Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community
Topic

Darwin’s finches

Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 24, 2021
Categorized
Culture, Darwinism, Intelligent Design, speciation
Tagged
, , , ,

How things have changed! Even Darwin’s Finches’ defenders are spooked

Denyse O'Leary
August 24, 2021
Culture, Darwinism, Intelligent Design, speciation
Peter and Rosemary Grant, the iconic Darwinian speciation couple, are backtracking in the face of new evidence that it doesn’t really work that way. On the other hand, this is a great time to be a recovering Darwinist. The world is much more interesting than that. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 5, 2020
Categorized
Culture, Darwinism, Evolution, Intelligent Design, Media, speciation
Tagged
, , ,

The Economist: Hybrids have “upturned” evolutionary theory

Denyse O'Leary
October 5, 2020
Culture, Darwinism, Evolution, Intelligent Design, Media, speciation
At The Economist: "These findings muddy Darwin’s concept of speciation as a slow and gradual process. Biologists now know that in the right circumstances, and with the help of hybridisation, new species can emerge and consolidate themselves in a mere handful of generations. That is an important amendment to evolutionary theory. " Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
October 3, 2020
Categorized
Culture, Darwinism, Evolution, Intelligent Design
Tagged
, , ,

(Reformed) New Scientist 8: Evolution can happen very quickly

Denyse O'Leary
October 3, 2020
Culture, Darwinism, Evolution, Intelligent Design
Does anyone remember Darwin’s claim: "It may be said that natural selection is daily and hourly scrutinizing, throughout the world, every variation, even the slightest; rejecting that which is bad, preserving and adding up all that is good; silently and insensibly working, wherever and whenever opportunity offers, at the improvement of each organic being in relation to its organic and inorganic conditions of life." Yes, that “daily, hourly” thing seems quaint to us too. It probably even seems quaint over at New Scientist, given the stuff they’re saying now. Read More ›
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 14, 2018
Categorized
Evolution, speciation
Tagged
, , ,

Claim: Hybridization “boosts evolution” in cichlids

Denyse O'Leary
August 14, 2018
Evolution, speciation

From ScienceDaily: Animals that have either migrated to or been introduced in Central Europe — such as the Asian bush mosquito or the Asian ladybeetle — feel extremely comfortable in their new homes due to changing climatic conditions. If these newcomers are genetically compatible with local species, they may crossbreed and produce hybrids, which can continue to evolve under local environmental conditions — a process that has been shown to have taken place during human evolution, between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals for example. New genes contributed by foreign species provide new genetic combinations that can be beneficial and are thus favoured by natural selection. According to hybrid swarm theory, interbreeding between hybrid species and parent species may then lead to Read More ›