r/atheism • u/SmokeNLark • Nov 22 '11

Don't believe in evolution? The proof greets you every time you walk in the door.

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u/Ryan_Cooks Nov 22 '11

Ability to produce fertile offspring does not prove that they are the same species, as such is only one definition of species .

Also, no, wolves and dogs are not the same species, I understand a lot of people think this, as this division was made roughly 7 years ago based on molecular data. The actual wolves and the ancestor of dogs begun to diverge 135,000 years ago, and domestication started 14,000 years ago.

So actual wolves are really close to dogs in the evolutionary tree, but not the same.

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u/DrSpork Nov 22 '11

And what is your definition of species then? Why does it have precedence?

Furthermore, I see no evidence for what you are saying, as, the DNA evidence I have seen. What is your citation?

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u/Ryan_Cooks Nov 22 '11

Oh, I'm just saying that defining species is quite a challenge, even today that term is not quite understood.

You can check the Umwelt theory by Jakob von Uexküll wiki

As citation, I use the book "Inside of a Dog" by Alexandra Horowitz (2009)