Is Evolution Predictable?

An anonymous reader writes "C|Net is carrying a story about some research out of Rice University. They are exploring the possibility that we can predict the evolution of a species, given environmental factors." From the article: "Typically, the bacteria can continue to thrive when the temperature hits 73 degrees Celsius (163 degrees Fahrenheit). The experimental strain of bacteria contained a mutated version of a gene that, in the naturally occurring strain of the microbe, produces a protein that made existence possible. They then put these mutant strains in environments where the temperature rose slowly but steadily, and studied how different generations coped with the changing temperature. In the breeding that followed, millions of new mutations of the gene in question were produced, but only about 700 of those variants replicated some of the functionality of the naturally occurring gene."

Yes

[William Robinson]

5 million years down the road. ;)

Oh wait, maybe, by that time, our Sun will be white dwarf.

What the article doesn't mention...

[__aaclcg7560]

Is that a group of graduate students have returned from E3 with an unauthorized copy of the game Spore [spore.com] instead of working on their project for the final. I predict that these lazy students will evolve into hard working game testers.

Re:Just throwing this out there

[Joris Van Damme]

I've always wanted to go to Miller-Urey, but I'm afraid I'll fall of the edges of the flat earth...

Re:Natural vs. sexual selection

[Anonymous Coward]

hey man, what're you talking about? osama's totally hot.

Re:but..

[Anonymous Coward]

if and only if linux is compile to only use the four letters...

This message is brought to you by the letters "G", "A", "T" and "C".

Re:He's from spain

[Smallpond]

Thank you for your mutation of the article. I think your copy will live and grow.