Regulation - Common Descent

[Randomizer]

Per Student of Trinity's request a separate topic to discuss common descent is now here.

 

For those of you that missed it, the Science abstract about finding Tyranosaurus Rex proteins and a related article that the protein is closest to chicken.

 

While this doesn't show that chickens are descended from T rexs, it is the first genetic proof that they have a common ancestor.

[Student of Trinity]

I'm not sure it's exactly proof that they have a common ancestor, but it would seem to be a proof, given evolution by common descent, that the modern species whose common ancestor with tyrannosaurs was most recent is the chicken.

 

There is additional support for common descent here, although I wouldn't say it goes as far as proof. Tyrannosaur and chicken proteins are apparently more similar to each other, than chicken proteins are to the proteins of many other modern species. This is the sort of thing one would predict readily from common descent evolution, but it is otherwise a highly improbable coincidence. So, more Bayesian empirical support.

[Delicious Vlish]

No, this only proves just one thing.

 

T Rexes taste just like chicken.

[Lilith]

I'm just really, really impressed that they managed to pull out enough collagen in a sufficiently intact state to sequence it. I mean, I know it's a particularly stable protein, but still.

[Student of Trinity]

Just as long as they don't leave any of it lying around near any parthenogenetic frog DNA.

 

EDIT: Woops, I'm supposed to be all serious here. I hereby apologize to myself. I'll do penance by writing a long, pedantic, point-by-point rebuttal of something, and not posting it.

[Chicken]

I'd just like to add that I approve Chicken's being linked to T-Rexes.

[Leftover Sauerkraut]

I dunno... That's a lot of down-sizing.

[Student of Trinity]

The two creatures may have had a middle-sized common ancestor. Nobody is saying that Tyrannosaurs evolved into chickens.