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    Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2009 Aug 12;364(1527):2221-8.

    The practice of classification and the theory of evolution, and what the demise of Charles Darwin's tree of life hypothesis means for both of them.

    Source

    Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. ford@dal.ca

    Abstract

    Debates over the status of the tree of life (TOL) often proceed without agreement as to what it is supposed to be: a hierarchical classification scheme, a tracing of genomic and organismal history or a hypothesis about evolutionary processes and the patterns they can generate. I will argue that for Darwin it was a hypothesis, which lateral gene transfer in prokaryotes now shows to be false. I will propose a more general and relaxed evolutionary theory and point out why anti-evolutionists should take no comfort from disproof of the TOL hypothesis.

    PMID:
    19571242
    [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
    PMCID:
    PMC2873000
    Free PMC Article

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