Re: Extinction of Dinosaurs

[Robert.J.Meyerson@uwrf.edu (Rob Meyerson)]

Ronald Orenstein writes;

>No, that isn't the way it works.  First of all, animals don't "make
>improvements"; mutations arise which persist if they are
>advantageous, no matter which direction they lead including full
>reversals of prior advantageous mutations.  A mutated wing will
>persist in its mutated state if it is advantageous, regardless of
>whether it is a "better" wing or not.

However, the "lesser" wing designs will not be as successful, and therefore
 would not be as likely to be reproductive, as those with "better" wing
 designs.  As a result there will be an *overall* trend toward a more
 efficent wing design.  Although an individual won't be able to mutate it's
 own genes, natural selection will tend to select for those individuals
 whose wing is more effective.

>There is no such thing as the inheritance of acquired
>characteristics; an animal cannot come up with an improvement that
>it, as an individual, was not genetically programmed to possess and
>pass it on genetically to its offspring.

This has nothing to do with IAC, it is simply the basics of natural
selection.

***
"Albatross!"
        -MPFC