From: <Vikcha@aol.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1999 02:30:34 EDT
Subject: Re: Two biology questions
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
OK, I'll bite on the first question... but I'd certainly be curious to know
what you're driving at.
In a message dated 8/14/99 6:21:40 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
mmills@htcomp.net writes:
<< 1. Has there ever been a new species created by scientific research or
breeding?
Well, it depends on how you define what constitutes the creation of a
separate species. According to Daniel Dennett (Darwin's Dangerous Idea), we
can only really determine what constitutes the beginning of a new species
from the perspective of many years afterwards. Surely there are many, many
instances of breeding which, a million years hence, may be looked back on as
the beginning of a new species.
Another way to answer this question is that yes, of course ALL new species
are created by breeding. It's just a question of whether the the breeding is
being "directed" by man, or by natural selection.
If what you're really asking is " Have scientists or breeders *intentionally*
created, in our lifetimes, something that is *currently* generally
recognized as being a new, separate species?".. Then I believe the answer is
no.
2. What is the most complex cellular element which can be crystalized?
I'm defining complexity in terms of the number of protein used to build the
element. For example, can nucleoli, mitochondia or chloroplasts be
crystalized? >>
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