Genetics Review Article

DO DNA DISTANCES REVEAL AVIAN PHYLOGENY?
L. J. Gibson
Geoscience Research Institute
Geoscience Research Institute | I think we need more research on that...This article discusses the "classic" case, or so it appeared to me. After reading some of

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Sibley, C.G. and J.E. Ahlquist. 1986. Reconstructing bird phylogeny by comparing DNA's. Scientific American 254(2):82-92. Sibley, C.G. and J.E. Ahlquist. 1987. DNA hybridization evidence of hominoid phylogeny: results from an expanded data set. Journal of Molecular Evolution 26:99-121. Sibley, C.G., J.E, Ahlquist, and F.H. Sheldon. 1987. DNA hybridization and phylogenetics. Reply to Cracraft. Evolutionary Biology 21:97-125.

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and listening to Judge Ito discuss DNA in the Simpson Trial, I could not believe I lived in the same country any more.I know you are looking for things that might indicate differences rather than similarities but you probably should give this literature at least a brief glance. Perhaps I am just naively confused with the transition from your first to second paragraphs but if genome comparisons are good at reconstructing species phylogenies then are they not good indicators of how similar the component organisms are ipso facto. If you meant simply to introduce the particular molecular kinematic units that might be operative for you to report on “that portions of the genomes which are different can affect how the similar portions are used” then disregard my question please.

Yes it does make a worthy amount of sense.I used to think that protein folding patterns might be independent of transcription physics and Gladyshev's ideas I have spoken of here on EVC suggest that lipids play a role not well appreciated.Part of the problem is our subjective view of different creatures. I have a large belly from some recent depression, a bad back with a limp and glasses. I *look* very different to passersby these days than I did passing the same streets 20 years ago and yet my genes probably have not changed one iota. The difficulty is figuring out how the internal interactions effect the external formations. Good luck. If you find some phenomenon that seems generalizable beyond a particular lineage or clade I would be interested to learn about that. What I realized in the early 90s was that sheep are different than mice than cows etc(than man) when it comes to congressing of chromosomes during cell division and metaphase plate formation and that diversity rather than identity is the rule in general. Identifying the structure of the increased "coordination" however would be a great career possibility, even more than a simple demonstration paper.