More miscellany: evolution statistics (Evolution)

by David Turell , Thursday, August 01, 2024, 15:43 (112 days ago) @ David Turell

Biochemical controls (99.9% versus 0.1%).

dhw: Do you believe that we and our food are directly descended from 99.9% of all the creatures that ever lived?

DAVID: No. From the 0.1% surviving.

dhw: Once more: the 99.9% (approx.) of extinct species INCLUDE our extinct ancestors. The 0.1% are the modern survivors, some of whose ancestors are extinct. For example, out of 696 dinosaur species, only 4 either left descendants or have actually survived themselves (e.g. perhaps ostriches, emus and kiwis). Let’s say two are extinct, and two have survived. The two survivors and the two with extinct ancestors make up the 0.1% of present species that are linked to past. That means current species have survived or evolved from 0.57% of those that once lived [...] The current 0.1% are NOT descended from the 99.9% that ever lived, but only from the 0.1% of survivors, as you have agreed.

DAVID: Same nutty math. All living now are survivors: 0.1%. They are direct descendants of the 99.9% dying in the past. 100%.

dhw: 99.9% of creatures who you say were NOT our ancestors plus 0.1% who were our ancestors or who still exist = 100%, as you agreed in bold. Why do you continue to contradict yourself?

Your math is not 100%: 99.9% extinct ancestors, 0.1% surviving and us 0.1% living= 100.1%.

Note this article dinos to birds: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240731170951.htm

Shortly after an asteroid slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, life for non-avian dinosaurs ended, but the evolutionary story for the early ancestors of birds began.

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The study examined the evolutionary trajectory of all major bird groups and found evidence of "genomic fossils" in birds' DNA that mark critical evolutionary steps as birds evolved into more than 10,000 living species.

Comment: Redo your evolutionary math: 696 dinosaurs became over 10,000 bird species!!! Raup is an overall view of a whole process. Stop slicing it up.