stats

["Bonnie Blackwell, x 3332" <bonn@qcvaxa.acc.qc.edu>]

Stan's posting (9612.03) oversimplified the problem of picking 75%
f the lancian species.  No one could imagine that the selection was
truly random.  And each group would have experienced different
selection (extinction) pressures as a whole, as would each family
and order and so forth.  The problem is in picking 75% overall, but
maybe only 30% mammals, 100% dinos and pteros, 60% birds, etc....
It may be (or more likely is not) rather random within narrowly
defined groups, but certainly not across the board.
b

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bonnie A.B. Blackwell,                          bonn@qcvaxa.acc.qc.edu
Dept of Geology,                                off: (718) 997-3332
Queens College, City University of New York,    fax: (718) 997-3299
Dept of Earth \& Environmental Sciences,        fax: (718) 997-3349
The Graduate Center, CUNY,                      fax: (718) 997-3513
Flushing, NY 11367-1597                         messages: (718) 997-3300