Evolution, Morphology and Exobiology

Since some Archea ar known to be hyperthermophiles, acidophiles, and halophiles, why are they placed AFTER bacteria in the evolutionary tree. Wouldn't these extreme climate tolerance characteristics allow them to live in an earlier Earth environment than bacteria? (i.e. high heat, acid environments).

Hey all, I recently came across this article by a creationist, and I can't find alternative answers to what he provides. I firmly believe evolution happened, but I'd be interested to know what the answer is to some of these questions. This is the article: http://blog.drwile.com/?p=12162 This person is saying that basically Gansus yumenensis was found much earlier in the fossil record than it should have been, therefore evolution is false. The author also goes on to state that some amber was found in a layer that was much too old for amber to have appeared. This is the exact quote: "I discussed some amber that was found in Carboniferous rock that is supposed to…

I was reflecting on how evolution has adapted our species to our native planet. From poorly adapted Neanderthals (for instance) we have progressed to a species that can reflect on its own purpose intelligently. How will this continue if say, we colonize Mars? Evolution has more or less stopped, as we know it, and the only immediate evolutionary progression (or regression) seems to be an atrophy of some organs (like arms), when we cease to use them as much, or the making of a more "android" oriented human with some bio-implants (for instance). We could have some new implants in our skin for instance that could be used for bio-ids (making our current system of id's…

Greeting SF community As I was lovingly petting my dog last night, I began to wonder what other benefits the human species receives from domestication of animals other than those made for labor, food, ect. My main question is this; do so many people keep dogs or cats because it allows for "grooming"? And by grooming, I mean the act of petting, scratching, or any variation thereof. Did our hominid ancestors engage in grooming like many primates do? And if so, could our lack of full body hair create a void; a void that we may only fill with the domestication of other animals who we can still receive that possible hormone release? One other bit of information…

How does the human heart compare in efficiency to the heart of other mammals like the horse? This might seem like an abstract question but it is pertinent. On the evolutionary scale the ape was superior to the equus and both have a 4 chambered heart. But the horse can even sleep standing up which I presume must put enormous strain on the heart. What would be the equivalent in the human domain? (running the 4 minute mile) ? Please advise. And of course, what does this tell us about evolution within a phylum? Would it be possible for instance to transplant a heart from a horse and implant in a human in the future? (or may be an orangutan)? Thank…

It seems to me there are two types of extinction. One due to the population dying out, and one due to evolution into another species. One involves genetic extinction and the other is just evolution and is genetic success. Is there reason to make a distinction between the two? Maybe it's just an emotional thing, but the word extinction seems to imply failure in some way, but it could equally mean great success. I assume that with fossil species it can never be known which type of extinction occurred (unless it was clearly on an evolutionary line that is entirely extinct now).

The giraffe presents an evolutionary conundrum. It's long neck is both an advantage and a disadvantage. It enables it to eat leaves at a height but makes eating from shrubs impossible. Also it's legs are rather "rickety" and it can't run very fast since it's heart cannot pump blood to the top of it's head under these conditions. Where does it fit into the evolutionary jigsaw? And why do we not have another variant of this animal in the wild? (unless you consider animals like the alpaca etc.)? Please advise.

Within the sub phylum vertebrata class mammalia we have response to frequencies in the range 20 Hz to 20 KHz. In dogs for instance this range is augmented...(may be we need to develop special headphones for pooches). Why this specific adaptation? Is it a "vestigial" function in canines or does it make them more aggressive by nature? Your thoughts.... Thanks in advance.

Common evidence of micro-evolution in modern life, or: "Microevolution made easy" Microevolution, described as "evolutionary change within a species or small group of organisms, esp. over a short period.", is a subset of the commonly misunderstood theory of Evolution. Microevolution is the process of small changes within a species, ranging from anything from body size to body shape, in the more extreme cases. An example of microevolution that you can see today, if you are familiar with the common house sparrow, is the contrast between northern and southern individuals of the same species. Sparrows in the north, for example, have larger bodies then those in the sou…

Why cats lick photographs?

Can anybody give me some sources? Thanks in advance. I would think that Scientists would/should have several fast life cycle/reproducing organisms in the lab, observing subtle changes over years and years. A one day (or less) reproducing cycle monitored for 10-20 years could be enough to produce effects of gradual evolution or punctuated equilibrium and/or fusion? Have they tried using a species like the mayfly?

Could some smart person out there please enlighten me upon this topic? I have long wondered about the implications of Pasteur's swan-necked flask experiment upon the origins of life. If microbes failed to form spontaneously in sterile broth, how could early cellular organisms have formed spontaneously in the sterile environment of early earth? The research I've done explains that spontaneous generation and abiogenesis are quite different, although I can't figure out exactly how they differ. If life ultimately arose from non-life, why does it count as spontaneous generation in one case (the mythical "maggots generating on rotten meat") but not in the other ( the ris…

did amphibians evolve in the sea.iii Science authority [/dogma] currently states that the earliest amphibians evolved in the Devonian Period with multi-jointed leg-like fins with digits that enabled them to crawl along the sea bottom. Really? Which amphibians still lay their eggs in the sea? Where are the most primitive amphibians currently found? Where are the largest amphibians currently found? Can you offer reason to believe what Authority tells you so? Did amphibians evolve in currents and fresh water? peace ron

I was watching a documentary about the evolution of dogs and how humans had molded dogs but i wondered if dogs had any significant influence on the evolution of humans. According the documentary the linage of dogs can be traced back only 15,000 years at this point but Jean Auel in her fictionalized accounts of early humans indicated we might have domesticated wolves when neanderthals still existed and then there are the denisovians and recently evidence of a third unknown contribution to the humans gene pool. Could our affinity to wolves have been at least part of why we are here and none of them are?

Could this shark be a window into how fish adapted to the land before they were able to live out of the water? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epaulette_shark

The theory of evolution says that creatures evolve overtime. It does so since certain more beneficial traits will survive over traits that are not. If you have 12 black cats: 7 black and 5 white and suddenly there is a large period of nothing but snow the white cats will survive and black cats will die out. Breeding is the same concept as evolution. We breed animals with certain traits to have certain features and they change over a period of time thanks to selective breeding. So is this not proof evolution exists?

If this is a wrong subforum - move my thread. I need a person (people) who is well versed in genetics and theory of evolution to help in a debate against creationists - it looks like I have implicated myself in a discussion without enough knowledge so it would be weird if it turns out that TOE losses to creationists. If you are interested - PM me.

Can someone explain to me why would we evolve the nocebo effect in evolution. and please don't give me the typical evolution answer without any evidence. i would like something in the DNA that relates to the nocebo effect before saying something you don't know or guess. thank you

Hey everyone, this is my first thread here. I didn't check to see if there was an obligatory intro subforum; if so, I'll do that later. This thread is intended to as questions/get answers to all things AFLP. I'm currently working on a project for species delimitation and I have a few questions about some of the steps - I want to get stronger results than what I've currently been getting. For the first question: 1.During the Restriction/Ligation portion of the AFLP process (hereafter referred to as R/L), what is the recommended incubation time after you've added your DNA? Some sources have said ~2 hours @ 37C. What I've currently been doing is letting is…

I have wondered for a while about how species is defined for a purely asexual organism such as a bacteria. But I particularly wonder how such organisms remain grouped into different species. Surely if they are simply dividing and random mutations are happening all the time, then you would end up with a continuous range of types with no sharp divisions between them. Is there always some limited genetic exchange? Is it possible that early in life history there were no divisions between different types/species?

Hello everybody. There seems to be a trend that new groups start from a small and fairly generalised form. The synapsid reptiles had diversified into some very large and varied forms yet the mammals evolved from a very small general type. And I think the first reptile was quite small and lizard like. Is it a trend that new groups normally stem from a small species (in invertebrates too?). If so is it known why?

To check-out the evolution section of my website go to: ...FY possible I -Ron Price, Australia Link removed

Are Caucasoids slight hybrids of Homo Sapien and Homo Neanderthalis? Do the genes of Neanderthals still flourish in certain gene pools? These are shocking and taboo questions that most dont wish to face up to. In this thread, I will present one side of the scientific debate which tries to answer that question. I will start simple. Lets take a look at Homo Sapien today, at war and in love. Written History, a good blueprint for our psychological makeup shows us that rarely would conquerers completely destroy the conquered. Instead, the individuals deemed able to assist the conquered in some way are spared and enslaved or assimilated into the dominating culture. Th…

what is the relationship between the human nervous system and the processes that take place inside each human cell? the somatic nervous system is 'responsible' for voluntary actions, such as walking and talking. the autonomic nervous system is 'responsible' for involuntary actions, such as breathing and digesting food. but what of the cellular processes, such as putting together amino acids from the genetic code, or the recombination that takes place during meiosis? or the basic processes of mitosis? does the nervous system have anything to do with such cellular processes?

Animals nurture their young as effectively as humans do. Do animals fall in love ? I mean, do they, for example, experience broken heart syndrome like humans do? What does research tell us?