Skippy surprises scientists

CMI ^ | Carl Wieland

[GodGunsGuts]

Skippy surprises scientists

by Carl Wieland

20 January 2009

Feeling jumpy? It may not be from what you think. Researchers at Australia’s government-backed Centre of Excellence for Kangaroo Genomics have mapped the genetic code of these marsupials, and were surprised at the amazing similarity to that of humans...

[cacoethes_resipisco]

Here’s one of Jenny Grave’s (the lead researcher in the article) other notable findings:

“There are two models for the Y chromosome,” she said. “The model we were all brought up with was the Y as a macho little thing because if you have a Y you’re male and that’s it. But it turns out that’s only because the Y chromosome has the SRY gene on it. The other theory is that the Y is a selfish sort of entity and it grabs genes from other parts of the genome that are handy in males.

“But our work on comparative mapping says that the Y is merely a wimp, a relic of the X chromosome. It started off being identical to the X but over millions of years it has been losing genes and there are hardly any left. This, of course, makes men very anxious.”

[cacoethes_resipisco]

Creationist misunderstanding doesn’t surprise.

“The first thing I want to do is show you what’s being done in sequencing genomes, and how the sequenced animals are related to each other. Genomes of a number of different placental mammal species have been sequenced, including the human genome, which has been sequenced to a very great depth (ie multiple times). We also have the sequences for chimps, mice, rats, dogs, cats, and even the elephants are now lined up for sequencing. But these animals are actually all rather closely related. They shared a common ancestor only 100 million years ago, and that isn’t enough time for the genome to have changed sufficiently for us to get the maximal information out of it. If we go to the other extreme and look at animals very distantly related – that is birds, frogs and even fish – they share a common ancestor with mammals 300 or 400 million years ago and that’s too far because now the sequence is so different it’s actually hard to line up.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if there were some animals in the middle? Well, that’s exactly where Australian animals are. Marsupials and monotremes last shared a common ancestor with humans about 200 million years ago, so they’re exactly in the right spot to give us maximal information that we need to make these comparisons...”
Jenny Graves, Ph.D.
3 May 2006
http://www.science.org.au/sats2006/graves.htm

[TrueKnightGalahad]

If Skippy surprises them, just wait 'til they try Jif! Much better, IMNSHO!

[tpanther]

Fur? LOL

And a chicken embryo looks an awful lot like the human embryo in the early stages too.

and a pig

and a monkey

and...

so why IS it again we’re automatically to believe we share a common ancestor with all of them again?

You know, as opposed to an intelligent creator just using similar DNA in His design in ALL these examples?

[LurkedLongEnough]

No wonder I feel so hoppy!

[CottShop]

Hoppy New year Everyone

[GodGunsGuts]

==As usual Carl Wieland misrepresents science in pursuit of his own religious agenda

Is that why Graves et all were so surprised?:

“There are a few differences, we have a few more of this, a few less of that, but they are the same genes and a lot of them are in the same order.

“Which really surprised us, we thought they’d be completely scrambled, but they’re not, there’s great chunks of the human genome which is sitting right there in the kangaroo genome.’’

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24669539-29277,00.html

Could it be that our Creator used modular/interchangeable designs like human designers often do (we are made in God’s image after all)? Could that be why these genetic sequences are so “conserved” between species? Just a thought.

All the best—GGG

[GodGunsGuts]

Good point! The similarities are uncanny.

[GodGunsGuts]

According to the Evos, we supposedly diverged from kangaroos 150 million years ago. Given a mutation rate of 10^-4 to 10 ^-6 per base pair per generation, the genes should have been largely scrambled by now. That is why the Evos were so surprised.

[GodGunsGuts]

The reason why the Aussie Evos were so surprised is because there expectation was refuted by reality. Obviously there is something very wrong about the theory that is informing their expectations.

[Moonman62]

I wonder what the degree of similarity will be. For some reason they left this little detail out.

Who needs details when the goal is to promote ignorance?

[whattajoke]

According to the Evos, we supposedly diverged from kangaroos 150 million years ago. Given a mutation rate of 10-4 to 10 -6 per base pair per generation, the genes should have been largely scrambled by now.

At the risk of a bad pun, that's quite a LEAP on your part.

[whattajoke]

What’s funny about today’s silly piece you’ve posted is that even if we disregard your article’s artful dodging of what the original findings actually said - which would certainly make me take down the OP as a clear lie - but the bigger picture of what Australian marsupials mean for the creation myth.

Do creationists ask why God put all these highly unique and highly adapted marsupials down in Australia? Do they ask why marsupials are so successful there but only moderately so in the Americas and not at all elsewhere? Do they know what island biogeography means and that the Creator must have been a huge fan of it?

[editor-surveyor]

Just hop along now....

[GodGunsGuts]

What’s your point?

[editor-surveyor]

"What Carl leaves out is that this is generally the case!"

Funny how that's the same thing that you're always leaving out when you're pushing monkey genetics. - Are you and Carl related? (outside of your uncles monkey)

[whattajoke]

Among other things, that worldwide marsupial distribution presents a massive problem for creationists. Either that, or you all accept that the Creator has once again placed things on this earth in such a way as to provide more evidence for evolution as a means to trick the faithless heathens.

[GodGunsGuts]

Be specific. What is your argument, and what is your evidence for the same?

[cacoethes_resipisco]

> The reason why the Aussie Evos were so surprised is
> because there expectation was refuted by reality.

Reading the good doctor’s actual words, instead of her words cherry picked and misinterpreted, would definitely give you a different view.

The basic toolkit of a milk bearing tetrapod with fur is there, but the idea that the kangaroo is “more like” or “as much like” humans as chimps are is ludicrous. In fact, they’re more dissimilar than any placental mammals, such as mice.

[GodGunsGuts]

“There are a few differences, we have a few more of this, a few less of that, but they are the same genes and a lot of them are in the same order.

“Which really surprised us, we thought they’d be completely scrambled, but they’re not, there’s great chunks of the human genome which is sitting right there in the kangaroo genome.’’

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24669539-29277,00.html