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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Re: New findings necessitate new theories of genetics.
« on: 06/05/2013 05:00:31 »
The gene-centered theory of speciation has multiple flaws. If speciation happened by gradual accumulation of mutations, large populations with little genetic drift would spontaneously die out when their individual genetic diversity builds to levels that causes species barrier style sterility, and that does not pan out. Also, it is not possible to predict such barriers from the quantitative amount of genetic sequence difference. The theory of single key mutations causing incompatibility instead has the problem of how the first mutant should find a mate. So gene-centered theory cannot explain speciation. There must be factors that change genetics from outside the genome, factors that synchronizes mutations.
Also, a first sexually reproducing individual would only have its own clones to mate with, and that would give no advantage at all. It would, according to gene-centered randomness theory, take many generations to get any advantage out of it, so the origin and initial survival of sex remains unexplained.
Also, a first sexually reproducing individual would only have its own clones to mate with, and that would give no advantage at all. It would, according to gene-centered randomness theory, take many generations to get any advantage out of it, so the origin and initial survival of sex remains unexplained.