evolution is true?

Question

if so... and they believe that lizards evolved into birds.... than why is it that every fossil found is of a particular species and not half and half or other percentages......

for a lizard to evolve into a bird there would have to be tens of thousands of years of evolution of the species...

so there should be fossils of a lizard with a beak, or a lizard with feathers, or a bird with a fleshy tail, or a bird with scales ... etc. .... you get the point....... and if you disagree or have evidence that proves otherwise please provide a link with photos....

and lets be mature about our responses, this is simply a philosophical and intelligent debate... otherwise do not respond :)

Answer 1

Evolution was a silly idea sensationalized by the press in a court case many years ago. Adaptation within species is definitely possible; however, with all the cameras and anthropologists that are out there, they have never once found a missing link and never will. Once a species, always a species.

Answer 2

I disagree that this is an intelligent debate because your question contains some serious factual errors. Nonetheless, I'll give it my best shot.

Every fossil (and every living creature) is an example of a species in transition. Evolution never stops, but our ability to comprehend the vast time scale involved often precludes intuiting this fact. Claiming that there should be fossils that appear the way you describe assumes two things, both incorrect:

That there must be a fossil of everything that has ever existed. Fossils are exceedingly rare, and we're lucky to have as many as we do.

That the "transitional" fossil would have, say, a beak, but be otherwise lizardlike. Even if you accept the theory of puncuated equilibrium, isn't it clear that every component of a species' body would evolve over time, and not simply the beak, or the legs?

In short, you're inventing a new "theory" of evolution which is clearly bogus, and then asking people to judge the real theory based on your spurious claims. This is a typical creationist ploy and speaks more about your intellect and honesty than it does about the real theory of evolution.

Here's another example of precisely what you're guilty of doing.

"Because we know that The Rolling Stones were aliens from another galaxy, doesn't it seem fair to assume that all all aliens must be very good at rock and roll?"

Answer 3

Now, evolution does not mean that there is a constant flux, an infinitesimal transition to a new species. It is based on mutations, which are spontaneous rearrangements and customizations of genes. Now, the reason that transitory species don't exist is because of the fact that mutations usually become dominant rather than recessive. Therefore, the phenotypes would resemble the new species while genetically, it is a synthesis of genes, those of the new and the old.

Look when water becomes vapor, there is no middle ground between the two, it either is water droplets or vapor. Same thing with evolution. It either is a lizard of a bird by appearance. However, genetically, one can see the synthesis of the new emerging out of the old. It is subtle, for one does not see it change phenotypically but genotypically.

Answer 4

For a lizard to evolve into a bird, there would have to be millions of years of evolution. Tiny, miniscule changes over time add up to huge changes eventually. And it usually isn't as obvious as a lizard with a beak (though lizards with feather-like appendages have been found - see link below). Intermediate fossil skeletons from hippos to whales have also been found recently in central Asia.

Fossilization is a very rare process. So many things have to go right in order for it to happen. We've just begun to study the fossil record. Many of the locations where there are ideal fossil conditions were for most of the 20th century controlled by totalitarian governments (some still are), so we haven't had access to them.

Answer 5

Numerous fossils have been found of what you would call "half and half or other percentages." Of course these are species themselves, so your term is really relative to your position, looking back at what those species themselves became. The way you phrase your question ("every fossil found is of a particular species and not half and half or other percentages") sounds like you expect to find fossils which belong to no species, but are only "halfway" between two species! That is absurd, since all fossils come from organisms and all organisms belong to a species.

The first guy gave plenty of examples and I don't feel like looking any up myself, so see his.

I have been mature about my response, but I honestly think that is more than you deserve. Your question is not a serious one. If you were seriously looking for fossils that are "halfway" between lizards and birds you would have asked in the biology section or another section closer to the subject than philosophy. The fact that you asked it here shows me that you are not serious about finding an answer, but probably asked it only to start an argument, an argument which would be completely unnecessary if you had taken the time to look this up yourself or ask in the appropriate section.

Quite honestly this is not a philosophical question, nor is it very intelligent. It is a simple factual question which falls under the categories of biology or zoology.

Answer 6

Search for Archeopteryx. That was the first lizard with feathers that they've found. Also there are a family of dinosours that look a lot like birds.

There is a bird from dinosours debate still undergoing in the scientific theory (they're just debating the evolution path and not evolution though).

Oh and here's another example of a mix species: the duckbill platypus. What on earth is that thing? A mammal that lays eggs? A duck with breasts and fur?

But here is my bottomline answer to your question, if you are looking for authoritative answers to your question you MUST ask it in the science forums. Hey I'm just a philo major who just happens to like watching the discovery channel.

Oh and by the way, now that you know that your premises is wrong (you thought that there is no half lizard half bird, you thought there was no lizard with beaks, no lizard with feathers) what do you believe now? The reason I ask is because I want to show you that you did not form a conclusion based from your premises. You would still insist on your conclusion because you are thinking backwards (conclusion first, prove it later). Try to think like socrates and say "The wisest man is he who knows that he knows nothing." That is the way of philosophy, to question everything that we think we already know.

Answer 7

1. There are several species of feathered dinosaurs or dinosaurs with other avian characteristics.

2. The dinosaur-to-bird theory of evolution seems to create a bit of a misconception - many people believe this means dinosaurs in general turned into birds. Not true. Life builds upon on a divergent evolutionary tree, meaning that modern birds evolved from one common ancestor - one species of dinosaur and that's all.

Answer 8

Fossils can be expensive and hard to find. The processes that produce them and preserve them must be as rare. Perhaps the selection pressures are also short compared to evolutionary time scale and are geographically isolated. So, we would not expect to find continuous records captured in stone. Should we not marvel at the similarity of genes in different species? The fact of organelle structure similarity in the cells of different species seems to evidence the conservation of biological structures that work and aid survival.

Answer 9

They do have fossils like that. They're called pteranodons and archaeopteryx. The former is a flying lizard, the latter is a lizard covered in feathers that flew and had a beak.

Answer 10

Most fossil intermediates in vertebrate evolution have indeed been found. A clear line of fossils now traces the transition between whales and hoofed mammals, between reptiles and mammals, between dinosaurs and birds, between apes and humans. The fossil evidence of evolution between major forms is compelling.

Answer 11

This question would be better asked in the biology section. But what you're getting at is transitional fossils, of which there are plenty of examples.

Yes, including lizards with feathers.

http://images.google.com/images?q=archaeopteryx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_transitional_fossils
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-transitional.html
http://www.holysmoke.org/tran-icr.htm
http://www.tim-thompson.com/trans-fossils.html