rooters

In reference to the apparant "randomness" of ERV Insertions, what impact if any result in this example that ERV's are not that random afterall? http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051128010951.htm

I have an issue on Natural Selection: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/0508653103v1 The new study – published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences – provides empirical support for the proposition that natural selection is a general force behind the formation of new species by analyzing the relationship between natural selection and the ability to interbreed in hundreds of different organisms – ranging from plants through insects, fish, frogs and birds – and finding that the overall link between them is positive. The question is this (bolded in red). Comments much appreciated. It's a forum debate, and I am simply asking what he suggested the answer will be if I ask any biologist, how accurate is this that is quoted above. Many thanks

Motion = Time What's wrong with this notion?

Thanks for that Azure, The only thing I find confusing is that should warm blooded mammals "dwarf" as a result of island isolation, then what is the mechanism as a distiction has been made that it is either natural selection or genetic mutation. My problem here is that is natural selection or genetical mutation for the two are the same are they not in that Natural selection or genetic variation all require mutation? Surely then island dwarfing is mutation driven???

so what is the difference, genetic variation is mutation is it not as the below reference points out. Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_variation

Thanks for this. can I now ask, if genetical factors actively work to reduce a species size over subsequent generations is this then a mutational change. else, how does the change occur? many thanks

Can I ask for comments on the below qouted please:

I have a question about Island dwarfing: A species becomes isolated on an island with limited resources. Firstly, is it correct to say that the prediction would be that the species would reduce in size. Secondly, how much is genetic mutation actively involved in this process and what is the cause of the physical change in size other than by a gentic mutation. Thirdly, if this makes any sense. I thought dna mutations were born out of luck rarther than a response to specific change in the environment (in this case limited island resources). If mutational change that causes the species to dwarf is luck, how can it be predicted. Regards as always

perhaps they will remain the same. I heard of one poor chap who through brain damage was unable to initiate into sleep. The poor man died within a couple of months. My point here is that they aneathetised him and it made no difference, it was not sleep?

I thought chromosome size differs within same species too such as the common house mouse, this I think is why chromosone numbers are not really related to ancestory modelling. Is the chromosone not the package that contains the dna and all species roughly have 30,000 dna "strings" I am referring to how the development of a mouse uses the same approx quantity od DNA as human and the similarity is quite large in a percentage. The main difference is how when and what order genes are turned on?

I am no scientist (I wish I was but did not become interested in the sciences until I was 35 and I still am 35)! anyway, my contribution is that we could not exactly match human DNA since my DNA will differ from yours (the reader). If I understand correctly that we (all living species) roughly have 30,000 dna strings then I cannot see in the future how we could not build a human from a mouse! since it is looking like the only difference between us is the timing and sequence that genes activate etc etc.......... feel free to criticise, or support

It might just be me, but the answers so far don't seem to be definitive enough, I went back to the link I provided and noted the caption below the picture Am I right to assume that the colour changed due to depigmentation caused by either a chemical change in the make-up of the off-spring or a direcr genetic change such as this "star gene"? Thanks all

From what I understand, selection was based soley on tameness and not selected by colour. But the collie is descended from wolves and not the fox unless you are suggesting that the fox shares close ancestory with the wolf? Any more ideas, I don't like the sound of yours. No offence.

I am reading Richard Dawkins "Ancestors Tale". In it he describes the old soviet union experiment to breed foxs for tameness and one of the effects was for the foxs to take on black and white coats like a boarder collie. can anyone help explain to me (in laymens terms) why (by what mechanism) did the foxs coat colour change. http://www.devbio.com/article.php?ch=23&id=223 Regards Root.

was it not Hawkins that suggested that perhaps in the search for alien life we ourselves should actually keep our heads down. Stumbling into a universal natural law driven community can easily place us onto the dinner plate of some alien species. I feel we think of aliens as being friendly a little too much.

Hi All OK, I have a question that is related to ERV comparisons as a means of achieving a common decent relationship. My issue simply boils down to one question. Is the method of infection and insertion of DNA by the viri placed randomly within a hosts DNA. Regards Root

This is an interesting thread, and I am currently engaged into a debate over it's findings. Lack of knowledge is a real issue so scuse me if this is a dumb question. Are the insertions not random, and by this I mean that both Chimp & Human share the insertions but the insertions are not random. Meaning that the same virus inserts it's junk at the same place with both species! The reply I am trying to deal with is: Regards Root

Radical Edward Firstly, I must say that I enjoyed your post. For me as a devout evolutionist I find it at times complex and above my understanding with certain aspects. I used your post as a source for a forum debate. And I would be interested in your opinion on comments made against it. I know it's long. But I am interested in your opinion and others here. Many thanks