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“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” - T. Dozhansky. Greek Gods. Norse Gods. Raelian leader says cloning first step to immortality Saturday, December 28, 2002 Posted: 2:08 AM EST (0708 GMT)
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“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” - T. Dozhansky
Raelian leader says cloning first step to immortality Saturday, December 28, 2002 Posted: 2:08 AM EST (0708 GMT) MIAMI, Florida (CNN) --The leader of a religious sect that claimed to have created the first human clone Friday called the development "just the first step" toward human immortality through cloning. Former French journalist Claude Vorilhon, who now calls himself Rael, claims to be a direct descendant of extraterrestrials who created human life on Earth through genetic engineering. A company founded by his followers announced Friday that the first human clone has been born -- a 7-pound baby girl dubbed "Eve."
Raëlians on the origin of life www.rael.org
Origin hypotheses natural selection God space aliens ? ? Life Humans
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Rael: No DNA test for baby Eve Sect leader vows to guard identity of alleged human clone Friday, January 3, 2003 Posted: 11:05 AM EST (1605 GMT) SHERBROOKE, Quebec (CNN) -- A company founded by members of a sect that believes mankind was created by extraterrestrials says what it calls the first human clone will not undergo testing to verify her genetic makeup. The head of the Raelian movement, who calls himself "Rael," said Thursday that he has told Clonaid's leader not to perform DNA tests on the infant girl, nicknamed "Eve."
Raelian cloners 'have two staff and no lab' [WASHINGTON] Clonaid, the company that announced last December that it had cloned a human, seems to have no lab space and only two employees, according to court documents obtained by the Boston Globe. Clonaid was founded by a religious sect known as the Raelians, who believe that the human race was cloned from aliens. The company's managing director, Raelian bishop Brigitte Boisselier, has said that so far a dozen clients have each paid $25,000 or more for the group's cloning services. Nature423, 8 (01 May 2003); doi:10.1038/423008a
What do you think? Do you think the Raëlians cloned a human? Did space aliens create all life on earth?
How do you know? • Because you’ve seen it yourself. • Because someone you trust told you. • Because it makes logical sense.
Why do you believe someone? • They are a relative. • They have moral or religious authority. • They are scientists. • They offer verifiable evidence in favor of their for their idea. • They offer verifiable evidence against alternative ideas.
Why do you believe someone? • They are a relative. • They have moral or religious authority. • They are scientists. • They offer verifiable evidence in favor of their for their idea. • They offer verifiable evidence against alternative ideas. That’s science
Scientific hypotheses Hypothesis: a potential explanation for some observation or phenomenon. Scientific hypothesis: a hypothesis that could be rejected by some conceivable observation. Useful scientific hypothesis: a hypothesis that can be rejected by some conceivable observation RIGHT NOW.
Limits to science • Many interesting hypotheses are not necessarily verifiable: • What does pain feel like? • Did space aliens take Raël to another planet? • Did God create humans? • Not everything that is true is subject to scientific confirmation.
OUTLINE 20 I. The Concept of Evolution up to Darwin’s Time A. Greek Philosophy B. Christian Theology C. The Enlightenment II. Evolution Before Darwin A. Lamarck B. State of knowledge at Darwin’s time III. Darwin and the theory of Evolution By Natural Selection A. Voyage of the Beagle B. Formulation of the theory IV. The Theory A. Essential elements B. Contrast with views of the time V. Darwin’s Evidence A. Artificial selection B. The fossil record C. Comparative anatomy D. Embryology E. Biogeography
Greek Philosophy Essentialism
Surprising things about this discovery Homo floresiensis in the context of the evolution and dispersal of the genus Homo. a, The new species as part of the Asian dispersals of the descendants of H. ergaster and H. erectus, with an outline of the descent of other Homo species provided for context. b, The evolutionary history of Homo is becoming increasingly complex as new species are discovered. Homo floresiensis (left) is believed1 to be a long-term, isolated descendant of Javanese H. erectus, but it could be a recent divergence. 1, H. ergaster/African erectus; 2, georgicus; 3, Javanese and Chinese erectus; 4, antecessor; 5, cepranensis; 6, heidelbergensis; 7, helmei; 8, neanderthalensis; 9, sapiens; 10, floresiensis. Solid lines show probable evolutionary relationships; dashed lines, possible alternatives. Nature 431:1043.
James Hutton 1726 - 1797 Gradualism Natural laws are invariant. Change results from the accumulation of slow continuous processes.
Charles Lyell 1797 - 1875 Uniformitarianism the rate of geological activity on Earth is constant.
Similarity among the limb bones of organisms that use them for different purposes – Buffon 1760
Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck 1744 - 1829 . . . time and favorable conditions are the two principal means which nature has employed in giving existence to all her productions. We know that for her time has no limit, and that consequently she always has it at her disposal.
Charles Darwin 1809-1882
Thomas Malthus 1766 - 1834 Populations can increase faster than their resources
Alfred R. Wallace 1823 - 1913
Parent Parent Offspring More offspring are born than can survive to reproduce
Traits are heritable Parent Offspring Parent Offspring
Individuals with some traits reproduce more than others Parent Offspring Parent Offspring
Traits that enhance reproduction become more common each generation parents generation 1 offspring generation 1 parents generation 2 offspring generation 2
Artificial selection has produced different, true-breeding varieties of “fancy” pigeons from a single ancestral form
Fig 22.17 A fossil whale with hind legs
Evidence for evolution from comparative embryology Early embryos of diverse groups share many features. As development proceeds, embryonic forms diverge and become more similar to adults of their own species (von Baer’s law)