Re: Rapid Lizard Evolution

In article
<5aa53b76-ccb0-4f42-8265-2e082ba6b48c@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
"IlBeBauck@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
" <IlBeBauck@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:
> On May 2, 1:15=A0pm, c...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 (Cary Kittrell) wrote:
> > In article
<9b8fa6e7-dca9-4acb-af5a-d5d225a5a...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> m> "IlBeBa...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
" <IlBeBa...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > On May 1, 4:49=3DA0pm, Budikka666 <budik...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > > > Grrl Scientist
atwww.scienceblogs.com/grrlscientisthttp://tinyurl.com/=
> 5la6=3D
> > > lh
> > > > re****ts on: "five male and five female Italian wall lizards,
Podarcis
> > > > sicula, were translocated from the islet of Pod Kopiste to the
nearby
> > > > islet of Pod Mrcaru, both of which belong to Croatia and are
located
> > > > in the southern Adriatic Sea"
> >
> > > > War erupted and scientists never got back to see the lizards until
> > > > relatively recently. =3DA0What they found was an amazing example
of ju=
> st
> > > > how fast evolution can work its wiley ways.
> >
> > > > Footnote to idiot creationists: Yeah, they're still lizards, and
no,
> > > > no scientist has ever claimed they're not. =3DA0But what you're
too st=
> upid
> > > > to grasp no matter how many times you're hit over your stupid
heads
> > > > with it, evolution isn't just about speciation (which leads to
> > > > everything else) and nothing more. =3DA0Evolution is about change
with=
> in aas=3D
> > > e
> > > > gene pool. =3DA0That's what it's rooted in and that's how it works
its=
> ion
> > > > magic.
> >
> > > > It really is that simple. =3DA0And if you cannot grasp this basic,
> > > > demonstrated fact, then you too are really simple.
> >
> > > > Budikka
> >
> > > REPLY: =A0By what mechanism or evolutionary process does new
information=
> 
> > > become a part of the genome (which is needed for Darwinnian
Evolution
> > > to be viable) ?
> >
> > Overall? =A0Multiple copies of a coding gene, followed by mutation of
> > one of the copies. =A0The organism now produces two different
> > proteins, the original and a new variant.
> >
> > In a given organism? =A0Acquisition of genes from other species,
> > most commonly via viruses.
> >
> > Not to metion that after a certain level of complexity is
> > reuiached, new information is no longer necessary. =A0It's
> > not new genes any longer, it's different switch settings
> > (sed "evo-devo");
> >
> > REPLY:  That is quite remarkable indeed.  Has any scientist(s) 
calculated=
>  the chances that new life forms came about by this mutated process ?  
than=
> ks.

By any single event of this type?  I'm not sure.

By ac***ulations of these changes?  Well, that's what evolution
is all about.


Incidentally, I don't know if you'd consider this "new information" or
not, but I can think of an example where repeated copies of a single gene
seem related to fitness:  it's been found recently that humans
living in cultures which eat a lot of starch have more copies of
the gene which produces the starch-digesting enzyme amalyze.

Multiple copies can be bad too, as in Huntington's chorea or
fragile-X syndrome.


-- cary