Successful Merger of Butterfly Species 85
Roland Piquepaille writes "Researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) have recreated a real butterfly in the lab by crossing two other species of butterflies. This phenomenon, which is quite rare, is known as hybrid speciation. What is more surprising is that the hybrid butterfly has been created in just three generations of lab crosses. And BBC News tells us that the new butterfly species is a viable one, with its specific wing patterns which "make them undesirable as mates for members of their parent species." In fact, this hybridization, which occurred without any changes to the chromosome number, could mean that it is an important factor in the origin of new animal species. Read more for many additional references and a comparison of wing patterns between hybrids and wild butterflies."
Why this is important ... (Score:3, Interesting)
The study demonstrates that two animal species can evolve to form one, instead of the more common scenario where one species diverges to form two.
marketing potential (Score:3, Interesting)
Guess this means we are one step closer to such reality. this is so Dystopian.
Start your stopwatches . . . . (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Makes me wonder (Score:4, Interesting)
Sadly, there have been a number of cases. None of whom could fully integrated into society. Children raised by wolves, dogs, monkeys, and recently in the news... chickens (no really!).
See Feral Children [wikipedia.org] for more information.
Re:Start your stopwatches . . . . (Score:1, Interesting)
that's what i meant by becoming dominant.
'He postulates specifically that species subjected to a specific stress will adapt based upon these two mechanisms. He calls this, "evolution."'
this is the part i dissagree with in his theories, because of what he studied, the differences were not that they had different genetics then their ancestors, but certain genes, some that may have lain dormant for generations, became more dominant based on the local environment (this is what i meant by regular genetic variation). this to me is not evolution, just adaptation, which are two different things.
it's just like how there are so many races of people, yet we are all still humans; isolation from other groups, along with environmental conditions, provided for the different genes to become dominant and some genes that are dominant in one race are very rare, or non-existent in other races.
i don't mean to start any arguments on evolution or anything, i know that i will believe what i will, just as anyone else is going to believe what they will, and that nobody will know who's right until death.