Lizards Show Proof of Adaptive Change
AMHERST, Mass. — In 1971, five pairs of Italian wall lizards were transplanted by biologists from their home island of Pod Kopiste, in the South Adriatic Sea, to the neighboring but subtly different island of Pod Mrcaru, where none lived, as an experiment in evolution.
How, if at all, would these creatures change?
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“It’s good evidence that not only can evolution happen rapidly, but animals can evolve new structures as well (in a short time span),” he said.
The interesting thing about this study is that the lizards developed new structures, a part of their gut called a ‘cecal valve’ (which separates the chambers) and they remained genetically identical to the parent population released three decades previously.
Hmmmmm. Unless the intelligent designer was working overtime on a tiny island off the west coast of Croatia these past few decades, we seem to have some very interesting insights into one or more of the mechanisms behind evolution.
And that’s one of the strengths of science. We keep learning new things!
Clearly an example of micro-evolution.
A change in degree will never, ever become a change in kind!
Einstein said so!
Call me when it gives birth to puppies, yadda …
Don, I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but whatever Einstein says regarding biology is irrelevant because, quite simply, he was a physicist, not a biologist. Do you look to biologists to explain nuclear reactors? Do you look to geologists to predict the weekend weather forecast?
Just because someone is very well respected in one scientific field does not make his opinion valid in all fields.
But, on the other hand, Einstein made a great many errors, one famous occasion was when he was paraphrased as saying “god does not play dice with the universe” regarding the randomness at the heart of quantum physics. However, quantum theory has been successfully tested and experimented with for a long time now.
Drew,
I’m pretty sure that Don was being sarcastic.