Furthermore, the similarity of HOX genes in so many animal phyla is actually a problem for neo-Darwinism: If evolutionary changes in body plans are due to changes in genes, and flies have HOX genes similar to those in a horse, why is a fly not a horse?
48 comments
I dunno, just taking a stab at this here, but...
Because of all the other genes that are different? Think those have something to do with it Dr. Wells?
The degree to which two species share the same genes correlates with the recentness of common ancestry. In other words, the more genes shared, the more similar they are. If they shared all or most of the same genes, they would be the same species.
...The above was probably too complex for you. Try this: A fly is not a horse because horses can't fly.
(Also, neo-Darwinism is a term occasionally used to refer to the modern synthesis, which revises Darwin's original mechanisms to include Mendelian genetics. Believe it or not, Wells is actually using the term correctly, though whether he understands it is another story entirely.)
With respect to the function in which HOX genes perform, flies ARE very similar to horses. Like so many have already mentioned, it is the rest of the genes that make the biggest difference.
It is actually a very cool and interesting subject, I encourage all to be more informed than Dr. Wells here and look up "Homeobox Genes."
Mate there is so much wrong with that statement I don't know where to start with my clue bat...
HOX genes indicate limb bud development. The limbs being controlled still belong to horse and fly... so a HOX Gene makes fly limbs in flies and horsie limbs in horses...
Furthermore, the similarity of tenets within Middle Eastern-origin religions is actually a problem for religious fundamentalists. If religion is based on tenets, and Islam has some tenets similar to Christianity, then why is a Christian not a Muslim?
I've seen a horse fly, and a crane fly, I've seen a polka dot railroad tie, but I think I will have seen everything when creationists don't lie!
{edit: doesn't scan, I know. Suggestions for improvement welcomed].
You wouldn't even be typing H,O and X contiguously, so as to form a word, if it wasn't for science you buffoon.
This is the kind of thing that makes no sense whatsoever but impresses the hell out of fundies who don't know the first thing about science. It sounds like an irrefutable scientific argument to those who don't know any better.
Wells seems to have the technique perfected.
My name is John Wellington Wells,
Oops, wrong song.
I've seen a horse fly,
Oops, sorry, another wrong one.
But what about the HOAX gene in fundies? Hm?
"why is a fly not a horse?"
Because... if it was... then it would be a horse.
And you wouldn't know the difference, and you'd still be talking shite.
Homeobox (Hox) genes control the most basic functions of development, mostly concerned with the bodyplan. HOX genes code for transcription factors, which are proteins that bind to DNA and either promote or suppress the expression of other genes; and it is this fact that immediately answers Wells' question. A horse's Hox genes may be basically identical to a fly's, but the genes affected by those Hox genes are not. Moreover, the similarity of the two organisms' Hox genes would imply that there should be a certain degree of commonality between their physiological layouts at the most basic level such as bilateral symmetry, anterior-posterior differentiation, etc.
Guess what, both flies and horses have a left and a right, a head at one end, an anus at the other, and limbs in between.
There's a nice introduction to Hox By PZ Myers over at Nature (here ).
You said the word "similar", not "identical". Horses have eyes, flies have eyes. Horses have legs, flies have.. oh what's the point.
It is times like these that there is only one valid answer:
What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
To post a comment, you'll need to Sign in or Register . Making an account also allows you to claim credit for submitting quotes, and to vote on quotes and comments. You don't even need to give us your email address.
