In a message dated 10/2/98, 1:00:19 PM, [log in to unmask] writes:
<<. Nature is wordless and
unconstrained by the limitations of human language>>
I would like to comment on the above statement. It is obvious that there are
"species." Any human no matter of their background can identify what an
elephant is and that it is different from a lion. It is amazing if one was to
go to some small isolated tribe in Africa that has never met an outsider (and
if they don't kill you), you will be amazed in how both the native and you can
agree on what a buffalo or a crocodile is. The fact is that discontinuities in
organisms do exist and to say that it is unconstrained is a bit far (in my
opinion, I could be wrong). Phylogentics has come a long way and the nature in
which scientists delimit clades is becoming more sophisticated and accurate
every day. Whether we have the resolution down to the species level is yet
100% unknown, however micro and mini-satellites have brought us closer.
Emilio Jose