Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
…and this is a pharyngula stage embryo.
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Ancient rules for Bilaterian development
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Category: Art • Evolution
Posted on: April 20, 2007 5:47 PM, by PZ Myers
I met the fellow who was doing this animated short at the Bell Museum a while back, and now he's let me know the work was done … so here it is for everyone to enjoy.
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Comments
Is there supposed to be sound?
Posted by: Wes | April 20, 2007 6:37 PM
Is there supposed to be meaning?
Posted by: Mr. G | April 20, 2007 6:45 PM
Thanks, that was quite elegant. It might have been better with some kind of music, but hey, it illustrates the point.
Posted by: Paula Helm Murray | April 20, 2007 9:52 PM
quite elegant
Oh.
Posted by: Mr. G | April 20, 2007 10:43 PM
There was something there at the very end that I must have missed. Up until then fine, then, presto, no punchline. I'm usually only this obtuse in the morning.
Posted by: Crudely Wrott | April 21, 2007 12:58 AM
Now I feel really dumb for asking, but that's how we learn, so let me be the person with the stones to say... what?
Posted by: Talen Lee | April 21, 2007 4:32 AM
I don't get it.
(Imagine that in a good Homer Simpson voice)
There was a point?
Posted by: Lee Harrison | April 21, 2007 6:39 AM
Disney's "Rite of Spring" sequence in the original Fantasia has nothing to worry about.
Posted by: David vun Kannon | April 21, 2007 11:49 AM
Likewise the "Bolero" sequence in Allegro non Tropo... :-)
Posted by: Kseniya | April 22, 2007 12:21 AM
LOVED IT, BUT MOST OF THE COMMENTS WERE FAIR: NEEDED SOUND
Posted by: philip urbanski | April 22, 2007 3:57 AM
I don't like this sort of animation. While cool in concept, I think things like this play into some of the more primal misunderstandings of evolution: individual things morphing over time. It wouldn't be that hard to illustrate something more accurate in a way just as dramatic: the spreading out of slightly varied offspring and the non-random culling of some forms and not others.
Posted by: plunge | April 22, 2007 3:05 PM
I have an Inuit friend who stresses "the land" in her life. I think she'd like this. Unfortunately she also has a crappy net connection. Hm ...
Posted by: Keith Douglas | April 23, 2007 11:35 AM
The Nunavut Mining Symposium was held in Iqaluit last week and Farish Jenkins gave several presentations on Tiktaalik, including the reconstructed model that everyone's probably seen pictures of. Great speaker, and one of the highlights of the meeting (one of the organizers felt like apologizing to the mining and exploration companies present at the trade show because, while the event was supposed to be about them, the fish was clearly the star of the show.
There are two of the Tiktaalik models in Canada right now: one in Grise Fiord (the community on Ellesmere nearest the discoery), and one in Iqaluit. I'm happy to report that efforts are now underway to have the Iqaluit model set up in the airport, the location where it will receive the most exposure and where it will be shown alongside other things that are considered historically significant.
The creationists (and we have some) aren't aware of this yet but some of us are ready to get in their faces when and if they try and complain.
Posted by: Keith | April 24, 2007 12:52 AM