Evolution, Morphology and Exobiology

we`ve just moved into a new house from an appartment on the 12`th floor, now we hear all sorts of Bird sounds that we didn`t hear up there, In particular a Sparrow (maybe has a nest?) right next to our bedroom window in the eves, and every morning at about 7:30 to 8:30 it`ll sing/chirp constantly and then stop silent for the rest of the day (as far as I know), but if the weather`s bad, there`s no song? when it`s good it`s always an hour long give or take a few mins either side, then nothing. What is it doing? and Why ?

So, what do you think of Joan Roughgarden's approach to the evolution of sex? She's "thrown down the gauntlet" as Seed magazine's Maggie Whittlin writes, challenging that the neo-Darwinist view of sexual selection as being largely competitive is wrong. Has anyone read her book, Evolution's Rainbow? I read the first chapter while wasting time in Chapters but I don't feel I have a good grasp of that book. Is it worth reading in entirety? I feel that she makes some really good points -- a lot of sexual behaviours are not well explained by Sexual Selection theory. Role-reversals or organisms that do not have differentially sized gametes are two examples that she used…

DNA, is it a Thumbs Up or Down for Evolution?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060309/ap_on_sc/species_survivor I have always found it amazing that we are finding species that are thought to be extinct, but I'm blown away by this; a species that has actually been alive for 11 million years when it was thought to be extinct all that time. Diatomydae, a squirrel-like species, has recently been re-discovered from 11 million years ago. Before this, only fossil records showed the rodent existed. This may serve as more evidence that many different cryptids, like the Loch Ness Monster for example, may be animals from millions of years ago.

Today's Science magazine has an article about (I suspect in part genetic-based) altruism have to go to the local public library for this one, but a brief summary is online http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/311/5765/1248 Perspectives BEHAVIOR: Who Are More Helpful, Humans or Chimpanzees? Joan B. Silk Humans, including infants, are more willing than closely-related chimpanzees to cooperate and behave altruistically and cooperatively, probably in part accounting for their evolutionary success. Science 3 March 2006: Vol. 311. no. 5765, pp. 1248 - 1249 The author is in the Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, …

The comprehensive analysis of the chimpanzee genome reveals a greater genetic difference from humans http://www.harunyahya.com/articles/widening_genetic_gap.php

That's it, what's the best book ever written on Evolution?

I was surfing the web when I found this: http://bioweb.cs.earlham.edu/9-12/cytochrome_c/HTML/huri.html It shows that human DNA is 77.885% the same as rice. Is this more evidence of evolution, and that we all descended from one organism? Or is it just another random similarity? Please reply (I'm trying to convince my family that evolution is real).

Looks like they found a 164 million year old platypus-like mammal (minus the bill) that was aquatic and unlike any other mammal we know of from the time period: http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/02/23/jurassic.beaver.ap/index.html

Hello, I wonder if you could help me. I've been reading these forums for a while, but haven't until now posted, I wasn't sure if this topic should be posted here or in the computer science section, so if the mods whish to move the thread, feel free I'm currently looking into developing a predator/prey behaviour simulation in which the behaviours of the entities evolve over time. I have no problem with this technically but I wanted to know a little about what has already been done, mainly what are the standard ways of representing or holding the decisions of the entities, and what types of environments are used. I was planning on using a decision tree to proc…

In humans is there any relation between human power and human mass?

http://www.pheedo.info/archives/000302.html They appear to have linked interbreedability with diversification and environment suitedness

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/23/AR2006022301879.html Mammels may have been more diverse during the Dino age than previously thought?

If we did evolve, how did we change from asexual reproduction to sexual. The chances for a male and a female specieces "mutating" seems astronomically impossible.

I've written up a simple essay explaining the major ID arguments, and exactly why they are wrong. I'm looking for input from all of you members, as I'd like to improve it and hopefully make it a useful resource for future debates on SFN. It's attached. Fire away with criticism! (on another note, this is my first document typeset in LaTeX) edit: attachment removed, revised version available below

I want to start off by saying that I do not believe in the bible thumper’s version of ID. It is not based on any real science, and there is no tangible evidence that humans have a direct creator. I also have no doubt that evolution is a reality, and that we are the result of genetic mutation which has been channeled for billions of years by competition and environmental change (all or which appears to be random). However, many people believe that it is possible and even probable, that human beings will eventually be able to create new life forms either in alaboratory using biological means, or electronically using computer technology. For those people, I ask this que…

Although I don't see why anyone would really suspect otherwise... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4729050.stm

I understand that most mutations are a disadvantage to the particular organism. I can see how a random mutation (tiger with bigger teeth, faster antelope…)could be of benefit to a particular organism, and how that mutation would populate the entire species over a period of time. Now here is the part I can’t quiet get my head around; with the miscopying of DNA it seems to me as if the number of possible mutations is close to infinite. So how do we get a series of mutations that develops a certain aspect of the body, such as feathers on birds? My process of reasoning takes me through these steps: 1. A certain reptile developed skin in between its claws (SBC) m…

I am a bit confused with intelligent design and evolution.. Can someone explain?

I always heard that all the living things are related on earth and that we can trace it all back. We might not have all the pieces of the puzzle but its beleived thats how it works. My thought is this. Could life arise many times in differnt places on earth and in suttle differnt ways, which still allows it to become more complex over time. That would mean that not all living things can be traced back to a single organism, but many similar but slightly differnt ones. Maybe theres a fundemental natural force that allows life to evolve past a certain complexity with only DNA, but with this natural force, is it possible that different types of organisms arose fr…

I am reading Richard Dawkins "Ancestors Tale". In it he describes the old soviet union experiment to breed foxs for tameness and one of the effects was for the foxs to take on black and white coats like a boarder collie. can anyone help explain to me (in laymens terms) why (by what mechanism) did the foxs coat colour change. http://www.devbio.com/article.php?ch=23&id=223 Regards Root.

So says the Discover March '06 cover story: http://www.discover.com/issues/mar-06/cover/

I'm currently doing some research and would like to know the most influential books out there, the more recent the better. Hopefully, nothing older than 15 years old (if not oh well). What are the best books for the proof of Evolution and/or debunk Creationism?

I read somewhere that modern humans came out of Africa about 150,000 years ago, and largely replaced previous homos living in Europe and Asia. Presumeably these modern peoples were all brown eyed. It has occured to me that blue eyes in people may be a very recent development, but I have been unable to find any discussion of how old this trait might be. Can anyone answer this question or point me in the right direction? I am not a scientist, but just have a question. thanks

http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=0300108656 Will this shut the IDiots up? I'm guessing no, even though it appears to answer the majority of their questions.