Scientists hail discovery of hundreds of new species in remote New Guinea

http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article343740.eceThe first two paragraphs of the above cited: {Changed topic title from "nice discovery" to "Scientists hail discovery of hundreds of new species in remote New Guinea", which is the title of the cited article. Also added the quote box material. - Adminnemooseus}This message has been edited by Adminnemooseus, 02-07-2006 04:16 PM

A bare link does not constitute an opening post for a new topic.Please help us out here, what exactly do you want to discuss? What is your opinion on it? Have you any thoughts on other similar discoveries?I did not read the link because what I mention above is what I should be reading, and it is sadly lacking from this OP.AdminIRH(AbE: of course, you may have just wanted to bring it to our attention and nothing more, but it is still very bad form - just because this is the Coffee House doesn't mean OP's are exempt from Forum Guidelines, i.e. avoid posting bare links.)This message has been edited by AdminIRH, 02-07-2006 07:51 PM

IRH,It's just a heads up. It is in the coffee house.Mark

See subtitle. Seems to me to be what's appropriate for the situation.When supplying (especially bare) links, one must also beware of linked pages that may not be perminent.Adminnemooseus

An excellent example of how an isolated environment with small populations can cause species formation, which is strong evidence of evolution.

Guess I should have put something more, but it's not a debate topic; hence the Coffee House (yea, I know some things are debated here, but this is just a neat story).

Which is strong evidence for creationism as well. It certainly is not exclusive evidence for ToE and universal common descent.

I haven't studied the cited carefully, but I thought I'd inject something before things possibly get out of hand in a bad direction.So, the question is, is the isolated environment causing species formation or is the isolation meerly preserving what were once more widespread populations?Moose

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Professor, geology, Whatsamatta U
Evolution - Changes in the environment, caused by the interactions of the components of the environment."Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and will piss on your computer." - Bruce Graham"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." - John Kenneth Galbraith"I know a little about a lot of things, and a lot about a few things, but I'm highly ignorant about everything." - Moose

While the topic did start off as "Coffee House" material, I see that it's going to head the "Biological Evolution" direction.Going to move this topic real soon. Please stand by, or you will be trying to post to a closed topic.Adminnemooseus

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Thread moved here from the Coffee House forum.Please note message subtitle. AdminnemooseusThis message has been edited by Adminnemooseus, 02-07-2006 04:57 PM

It is exactly what is predicted by evolution, in peer reviewed articles.What peer reviewed articles about creationism predict it?

The isolation is what causes the speciation. That allows variations in allees to be able to be spread amount the entire population quicker. If there is genetic flow with large populations, this effect is miminized.

The effect is only minimized if Natural Selection is not involved.On the other hand, in small populations Genetic Drift can rapidly move populations away from adaptive features provided that selection is sufficiently relaxed. If enough new niches are available, it's possible that those niches will eventually be occupied by new species even though the initial impetus went against weak selection.So there you have it: an example of Sewell Wright's Shifting Balances Theory unfolding right in front of our noses.

sorry randman, but this only proves evolution further. these animals have all adapted naturaly. evolution clearly took place.

Matthew, you miss the point if you are making that statement. The fact things evolve is not particularly good evidence for "evolution", which is the theory of universal common descent, the microbe to man story (myth?).