new species

manu1959 said:
too cool....

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184022,00.html

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Scientists exploring an isolated jungle in one of Indonesia's most remote provinces discovered dozens of new species of frogs, butterflies and plants, as well as mammals hunted to near extinction elsewhere, members of the expedition said Tuesday.
OH MY GAWD, a left wing extreame enviromentalist worst nightmare!!! :D
 
here's a nice article in the Science Times about leeches. It shows how evolutionary thinking, research, and medicine are intertwined:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/07/science/07leec.html?th&emc=th

In a medical journal (no link available) that I read yesterday, there was a nice piece about a newly discovered gene involved in our production of language. Genetic analysis shows that the protein made by the gene has changed in only 3 locations since the divergence of the family tree between mice and humans, 70 million years ago. This suggests that the gene is crucial, so most mutations create nonviable offspring. Between chimps (our nearest cousins evolutionarily and therefore genetically), there is only one change. That one tiny mutation may turn out to be the basis for our language capacity.

Once more this shows how evolutionary thinking is central to biology--and central to understanding who we are and how we got this way (if you want a natural rather than supernatural answer, that is).

Mariner.
 

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