Attempted resurrection of the peppered moth (Evolution)

by dhw, Sunday, November 30, 2008, 08:16 (5635 days ago) @ David Turell

David has drawn our attention to the resurrection of the peppered moth. - Thank you for another interesting reference. I found the example in Peter Brooks' comment (turquoise moths gradually giving way to brown moths when the building was repainted) much simpler but just as illuminating. However, Brooks himself points out that while these examples are great illustrations of how natural selection works, they tell us nothing about the origin of species. This has provoked an irate reaction from two other respondents, who insist that such small changes over time do lead to new species. David, you yourself specify that the moth illustrates "changes in a species to respond to changes in the environment", which again is not the same thing as an endorsement of the whole theory of evolution. Perhaps you and our other scientists could comment.