RE: Scientific theory

This probably won't help, but I think Rich's (correct) response doesn't answer
the issue Moorad is concerned with: establishing that "large" changes took
place through history. It's true that the breeding of dogs shows the tremendous
variety that can be accomplished by genetic variation. But to Moorad, that
isn't evolution. An academic definition of evolution as I understand it would
be "variation in the frequency distribution of alleles in a population from
generation to generation". That ought to be perfectly acceptable to the most
doctrinaire creationist -- because it doesn't necessarily imply crossing the
species boundary. It's the large changes that creationists object to. Maybe it
helps to point out that the breeding of dogs shows how much variation can take
place without crossing species boundaries. Now imagine that by virtue of
different environments several different breeds of dog emerge naturally, AND
THEN a genetic change occurs that makes two breeds incapable of interbreeding
but does not change the physical characteristics that would be preserved in the
fossil record. Voila! You have a new species!
--- RFaussette@aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 12/7/2004 10:42:02 PM Eastern Standard Time, "Alexanian,
> Moorad" <alexanian@uncw.edu> writes:
>
> >Dog breeding goes back thousands of years. Evolution deals with millions or
> billions of years. Can we do better than dogs!
> >
> >Moorad
> >
>
> Evolution is a a painfully slow process, not an intrinsic state of matter
> like you can test in physics. Dogs have been bred (artificially selected)
> long enough to have displayed the tremendous variety that evolution is
> capable of. DNA evidence is valid in court. The human genome has been mapped.
> Parents are genetically tested to be sure they are not carrying deleterious
> genes before they get married. We now have drug cocktails for AIDS to counter
> the quick mutation of the AIDS virus. All of these advances are possible
> because we understand the genetic structure that is the very agent that
> supports the processes of evolution, yet you say, evolution need a "test."
>
> rich
>
>
>
>
>

=====
Bill Hamilton
William E. Hamilton, Jr., Ph.D.
586.986.1474 (work) 248.652.4148 (home) 248.303.8651 (mobile)
"...If God is for us, who is against us?" Rom 8:31

                
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Received on Wed Dec 8 22:33:28 2004