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Evolution Of One Species To Another

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nailit | 18:25 Wed 19th Sep 2018 | Science
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On R&S threads, Theland often states that while evolution most definitely occurs *within* a species, (eg. Darwins finches) there is no evidence that one species has ever evolved into another. Im no scientist, (much less an evolutionary biologist) but I can see what he's saying.
Ive recently been viewing some You Tube vids from evolutionists debunking creationism....and for balance, creationists debunking evolution.... but nowhere can I find anything to suggest that there is any fossil record of one species turning into another.
Can anyone help me out here?
Thanks.


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Transition and may occur in a partial population and is slow with gradual genetic change to the point at which the population that has changed is a genetically different species. This usually means interbreeding between the two branches is no longer possible. It's not one becoming another but somewhere back in time the common ancestors split and developed in different ways.
You would be hard-pressed to find such fossils because it's not clear that they can exist. Almost by definition of how evolution works, species are not so neatly defined as to be able to point to a fossil and say that it is, say, part-finch and part-"no-longer-that-finch-but-now-another-type-of finch".

In the meantime, one useful way to define a species night be "a type of animal only capable of reproducing when mating with itself"; but even this has some troubles, because lions and tigers, or donkeys and zebras, can produce living offspring, although the resulting animals are usually infertile themselves -- all of this makes the very definition of a species somewhat tricky.

Finally, the fossil record is surprisingly sparse anyway. Most dead bodies never fossilise, so it is a bit much to expect that the fossil record would ever be complete enough to truly track a given animal's evolution across the eons.

No wonder, then, that it's hard to find truly "transitional" species fossils.
I think it may happen more often than you might think, nailit.

Just the other night I was following a guy on his moped and presto, he turned into a cul-de-sac.
trilobites and woodlice ?
ammonites and conch shells ( or those other things)
eo hippus and the gee-gee ( equus )

darwins finches
Darwin's finches are a classical example of an adaptive radiation. Their common ancestor arrived on the Galapagos about two million years ago. During the time that has passed the Darwin's finches have evolved into 15 recognized species differing in body size, beak shape, song and feeding behaviour.

so you are not going to get a finch (now) that changes into a Darwins finch now - at home
because that is not how evolution is meant to work
Those who want to explore non-intgerspecies evolution could do worse than research the Cambrian Explosion and the Burgess Shales.

Me? been there done that; not interested in 'debating' with people who have no idea how to debate.
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lol @ Douglas, you twonk...you always make me laugh!
Jim...
//No wonder, then, that it's hard to find truly "transitional" species fossils//
Are there any at all?
If not, then is Theland right and there is NO evidence of one species turning into another?
I'm open to all possibilities but to be honest this is one thing about evolution that bothers me....how could a fish evolve into a human, No matter how many millions of years have passed? When did the first fish decide to take a breath of air?
The idea that the world was not created in seven days and then was static for er 4004 years
was refuted 1800-50 and caused much more stir

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconformity

This guy noticed a geological stratum that was T shaped
and basically everyone agreed that this was a change AFTER creation and the stratum had shifted.
and it was all done by protestant vicars at cambridge who were teaching geology ( whewell, lyell and sedgwick)

SO the Principle of Naturalism grew up - that change in the world should be explained by known physical principles. God was only involved as a last resort

Darwin came along and said - it applies to biology as well,
and as Huxley said; o god it is so obvious, I wish I had thought of that!

(these ideas are not too airy-fairy are they Nailit?)

PP @ 18:49, . . . . . . . You forgot

"Thunderbolt and Lightning" ;o)
Thank you Nailit for this thread
A fine example of an open mind.
The Bible never mentions, "species," but, "kinds," and this deserves some consideration.
Look up Stephen Meyer on Youtube of the Discovery Institute for interesting information.
Particularly, "Signature In Th Cell."
I wish more folk would be as open minded.
I am NOT saying that sharing my beliefs is imperative, just that everybody, INCLUDING ME, should always question their own position.
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//(these ideas are not too airy-fairy are they Nailit?)//
not airy fairy PP but ur writing style is difficult to understand mate.
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Theland, I try to be open minded but not so open that my brains fall out ;-)
Im not a scientist, or scientifically minded, so my rejection of ur beliefs have nothing to do with science. BUT I *do* have issues with aspects of evolution. Which is why I ask the Questions that I do on here.
lungfish
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lungfish
not an easy read
ideas not easy to understand
if they were you would have done them in primary school
That's good mate.
Nobody, (so far), has been able to convince me of the origin of information, as coded in DNA.
One reason I believe a, "mind," is the source.
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//The Bible never mentions, "species," but, "kinds,"//
How would you define a kind?
I think the point I was trying to make is that it's very difficult to find evidence of one species turning into another when you struggle to define what a species even is -- or, more precisely, it becomes difficult to determine when the transition has occurred.

Still, if I were pressed to give examples, then I'd suggest that the "bird-dinosaurs" are a fairly good one, as might the Ambulocetus, which is an early form of whale and notably has all its limbs.

The best argument ( not used by Darwin) against intelligent creation is:
if god created wasps and bees - why did he create (biological) mimicry - insects that look like wasps ?
easy one is: so they arent attacked because they look like wasps
and the christian bit is: o because god wanted to confuse man and put him off the scent !
yeah right and so he writes a book saying he did it all.....
Not really sure why Theland has dragged DNA into this: its link to biological information, anyway, is by now firmly established, so I'm not sure why he's not been convinced. Still, if you're not sure Theland, then I guess you'll have to get some more research done.
Me define a, "kind?" Bird to bird, fish to fish, reptile to reptile. Something to look up.

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