Quote:
Originally Posted by martinss01
where did i say the domestic dog didn't evolve from the wolf? i cited a study conducted on a specific type of fox as an example of rapid evolution. not as a theory on where the domesticated dog came from.
|
Well you responded "
actually thats not the current theory on dog evolution." and provided the website when I said "
every current breed of dog has many transitional breeds that provide a link between now and when they were first domesticated from wolves.", so I took that to mean you didn't think dogs evolved from wolves. My bad.
Quote:
Originally Posted by martinss01
actually i think you misunderstood my point. for which i apologize for not being more clear. i was stating that it is very likely that (as in the case of the foxes i noted) wolfs likely evolved rapidly over a very short period of time making it very difficult to impossible to find the "missing link" species you described earlier. in fact, its possible that such "missing link" species was skipped entirely as a creature that would be viewed as a wolf could potentially give birth to a puppy that would be viewed as a domestic dog. while the puppy would obviously be the "missing link". because it is so different than its parent it would likely not be viewed as such because it is so different as was the case with the fox experiment. in fact, if the episode you linked is the one im thinking it is they note that the dna of dogs actually allow for significant mutation in a very short period of time which is why we (humans) were able to create so many different breeds of dogs in such a short period of time.
|
I think we're arguing from the same side of the table on this topic, but it's important to remember that populations evolve into new species, not individuals. The offspring of one species does not instantly became a new species when it's born, even if it carries some new genetic material that makes it unique from its parents. A species is generally described as a population that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. I'm no dog expert, but I would think that almost all breeds of dog are capable of mating with each other and producing fertile offspring, and maybe even still capable of successfully mating with wolves. Granted, most would need to be artificially inseminated due to size differences or unwillingness to mate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by martinss01
no way on earth does hybrid corn or purple potatoes come into being without human intervention. why? because it requires the manipulation of dna at a level that is not natural.
|
If you're talking about cross-breeding or selective breeding over many generations, then I disagree. With the right mix of natural selection pressures, domesticated corn and potatoes certainly could evolve naturally. The same evolutionary mechanics (genetic drift, gene flow, natural selection, etc.) are involved. Granted it's extremely unlikely that nature could reproduce in natural terms what mankind has done intentionally, but it's theoretically possible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by martinss01
its the equivalent of spider dna being spliced with goats so they can be "milked" for spider silk in large enough quantities for use. its not that we "turned on" a sequence of dna that nature had deemed unfit, its that we inserted dna into a creature that did not posses it before. thats not natural selection. (not making any claims as to whether or not its wrong, just pointing out that there is a difference)
|
I agree and this is very different than domesticating dogs and plants. Splicing a segment of DNA in the labratory from one species into another is beyond the realm of natural selection.