Evidence of Common Descent

This time I thought it might be more accessible to cover these topics using video.

Common descent is something that often causes arguments wrt Intelligent Design / Creationism.

I'm not posting this to start an argument - this is to help you make up your own mind. A lot of the important facets of Evolution are difficult to grasp without some formal education on the topic.

The first video is from Ken Miller, this is a small segment of a much longer (and very good btw) video.

YouTube - Ken Miller on Apes and Humans

Basically the above video shows evidence of common descent by looking at how our chromosomes compare to those of modern apes. It is only 4 mins or so.

The full video is here - BUT it is 2 hours long!
YouTube - Ken Miller on Intelligent Design

In a previous thread I also discussed ERV's (Edogenous Retro-Viruses) and how they show evidence for common descent. This is quite a complex topic - but the following video describes it well and is only a few minutes long:

YouTube - Preferential Integration of Endogenous Retroviruses

Another clip from the Ken Miller lecture on transitional forms/fossils.

Many creationist argue (incorrectly) that there is no evidence in the fossil record of animals evolving into other animals.

YouTube - Ken Miller on Whale Evolution and Intelligent Design

Good stuff mang.

Thanks Gundari

Interesting that there are so few comments though... ;)

This is good. Thanks for posting it. I think we will understand more and more about the exact mechanisms of evolution as we learn more about the genetics of the various species. It will probably be even more revealing than the fossil record.

As for lack of comments, I think maybe the title of the thread may not be exciting or controversial enough to draw people in, and you are not getting enough readers. Instead of "Evidence of Common Descent," you need to be less courteous and magnanimous, and title it something disrespecful like, "Intelligent Design Destroyed by Science!" or "Why Creationists are All Idiots!" Then you'll have a firestorm of flaming comments.

I probably wouldnt have found this if you hadn't posted the link in the other ID thread that got a bit hot some time back. There are a few other threads on the same topic that are probably still being subscribed to by people with an interest in both sides of this isssue. If you added some links there, you might get a few more to take a look.

Thanks again.

^^Thanks dude.

Yes I think you are right, it wasn't provocative enough.

That being said, the supporters of ID can't really argue with it - that probably kept a lot of quiet - just like the real life court case.

Thanks, Delta9! I watched the first, short one. The other one is on pause, right now.

Next, they have to show how Apes came from Crocodiles.

Well, crocodiles are modern animals - so, they erm.. didn't.

But I know you are just kidding ;)

Through evolution, we were crocodiles, after fish, but, not alligators.