If we are to continue conversations together, let me make one thing perfectly clear.
It is unacceptable to misquote an author!
Now to do so mistakenly is forgivable, to do so on purpose is a grave sin.
Let me quote what the article said:
"This is the first evidence that small mutational changes in a gene contribute to large jumps in evolution, to wit, the evolution of six-legged insects from a multi-limbed shrimp-like ancestor 400 million years ago," McGinnis, biology professor and team leader, told UPI. "It means there is nothing special about changes in genes that can lead to big evolutionary jumps -- macro-evolution -- and similar small changes resulting in big evolutionary jumps will eventually be found in other regulatory genes."
This was followed by:
The relationship between macro- and micro-evolution has been subject of much debate. "One hypothesis has been that the accumulation of many micro-evolutionary changes -- each having a very small effect -- when summed up over hundreds of millions of years can account for macro-evolutionary changes," Ronshaugen told UPI. "Events such as the Cambrian explosion (some 570 million to 500 million years ago) where a huge number of very different organisms arose in a brief window of time would seem to argue that the long and slow accumulation of small changes couldn't explain the rapid diversification of bodies in that there just isn't enough time."
The article was setting up for the connection of micro and macro.
The quote you gave was an excerpt of the second quote. However, from the paragraph atop, it explains how this discovery gives evidence that the micro to macro change isn't as much of a conflict anymore. The discovery showed that:
"It means there is nothing special about changes in genes that can lead to big evolutionary jumps...".
Your quote gravely changes the position that the author intended. You are young and therefore unaware of certain rules. This rule that was broken was unacceptable, and I assume completely accidental. In the future, I'd ask for you to fully read whatever someone gives you and not to take the paper out of its own context. It is worse than plagurism. |