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From: sss3@ukc.ac.uk (S.S.Sturrock)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Paranormal phenomena and evolution
Message-ID: <6735@harrier.ukc.ac.uk>
Date: 24 Jan 91 10:56:47 GMT
References: <2523.2796bb60@verifone.com> <72753@bu.edu.bu.edu> <1435@gtx.com>
Reply-To: sss3@ukc.ac.uk (S.S.Sturrock)
Organization: Computing Lab, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK.
Lines: 46

In article <1435@gtx.com> al@gtx.UUCP (Alan Filipski) writes:
>In article <72753@bu.edu.bu.edu> colby@bu-bio.UUCP (Chris Colby) writes:
> 
>>	We, as in humans, are not evolving. Given that just about
>>about everyone lives to reproductive age and reproduces, natural
>>selection is not acting on our species. Also, the population size
>>of human beings is such that genetic drift does not take place.
> 	
>>	To be a little more accurate,
>>some small amount of selection and drift is most likely occuring,
>>but it is negligible compared to other living species and our exposure
>

How the hell can you make such a stupid statement as 'We, .., are not
evolving.'  Sheesh, that's as bad as the time I had an argument with
a Catholic about evolution and she stated that evolution could not
possibly happen because if it did, why has it stopped?

Your time frame is totally insignificant.

Simply, the age of the Earth is thought to be 4600,000,000 years.

The earliest life evolved some 3500,000,000 years ago.

Eukaryotic life evolved about 600,000,000 years ago, almost 3000,000,000 years
later, but this is not a maths lesson. :-)

Man, as is now, has been around say 2,000,000 years.  Not long is it?

You live 80 years tops, very little in fact.

Recorded history goes back 6-10,000 years, still not much.

GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE BUCKET!

Evolution takes a long time, but wait, I am 6'3" tall, much taller than
people were 500 years ago, you try walking around in a Medieval house
without stooping.  The average height is much greater than it was then,
so that is evolution is it not?

Do I smell the foul odour of a Christian pervading the atmosphere of
a science newsgroup?  :-)

Hmmmm?

Shane Sturrock, Biol Lab. Canterbury, Great Britain.