. Would it not to you?
Just curious.
"Only a few of an organisms genes specify its shape. Most of the genes control the detailed composition of proteins. There could have been wholesale changes at the cellular level, but you'd never know it from the fossil record."
I don't disagree with that. I seem to tread a road less traveled in this type of thread. To me, there are aspects of the TOE that are undeniable if being intellectually honest with one's self, but there are other aspects, that I think are indeed suspicious.
"The only really surprising result from this discovery is that an ecological niche has remained so stable for 360,000,000 years."
That is shocking to me. And I have to try and surmise, that there is something wrong with this picture.