A fish that lead naturalist Charles Darwin to question his theory of evolution has been found to fit perfectly into his research following examination of a series of fossils.
Published: 12:00PM BST 24 Sep 2009
The discovery removes a major argument used by advocates of intelligent design, which suggests that evolution alone cannot account for some of the surprising adaptations found in the natural world.
The flatfish group, which includes the flounder and sole, is often characterised by having both eyes on one side of the head.
Darwin, author of On The Origin Of Species, believed animal evolution occurred gradually over millions of years and fossil records revealed this ''transitional'' process.
But the Victorian scientist was troubled by the flatfish order because during the time of his studies the group's fossil record was incomplete and it was unclear how the gradual migration of one eye could have come about.
But now, a study of 50-million-year-old fossil fishes from Europe has provided a clear picture of the origins of the flatfish group - supporting Darwin's theories.
Dr Matt Friedman, the author of the study who recently took up a post at Oxford University, investigated the prehistoric fish - known as acanthomorphs - from Italy and France.
Addressing the Society of Vertebrate Palaeontologists' (SVP) annual meeting at the University of Bristol today, Dr Friedman said: ''Flatfishes and their profoundly asymmetrical skulls have been enlisted in many arguments against gradual evolutionary change, precisely because it is difficult to imagine how intermediate forms might have been adaptive.
''My work provides clear evidence of the kinds of intermediates deemed 'impossible' by earlier workers and answers this long-standing riddle in vertebrate evolution.''
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Read more here/Leia mais aqui.
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NOTAS IMPERTINENTES DESTE BLOGGER:
1. Na obra de Darwin, eu não vi a preocupação dele com os peixes achatados (Pleuronectidae) questionando sua teoria da evolução através da seleção natural. Quem trouxe isso à baila foi St. George Jackson Mivart no seu livro Genesis of Species (1871). Darwin respondeu as críticas de Mivart na 6a. edição do Origin of Species (1872).
2. Eu desconheço na literatura do Design Inteligente a afirmação de que a evolução não pode ser capaz de dar conta de 'some of the surprising adaptations found in the natural world' [algumas surpreendentes adaptações encontradas no mundo natural].
3. Assim como Mivart mostrou que a explicação de Darwin da seleção natural era incapaz de explicar a origem dos peixes achatados, eu sou cético da evidência dos intermediários considerados possíveis na pesquisa do Dr. Matt Friedman pelas mesmas razões apresentadas por Mivart há 138 anos atrás.
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PDF gratuito do Genesis of Species de Mivart aqui [958 KB]
