Dear James,
There is no doubt that living things are related to each other and some more
than others. Cosmetologists rely more on dogs than apes when testing the
effect of cosmetics on humans. Does that mean we are closer to dogs than to
apes?
>Modern medicine/biology depends significantly on the idea that what happens
>in an e. choli can lead to inferences about what happens in other cells,
>what happens in a mouse can be extrapolated to what is likely to happen in
>a human. If the theory of evolution is not the basis for justifying such
>an inference, then what is?
My point is that all the research that you are indicating has nothing to do
with the past history of the cells but just on the present experiments that
one is performing. I am sure good experimental knowhow is more important
than knowledge of evolutionary theory.
Take care,
Moorad