{"id":56487,"date":"2017-09-04T19:32:10","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T18:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theskepticalzone.com\/wp\/?p=56487"},"modified":"2017-12-25T18:12:28","modified_gmt":"2017-12-25T18:12:28","slug":"the-mystery-of-evolution-8-common-descent-the-tree-of-life-or-a-bush-an-orchard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/theskepticalzone.com\/wp\/the-mystery-of-evolution-8-common-descent-the-tree-of-life-or-a-bush-an-orchard\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mystery of Evolution: 8. Common Descent-The Tree of Life or a Bush? An Orchard?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Special Update!!!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It turns out that professor Larry Moran of the University of Toronto agrees with Craig Venter. Thanks to Allan Miller, I discovered a blog on a similar theme at\u00a0sandawalk link here\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This is what professor Moran says about the video (his video is 42 min long):<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

” Everything that Ventor says is correct. He didn’t need to quibble about the universality of the genetic code but it’s true that there are variants.”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“I’m pretty sure that Dawkins doesn’t agree (in reference to video) with those who question whether there’s a tree of life. One of the most profound implications of the net of life is that it’s <\/span>consistent with several independent origins of life<\/strong> that preceded the rise of a modern genetic code and contributed to existing species. In other words,<\/span> there may not be a single LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor)<\/strong>. Dawkins does not like that. It’s not what he says on the lecture circuit.” (my emphasis)
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There is probably no one in the world of biology today as respected as Craig Venter.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, his achievements are indeed great including being involved with sequencing the human genome and assembled the first team to transfect a cell with a synthetic chromosome, which some even went as far as calling the creation of artificial life…<\/p>\n

Now apparently, he is involved in the anti-aging research…no surprise here…he is 70 and would like reach immortality like the jellyfish…<\/a>Who can blame him…He is an atheist…<\/p>\n

However, his also known for what some would call radical statements such as denying the common descent which is the very foundation of evolutionary theory…<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Common descent describes how, in evolutionary biology, a group of organisms share a most recent common ancestor.\u00a0<\/em>Common ancestry between organisms of different species apparently<\/strong> arises during speciation, in which new species are established from a single ancestral population. Organisms which share a more recent common ancestor are apparently<\/strong> closely related.” –Wiki<\/em><\/p>\n

The apparent common descent of all organisms on earth doesn’t agree with Craig Venter’s research…<\/p>\n

Here is what he says on the theme:<\/strong><\/p>\n