Here is a short review that I mentioned of J. Schwarz' Sudden Origins, a
very interesting book with a new perspective on evolution in the age of the
new hox genes. I cannot fully endorse this new theory in such a rapidly
changing field, but the book gives a good snapshot of a changing field, and
had not quotes on the back book jacket, a possible plus in my view.
Now Darwinists will have to claim that natual selection works on these hox
genes, or that it constructed them. I think we will see a period of
'intermediate lying' trying to 'change their story' without anyone knowing
their are being rebrainwashed.
This is a very important source of information both as to the history of the
Neo-Darwinian Synthesis and the recent discoveries of regulatory hox genes
and the light they throw on the riddles of speciation and large scale
evolutionary change. The realization that major morphological changes do not
in fact occur in the fashion of microevolution (as presented by traditional
Darwinists), due to the effect of homeobox genes, is a revolutionary
discovery and confirmation of the importance of the developmental tradition
moving in parallel to standard Darwinism. This data creates a foundation for
the various theories of macroevolution and punctuated equilibrium proposed
almost a generation ago but still sidelined by the Darwinian mainline. The
book contains an invaluable review of paleoanthropological theories, issues
of neotonous evolution, and the various genetical theories of Mendelism, from
de Vries and Bateson, to Haldane, Wright, and Fisher. The views of
Goldschmidt, and his near miss of this new perspective, is also treated. This
confusing history of Mendelism sorted out is invaluable, and shows how cogent
(in part) where the intimations of Bateson and Morgan. The new perspective
both confirms the concept of 'macroevolution' while suggesting this can be
seen as a microevolution of regulatory genes, a point open to debate perhaps.
The next mystery is the evolution of these complex sequences of development.
But that does not distract from the great usefulness of this account. One can
dispense with much of the erroneous literature on evolution, a great saving
in brain space. The endless debate over the slow evolution of the eye, etc,
that went on and on and drove all parties batty is hopefully over if we know
the right combination of homeobox genes will control the development of this
and other organs. Times are changing in Darwin land
John Landon
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Website on eonic effect
http://eonix.8m.com
http://www.eonica.net
