Nature\'s wonders (Introduction)

by dhw, Friday, April 29, 2011, 11:02 (4753 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: Resuming wonderful examples of how nature creates solutions for its problems, First an orchid which attracts insects, even though entering the flower has no value for the insect!-http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-rare-orchids-mimic-fungus-flies.html-Next, extremely fast evolution by pupfish, faster than standard Darwinism.-http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-explosive-evolution-pupfish.html-The point of all this is the research in epigenetics which shows that this is all very possible well outside Darwin's theory. Random mutation and natural selection cannot do either of these events, in my opinion. the first is extremely complex and needs adaptation in two organisms, and in the second case, evolution moves at lightning speed, requiring epigenetic (Lamarkian) mechanisms.-Once more, many thanks for these fascinating articles. As regards the second, the author refers to these as different species of pupfish. Are they really different species, or are they varieties? This causes immense confusion in the discussion of evolution, as pointed out by Leif A. Jensen. The question is whether varieties can or can't turn into new species, but it would seem from the article that all the pupfish remain pupfish. So whence cometh speciation?