NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/talk/origins/14488

Internet Message Format | 1992-11-19 | 1.6 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!linac!att!bu.edu!bu-bio!colby
From: [e-mail] (Chris Colby)
Newsgroups: talk.origins
Subject: molecular evolutionists
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 20 Nov 92 00:41:09 GMT
References: <[e-mail]> <Zcu9TB5w165w@kalki33> <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail]
Organization: animal -- coelomate -- deuterostome
Lines: 29

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Richard Harter) writes:

>PPS: Did you know that "molecular evolutionist" is a neologism [i.e. a
>phrase of your own invention] that your readers perceive as semantic
>noise?

Actually, the term "molecular evolutionist" is used within evolutionary
biology. It refers to someone who uses molecules (usually DNA or
proteins) in their studies of evolution(*). There are quite a few of
"us" (I study molecular evolution of the histone gene family) out
there; I recently went to the New England Molecular Evolutionary
Biologists meeting and there were about 100 or so people (I'm guessing)
there.

(*) mainly determining the rates and patterns of changes in
nucleotide and amino acid sequences in populations over time
and using molecules as a basis for inferring phylogeny

Kalki's usage, however, does seem to be of their own invention.
It certainly doesn't bear any resemblance to the word as
it is usually used.

>Richard Harter: SMDS Inc.  Net address: [e-mail] Phone: [phone]

Chris Colby     ---     email: [e-mail]    ---
"'My boy,' he said, 'you are descended from a long line of determined,
resourceful, microscopic tadpoles--champions every one.'"
     --Kurt Vonnegut from "Galapagos"