From: DMcG - PM
Date: 05 Oct 14 - 01:26 PM

Phenomenology... if you wanta spend a few years absorbing THAT can of worms... is one attempt

I can't let that pass without remarking it is my daughter's specialism!"

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I considered it myself 50 years ago, but had little access to either time or $$$$ to get myself to one of the few places where it was a major course of study. Where is she? And is she working in the field or just studying?
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Pete...". so what did the fly and the virus turn into ?"

Basic mistake in assumption, Pete. They 'turned into' different forms of themselves in the short timescale. The virus, for example, became one which was immune to penicillin. Not every event in evolution leads to something which might be seen in a photograph. And not every evolutionary change is for the 'better' of an organism. An elk with VERY large antlers might attract more female elk , but they might hinder his ability to feed or to evade human hunters. (And yes, they CAN carbon date specimens to dates much older than you are willing to admit exist!)

Evolution does not automatically mean something as simplistic as "survival of the fittest". The conditions something is 'fit' for can change.