Re: Gould

[dbensen <dbensen@gotnet.net>]

>>
>> Thus the evolution of insect
wings provides him with a nice example of exaptation. One of his favourite
accidental processes that allow him to avoid having to think that natural
selection might be the driving force of evolution.<<

I don't know enough about aerodynamics to argue as to whether Gould was correct
in his (to be fair, it wasn't his experiment, but someone else's) assumptions.
Perhaps the proto-wings had some aerodynamic effect on the insect as it fell,
but coouldn't be controlled enough to do any good, but that's just a theory off
the top of my head; I'm sure that if Gould was here himself, he could argue the
point better.

What I do oppose, however, is the exaptation isn't a powerful force in the
creation of the adaptations of organisms and that it, itself, isn't driven by
natural selection.    There are countless other instances of extrapation other
than the bug-wing one, sharks' denticles to teeth, fishs' gill struts to jaws,
lungs to swim bladders, jaw bones to ear bones, grasping hands to flying wings
or to fins, the list goes on.  In short, Gould's point still stands, even if the
bugs could fly with little wings.

Dan