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I Believe In Evolution

Well, sort of. I don't believe that man descended from monkeys. If that were so, why are there still monkeys around? They should have all died off and been replaced by man.
There are some definite forms of evolution, in which I must believe scientifically. One good example is the horse.
In the beginning, as it were, there was Eohippus, or the "dawn horse." Eohippus was about the size of a Lab Retriever. Then Eeohippus died out and evolved into Merychippus, a larger prototype of the horse. Then that species died out and was replaced by Pliohippus, who grew to the size of a pony. Finally Pliohippus developed into Equus, or the modern horse as we know it today. And so all we have left is Equus, all the others having died out. That is true evolution.
Okay, Homo Sapiens has some of the traits of apes and monkeys, but the point is that he never fully replaced them.
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newjaninev2 · 56-60, F
There's a tsunami of evidence for common ancestry between all species.

To take but a single example (from the billions available)

All species carry ‘silenced’ genes… these are genes that once caused certain proteins to be produced, but now no longer function. Such genes are called pseudogenes.


Nearly all mammals have functional genes for expressing an enzyme (L-guluno-γ-lactone oxidase) that them to synthesise vitamin C (essential for proper metabolism in mammals).

I say ‘nearly all mammals’ because primates cannot produce their own vitamin C. In humans, there is a set of four genes that code for vitamin C production. As you will know, these genes are composed of many smaller units called nucleotides, so these four genes contain a very large number of such nucleotides (our genome contains 6.4 billion nucleotides). The first three genes are fully functional, but the final gene in the sequence has a mutation in a single nucleotide, and this mutation prevents the sequence from completing. That’s why humans need to obtain vitamin C from their food… because the mechanism for producing it has become a pseudogene
.

Now, here’s what Americans call ‘the kicker'(charmingly quaint).

Across all primates (chimpanzees, bononbo, humans, and apes) not only is it the final gene in the sequence that is silenced, but within that gene the same nucleotide carries the mutation that is responsible.
.. the exact same nucleotide out of 6.4 billion

Now, why would this be?

1. astonishing coincidence 


2. gods created all the species, and they put genetic pathways for vitamin C production into all mammals, but then inactivated a single nucleotide from among the four genes necessary for that production, inactivated the same nucleotide in all cases, and did that only in primates. They obviously thought this to be a tremendous joke to play, because we carry around thousands of such pseudogenes (but I’m trying to keep this as short as reasonably possible)


3. All mammals developed the ability to produce vitamin C, but around 40 million years ago, in the ancestor common to all primates, that ability was removed by a mutation in a single nucleotide, and the deficit was passed to all primates due to common descent.


What's your choice... 1, 2, or 3?
Of course, there may be other options... I'd be more than happy to hear about them.