The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #153942   Message #3611026
Posted By: Steve Shaw
19-Mar-14 - 08:50 PM
Thread Name: BS: Cosmos
Subject: RE: BS: Cosmos
an observation that moths change colour in a dirty environment.

Rather sad, Snailie, that you've revealed your deficiencies at last. When I was an assistant chief examiner for "A" Level Biology at the University of London (in charge of a team of assistant examiners for the essay paper), I remember a big conflab that took place at our chief examiners' meeting over an essay question on evolution. We finally agreed with the chief examiner that any answer that used the peppered moth as an example of evolution should be scored out and given nil. I suppose I'm going to have to tell you why, aren't I. Both forms of Biston betularia were already present before the Industrial Revolution. The supposed favouring of the melanic form over the white form due to blackening of tree trunks merely caused a change of proportion in the populations of the two. No new mutation, no speciation. And, when the air was cleaned up, normal service was resumed. It's actually an awful example of anything at all, long discredited, and not even without suspicion of fraud. I wouldn't have used that to promote any notion of mine in a million years, old boy. And I can't think that I've ever mentioned the bacteria which you perpetually burble about. They are not an example of evolution either. You tell me I shouldn't say that evolution is true, yet you don't appear to understand the first thing about it yourself!