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Butterfly unlocks evolution secret
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Important breaking news in evolution science.
Why one species branches into two is a question that has haunted evolutionary biologists since Darwin.
Given our planet's rich biodiversity, "speciation" clearly happens regularly, but scientists cannot quite pinpoint the driving forces behind it.
Now, researchers studying a family of butterflies think they have witnessed a subtle process, which could be forcing a wedge between newly formed species.
The team, from Harvard University, US, discovered that closely related species living in the same geographical space displayed unusually distinct wing markings.
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
news.bbc.co.uk...
Reinforcement seems to have been proven, and it's pretty much what scientists have been speculating.
Why one species branches into two is a question that has haunted evolutionary biologists since Darwin.
Given our planet's rich biodiversity, "speciation" clearly happens regularly, but scientists cannot quite pinpoint the driving forces behind it.
Now, researchers studying a family of butterflies think they have witnessed a subtle process, which could be forcing a wedge between newly formed species.
The team, from Harvard University, US, discovered that closely related species living in the same geographical space displayed unusually distinct wing markings.
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
news.bbc.co.uk...
Reinforcement seems to have been proven, and it's pretty much what scientists have been speculating.
Seems to be very important. Falls in line with classic Darwinism, the animal has adapted in order to become more sexually suggestive/attractive.
I am by no means an evolution expert but isn't it quite unusual for a change to come so quickly between two species?
I am by no means an evolution expert but isn't it quite unusual for a change to come so quickly between two species?
Skeptic Overlord
Fascinating information! I hope this research will continue in earnest for at least another thousand years, so we can better understand the nitty gritty of the transition period, and get some sense of the timeline for our own development, since we too have evolved primarily through sexual selection (or so I think).
Nerdling
Not really, it appears to have happened both ways over the course of history. Sometimes evolution is slow and steady, driven by slightly increased survivability bestowed by an advantageous mutation, Lance Armstrong's lungs, for example, would benefit him in a low oxygen environment.
Sometimes it happens abruptly in response to an extinction level event (I'll survive the fallout because of the tar in my lungs, and people with less addictive personalities will suffer and die - addictive personalities advance to the next round).
That's my understanding of the process anyhow.
[edit on 24-7-2005 by WyrdeOne]
Fascinating information! I hope this research will continue in earnest for at least another thousand years, so we can better understand the nitty gritty of the transition period, and get some sense of the timeline for our own development, since we too have evolved primarily through sexual selection (or so I think).
Nerdling
Not really, it appears to have happened both ways over the course of history. Sometimes evolution is slow and steady, driven by slightly increased survivability bestowed by an advantageous mutation, Lance Armstrong's lungs, for example, would benefit him in a low oxygen environment.
Sometimes it happens abruptly in response to an extinction level event (I'll survive the fallout because of the tar in my lungs, and people with less addictive personalities will suffer and die - addictive personalities advance to the next round).
That's my understanding of the process anyhow.
[edit on 24-7-2005 by WyrdeOne]
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