humans share a lot of traits with sheep as well! — Janus
It's just really unlikely. Really, really. — T Clark
Yeah, you know, I was joking.... — Janus
And that's easily explained by separate convergent evolution. — Michael Ossipoff
This article seems to suggest that a man fucked a pig that created a pig centaur and that pig centaur is us. Do I have this right? — Hanover
I think it is suggesting that boars and monkeys met like ships in the night, ..a long time ago, and the offspring were hybrids, that later became human. — wax
But doesn't that ignore the fact that the ability for different species to mate usually occurs only because the two already shared a historical genetic bond, as in the case of donkeys and horses? — Hanover
.Convergent evolution is also the big problem for this hypothesis though. Since convergent evolution can only be ruled out via molecular and genetic evidence and all such evidence has been eradicated in the scenario proposed, there is no way rule out convergent evolution.
.Which leaves us with a massively complex theory stacking improbabilities
.My understanding of hybrids is that they are formed when species X breaks off into two groups as the result of geographical isolation and after considerable time they evolve separately. Following the separation, they are reunited, they breed, and they produce a hybrid.
.
So, the idea would be that you have horses, some get isolated and they turn into donkeys, the two find each other one day and they make mules. This assumes a common ancestor. It holds that species X forms subspecies Y that breeds into XY.
.This article seems to suggest that a primitive man fucked a pig that created a pig centaur and that pig centaur is us. Do I have this right?
.I don't get the need to interpose hybridization into this mess, when all we really need to say is that there appears to be a common genetic similarity that likely arose from a common ancestor.
All of the attributes by which humans differ from all of the other primates--and by which all the other primates are like eachother—are attributes that humans and pigs have in common. — Michael Ossipoff
Pigs and hominids had and have quite different lifestyles and modes of living. With apes as our immediate ancestors, the fact mentioned in the above paragraph calls for explanation. For all those attributes mentioned above to be convergent-evolution would amount to a humungous set of coincidences. — Michael Ossipoff
"Eugene M. McCarthy (no known relation) is a pseudo-evolutionary crackpot biologist famous for his completely ridiculous crackpot idea that “humans evolved after a female chimpanzee mated with a pig”
...
"More recently, McCarthy has expanded on his hypothesis and claimed that humans have hybridized with chickens*, dogs, apes, goats, cows, and turtles. His “evidence” is based on mythological accounts (satyrs are evidence of goat-human hybrids, for instance), and imaginative interpretations of stories of women who had grossly deformed stillborn babies with peculiarly warped features.
Diagnosis: Another fine example of pure pseudoscience: Formulate a hypothesis that superficially fits certain pieces of data you’d like to fit together, ignore the vast amount of contradicting evidence, never test it, and maintain it with dogmatic rigor no matter what falsifying evidence might come your way. One might be inclined to believe that McCarthy is also completely harmless, but his work – given the media exposure – has been actively used to try to undermine the legitimacy of real science, so whatever influence he has is certainly not benign." — Baden
The idea is so ridiculous and so wrong in so many ways, and insultingly wrong to anyone with any background or understanding of the field, i — Baden
But anyhow, seeing as you seem to give it credence, (on what basis I don't know) here is some of the basic detail of why it's wrong:... — Baden
You don't need a PhD in genetics to know how silly this idea is. — Baden
But as it happens, I do have a background in this field, i.e. a degree in Zoology.
(quoted from McCarthy)"So it seems that it is not that distant hybrids are entirely impossible, but rather that they do occur, — Baden
Aren't you forgetting rather significant attributes like a significantly increased brain volume? — Echarmion
There is a fairly large amount of readily available evidence for similarly "humongous set(s) of coincidences" occurring. — Echarmion
Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.