Posted by CC on December 3, 1999, at 17:04:50
In reply to Be fruitful and multiply., posted by CC on December 3, 1999, at 16:45:53
> "There is no such thing as a favorable mutation withthe spin you're putting on it.
> Mutations simply are."
>
> Mutations can increase the ability of a species to survive although it would be a rare event. I am looking at a possible mechanism for the transistion from one species to another. Would it not take an accumulation of mutations for this transistion? The genetic differences within a species are limited or it would not be considered a "species". For example, chimpanzees and humans are 98% genetically similiar. How many base pairs do humans have, ~10^100? So approximately 2*(10^98) base pairs would be this 2% difference. So how would this genetic difference come about if not by mutation? Given the size of this number (2*10^98), does it seem reasonable that this much genetic change could occur through random events, with or without biological selection, within the time frame generally accepted?
poster:CC
thread:14368
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991123/msgs/16163.html