The idea that one can go to the fossil record and expect to empirically recover an ancestor-descendant sequence, be it of species, genera, families, or whatever, has been, and continues to be, a pernicious illusion.

Gareth J. Nelson
About This Quote

The idea that one can go to the fossil record and expect to empirically recover an ancestor-descendant sequence, be it of species, genera, families, or whatever, has been, and continues to be, a pernicious illusion. In regard to the fossil record, the fallacy of this statement is very clear. However, in regard to biological evolution, this statement has some truth. When new species evolve from older ones through a change in genetic material, there is no direct ancestor-descendant relationship between the two lineages.

That is because the new gene pool did not come from ancestors directly. Rather, a single gene was transferred from a common ancestor into each new lineage. Consequently, one cannot determine which of two lineages came from which ancestor by studying fossils alone.

Some Similar Quotes
  1. One thing: you have to walk, and create the way by your walking; you will not find a ready-made path. It is not so cheap, to reach to the ultimate realization of truth. You will have to create the path by walking yourself; the path... - Osho
  2. With me, illusions are bound to be shattered. I am here to shatter all illusions. Yes, it will irritate you, it will annoy you - that's my way of functioning and working. I will sabotage you from your very roots! Unless you are totally destroyed... - Osho
  3. Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others. - Brian Tracy
  4. The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself. - Carl Sagan
  5. It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life first arose should now be threatened by the activities of one form of that life. But the sea, though changed in a sinister way, will continue to exist; the threat is rather to life... - Rachel Carson
More Quotes By Gareth J. Nelson
  1. The idea that one can go to the fossil record and expect to empirically recover an ancestor-descendant sequence, be it of species, genera, families, or whatever, has been, and continues to be, a pernicious illusion.
  2. The phrase 'the fossil record' sounds impressive and authoritative. As used by some persons it becomes, as intended, intimidating, taking on the aura of esoteric truth as expounded by an elite class of specialists. But what is it, really, this fossil record? Only data in...
Related Topics