Question

PBS Evolution: Great Transformations short movie1.If the world’s history were compressed into one hour, how long have humans been here?Microbes. single-celled organisms2.How long ago did mammals first appear on earth? Mammals first appeared about 200 million years ago3.What type of animal did the skull that Dr. Gingrich discovered resemble? Dr. Gingrich discovered resembled a whale4.What did “Whale Valley” used to be?Whale valley is a 5.What unusual feature did they find at the end of the early tetrapods’ limbs? 6.How long ago did animals first appear on Earth? 7.When the mouse “eyeless” gene was implanted into the fruit flies, what happened? 8.How would walking on two legs be an advantage? 9.What modifications does the human skeleton have? Humans has the same transformation as other animals even though humans are special. 10.Your summary/reflection:

Answer 1

The episode opens up with one probably the evolution contingency's favorite examples of an alleged transformation--from land mammals to the whale. Fossils of Pakicetus, Ambulocetus, Rhodocetus, Dorontid, and Basilosaurus are shown to account for this transition. Pakicetus is represented by a small portion of a skull, a far cry from a solid transitional fossil. Though Ambulocetus is represented in the documentary as a complete fossil of an aquatic mammal with legs, this is an interpretory stretch and embellishment upon the quite fragmented Ambulocetus skeleton which was actually found. Rhodocetus is represented in the series by a mere skull. Though Basilosaurus is a complete whale-like fossil with how important is it really for accounting for the transition. Many have suggested those "legs" aren't vestigial but played some role in copulation. Perhaps they even had a swimming function. So what have we been shown here? 2 skulls, one fragmentary skeleton not necessarily transitional whatsoever, and a full aquatic whale type with small hind legs. From this data we have our number one example of an alleged evolutionary transition.