Pre Genetics Darwinism

[Johnny Pneumatic]

I was just thinking a few hours ago, what was the mechanism that allowed new variety in organisms when Darwin first published Origin of Species? He got the Natural Selection part right but what was the 'genetic mutation, crossing over etc.' of his day? He didn't know these things.

 

[geni]

He didn't and it gave Darwin a problem he couldn't solve. the modle for inheritance was that it worked like mixing paint. You mixed yellow and blue to get green. The problem was that this should over time reduce the amount of vartation in the population and so prevent everlution from occuring.

 

[CBL4]

As geni said, Darwin did not have the answer. Without mutations there was no explanation of how we could get the variety of life that now exists.

Darwin just piled up enough other evidence that evolution occurred that only an idiot would deny it. He was willing to admit that his theory (survival of the fittest) could be wrong but was sure that evolution occurred. This overwhelming evidence for evolution plus lots of cases for small scale evolution (e.g. finches) of the fittest carried the day.

I believe the two biggest arguments against evolution were the mechanism and the age of the earth. Without knowledge of radioactivity, there was no way the earth could be old enough to have allowed evolution.

CBL

 

[Johnny Pneumatic]

Wouldn't it be neat if it were possible to bring him and other scientists forward in time to show them what we've learned? Can you imagine what they'd make of space travel, cars, the Internet, digital camcorders, jets, genetic engineering etc. What a trip that would be for them!

 

[geni]

Wouldn't it be neat if it were possible to bring him and other scientists forward in time to show them what we've learned? Can you imagine what they'd make of space travel, cars, the Internet, digital camcorders, jets, genetic engineering etc. What a trip that would be for them!

Not really. Darwin would complain about the immoral athiests. Newton would ask why we've given up on alchemy. Kepler would probably ask the same about astrology.

 

[Johnny Pneumatic]

Not really. Darwin would complain about the immoral athiests. Newton would ask why we've given up on alchemy. Kepler would probably ask the same about astrology.

Darwin was an agnostic, The others were no dummies, for their time. I'd think they'd trash those beliefs when shown why they are bogus. If you're going to use that line of reasoning then do you think Galileo would be p*ssed that 60% of scientists are atheists?

 

[geni]

Darwin was an agnostic, The others were no dummies, for their time.

Which is why I said athiest. You can't deny that by victorian standards you are imoral (along with most of the rest of the human race).

I'd think they'd trash those beliefs when shown why they are bogus.

Considering the amount of effot and time they put into those areas this is questionable. It is on record that newton didn't get on too well with those who dissagreed with him.

 

[Johnny Pneumatic]

Considering the amount of effort and time they put into those areas this is questionable. It is on record that newton didn't get on too well with those who dissagreed with him.

Then they weren't good scientists if they wouldn't.

 

[Johnny Pneumatic]

Which is why I said athiest. You can't deny that by victorian standards you are imoral (along with most of the rest of the human race).

Yep, I have 50 slaves, am a racist, sexist and homophobe. Think a giant armed militia should be formed to sweep out the ghettos. Am fully opposed to women voting. Believe legal gay marriage will lead to Armageddon.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Yep, I have 50 slaves, am a racist, sexist and homophobe. Think a giant armed militia should be formed to sweep out the ghettos. Am fully opposed to women voting. Believe legal gay marriage will lead to Armageddon.

My kind of man. Are you available?

 

[geni]

Yep, I have 50 slaves, am a racist, sexist and homophobe. Think a giant armed militia should be formed to sweep out the ghettos. Am fully opposed to women voting. Believe legal gay marriage will lead to Armageddon.

[mode=victorian]You pratice slavery? You evil person. Other that you sound a thourghly decent guy[/mode]

 

[Soapy Sam]

Gregor Mendel actually published the answer in 1865, only 6 years after "The Origin". If only Darwin had read it. We know he read books in which references to Mendel's paper appeared. One of those close, but no cigar moments.

Google Gregor Mendel and Fleeming Jenkin.

And Geni- I don't thin Newton got on well with anybody.