Evolution…observed
By Chris on Jun 17, 2008 in Passing It On, Science
Tagged with: evolution
A major evolutionary innovation has unfurled right in front of researchers’ eyes. It’s the first time evolution has been caught in the act of making such a rare and complex new trait.
And because the species in question is a bacterium, scientists have been able to replay history to show how this evolutionary novelty grew from the accumulation of unpredictable, chance events.
Twenty years ago, evolutionary biologist Richard Lenski of Michigan State University in East Lansing, US, took a single Escherichia coli bacterium and used its descendants to found 12 laboratory populations.
The 12 have been growing ever since, gradually accumulating mutations and evolving for more than 44,000 generations, while Lenski watches what happens.
read more in Bacteria make major evolutionary shift in the lab - life - 09 June 2008 - New Scientist
Just the way God planned it.
Super Jesus | Jun 17, 2008 | Reply
The apparent glee at which the writer calls it a “poke in the eye” for people who believe in a Creator, and how Jerry Coyne says “what I like most about it,” shows a deep hatred not just towards persons of faith, but the notion of faith itself.
This indicates that their goal is not to further science as a body of knowledge, but rather to somehow “disprove God” (as if such a thing were possible) - which of course is exactly what the religious community accuses them of doing.
skydaddy | Jun 17, 2008 | Reply
Let’s hold the horses before we all get too excited here. Not even our Dr. Lenski knows whats going on here yet, as the article readily mentions.
I’m fairly certain that I’ve “evolved” to be able to consume an amount of sugar that would have caused my grandparents violent illness, and maybe even death. Have I gained any new information in my DNA? Rather perhaps I’ve lost information in that my pancreas doesn’t know how to signal reverse peristalsis (ie. blow chunkage) and simply pumps away the insuline until my cells become so resistant to its effects that I become diabetic.
Let’s be open to a dialogue between science and religion instead of being ready to issue “pokes in the eye”, shall we? The tone of this article does nothing to further the credibility of “New Science” or anyone using such sensational pieces.
Bill | Jun 29, 2008 | Reply
this ‘deep hatred’ could be a result of the new life (and political) goal of inserting non scientific dogma into the science classroom? nahhhhh
there is really no need to ‘disprove God’ as I have the need to disprove that Santa Claus was not standing on my roof ready to deliver xmas gifts during last Xmas.
Wolfie_CR | Jul 18, 2008 | Reply