A short video on macroevolution? But I thought it was supposed to take millions and billions of years! Nice one PZ and thanks for the video, another one on P.E. sounds interesting.
=8)-DX
nomdeplumesays
I’ve always thought that punctuated equilibrium was simply an argument from ignorance – that is, if we were able to observe, with a time machine, every generation back through a lineage, the apparent punctuation would disappear. Perhaps ypu’ll prove me wrong!
On this video, the BMR correlation just seems to me intiutively wrong because, as you say, there are so many other variables involved in determining individual,extinction events, and, in combination, their expression as a rate.
The authors acknowledge it. I think they could have just used estimated mass rather than BMR and seen the same correlation. But they’re also right that metabolic rate is fundamental to a lot of phenomena, and implying that increased size is associated with survival also sweeps many processes under the rug.
Fine video, as usual. Yes, PE would be an excellent topic. Particularly if you distinguish between PE-as-a-pattern and PE-as-species-level-selection. That distinction (pattern-versus-process) is too little made. There are rather boring and ordinary individual selection scenarios that could produce the pattern.
terminussays
I thought PE was a simple model explaining the rapid speciation following a major environmental change. Very interested to learn what I misunderstand and what professional biologists get wrong as well!
unclefrogysays
I am always wary of to simple a description or solutions to “everything” cause it never looks like in the real world I see all the time.
in PE isn’t the punctuation just what we have in the fossil record always rare individuals separated by large numbers of generations with which we infer connection and change over time.
uncle frogy
DanDaresays
Thanks for that. I hadn’t thought about there being observable patterns at the macro level. I did a course on population genetics back in the late 70s and I don’t think I absorbed some of the implications back then. Right. New interest area.
That video game looked like a lot of fun but I was literally not able to hear a word you said because of the distraction. I had to back up and play that segment again, now without looking at the monitor. Just how my brain works I guess, but I doubt I’m the only one.
I was particularly intrigued when you said that a lot of people who think they understand it actually misunderstand it (at least in significant part). Anytime there’s a significant chance I could be wrong about something, i want to know!
帽子はとてもすごい！
Concepts of PE? Yes, please!
A short video on macroevolution? But I thought it was supposed to take millions and billions of years! Nice one PZ and thanks for the video, another one on P.E. sounds interesting.
=8)-DX
I’ve always thought that punctuated equilibrium was simply an argument from ignorance – that is, if we were able to observe, with a time machine, every generation back through a lineage, the apparent punctuation would disappear. Perhaps ypu’ll prove me wrong!
On this video, the BMR correlation just seems to me intiutively wrong because, as you say, there are so many other variables involved in determining individual,extinction events, and, in combination, their expression as a rate.
The authors acknowledge it. I think they could have just used estimated mass rather than BMR and seen the same correlation. But they’re also right that metabolic rate is fundamental to a lot of phenomena, and implying that increased size is associated with survival also sweeps many processes under the rug.
Fine video, as usual. Yes, PE would be an excellent topic. Particularly if you distinguish between PE-as-a-pattern and PE-as-species-level-selection. That distinction (pattern-versus-process) is too little made. There are rather boring and ordinary individual selection scenarios that could produce the pattern.
I thought PE was a simple model explaining the rapid speciation following a major environmental change. Very interested to learn what I misunderstand and what professional biologists get wrong as well!
I am always wary of to simple a description or solutions to “everything” cause it never looks like in the real world I see all the time.
in PE isn’t the punctuation just what we have in the fossil record always rare individuals separated by large numbers of generations with which we infer connection and change over time.
uncle frogy
Thanks for that. I hadn’t thought about there being observable patterns at the macro level. I did a course on population genetics back in the late 70s and I don’t think I absorbed some of the implications back then. Right. New interest area.
That video game looked like a lot of fun but I was literally not able to hear a word you said because of the distraction. I had to back up and play that segment again, now without looking at the monitor. Just how my brain works I guess, but I doubt I’m the only one.
Chigau@1: 心から同意します。
Okay, I’m game for a PE video.
I was particularly intrigued when you said that a lot of people who think they understand it actually misunderstand it (at least in significant part). Anytime there’s a significant chance I could be wrong about something, i want to know!