Humans and apes

[Ken Kinman]

Thomas,
      Speaking as a mammalogist, I think your botanical perspective seems
right on the mark.  The list of putative synapomorphies uniting man and
orangutans seems weak at best, and it's thus not really surprising that it
is a minority viewpoint.  It's obviously not *quite* as bad as a clade of
"man + peanut butter sandwiches" (I got a good laugh from that one!!).
However, I think it would be a poor choice for John to choose to show
science as a process.
      Instead of beating a dead (or dying) horse like the "orangutan-man"
clade, perhaps something a little more recent would be more instructive.
      I propose that John consider presenting the "bivalves came first"
(never had a radula) hypothesis as an example in its earliest stages of
scientific exploration.  I've barely had time to scratch the surface of that
one, and it already has more potential than this orangutan-man proposal.
But then again, I am obviously rather prejudicial on that particular
subject.  :-)
            ----- TGIF,
                      Ken Kinman
P.S.  Unfortunately, I am in the process of trying to find a new place to
live, so biology is sort of on the back burner right now.  But just had to
take time to interject my opinion on this one.  Won't be posting much in the
next month or two, although that should make some people (especially strict
cladists) rather happy for a while.  :-)
              ----Cheers
                     K.E.K.
****************************************
>From: Thomas Lammers <lammers at VAXA.CIS.UWOSH.EDU>
>Reply-To: Thomas Lammers <lammers at VAXA.CIS.UWOSH.EDU>
>To: TAXACOM at USOBI.ORG
>Subject: Re: Humans and apes
>Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 10:22:17 -0600
>
>At 09:58 AM 3/14/03 -0500, john Grehan wrote:
>
> >>In one cladogram the origin of thick dental enamel would have evolved
>and been lost about three times on the way to humans.<<
>
>Speaking as a botanist (i.e., I don't know much about mammals), I don't
>find it surprising that a trait correlated with diet would seem so
>labile.  Is it possible that enamel thins or thickens through evolutionary
>time as different food sources are exploited??
>
>
>Thomas G. Lammers, Ph.D.
>
>Assistant Professor and Curator of the Herbarium (OSH)
>Department of Biology and Microbiology
>University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
>Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901-8640 USA
>
>e-mail:       lammers at uwosh.edu
>phone:      920-424-1002
>fax:           920-424-1101
>
>Plant systematics; classification, nomenclature, evolution, and
>biogeography
>of the Campanulaceae s. lat.
>
>Webpages:
>http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/Lammers.htm
>http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/herbarium/herbarium.html
>http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Resort/7156/lammers.html
>-----------------------------------------------------------
>"Today's mighty oak is yesterday's nut that stood his ground."
>                                                               -- Anonymous

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