Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 66 (9164 total)
11 online now:
Newest Member: ChatGPT
Post Volume: Total: 916,462 Year: 3,719/9,624 Month: 590/974 Week: 203/276 Day: 43/34 Hour: 6/2


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   The dilution of the effects of genetic mutation.
Coyote
Member (Idle past 2128 days)
Posts: 6117
Joined: 01-12-2008


Message 15 of 18 (522538)
09-03-2009 9:38 PM
Reply to: Message 14 by AndrewPD
09-03-2009 9:11 PM


Zebras, and evolution
If the stripes were effective when there was a mass of Zebras together then just one Zebra becoming striped would have stood out like a sore thumb.
It is a creationist myth that evolution happens in giant leaps, for example a lizard to a bird or a zebra with absolutely no stripes to a fully striped one. Along these same lines, we often see the argument from creationists that an individual in a population who happens to have such an extreme mutation will have nobody to mate with. This is supposed to be a telling argument against evolution.
It might be if evolution proposed such a thing. Rather, evolution occurs in tiny steps, with favorable mutations often spreading through a population over time. No giant leaps.
But my question is at what stage did the current Zebra become what it is? What was wrong with all the species that led up to the eventual Zebra?
The earlier species of zebra might have been well adapted to their environment (including predators). Subsequent populations and species were perhaps just a little bit better adapted due to mutations and natural selection. Over time these changes amounted to new species, but if you were there at the time you would likely see no change from generation to generation.

Religious belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 14 by AndrewPD, posted 09-03-2009 9:11 PM AndrewPD has not replied

  
Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024