brother Paul
Member
Gene Fusions within Chromosomes are not altogether uncommon. In fact, they are very common among what man has labeled Equids (horses, Zebras, and donkeys). Modern horses we are more familiar with and the Mongolian Wild horse (also called Przewalski's horse) demonstrate such an example. The modern horse exhibits a fusion of genes 23 and 24 as compared to the Mongolian of which they are a separate variation or subspecies.
We have also seen this in varieties of cows and mice, though the offspring of mating the two different varieties are often infertile or produce infertile offspring thereby limiting heritability. This however is not always the case. Some subspecies with fusions can produce fertile offspring with their unfused cousins (in bulls for example, but the offspring are still a variety of cow/bull). Thus there are cases where the fusion is found causing the development of different varieties of cow, or sheep, and so on as well as cases where it is not a factor. In either case however, they do however remain cow or sheep (not becoming a different life-form).
We also see a vast array of fusions in the autosomes and allosomes of Drosophila and other common house flies (each however remaining the same type of organism, i.e., fruit flies remain fruit flies). The Ethiopian narrow-headed rat (Stenocephalemys albipes), the Hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), and the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis), as well as others, all share 23 pairs of Chromosomes (like modern humans) but are utterly different types of creature and cannot mate at all.
Finally, modern humans (homo-sapien Sapiens) all have 23 pairs of Chromosomes due to a fusion at Chromosome 2. It has been alleged for decades that this was indicative of the relationship between Chimps and Humans and probably occurred in the alleged last common ancestor as Chimps and Humans diverged. However now we KNOW that was not correct and in fact that premise was wrong. People had failed to separate the data we did actually have from the historical narrative that had been attached to interpret the facts through the hypothesis as opposed to letting the data drive the hypothesis,
The fusion at Chromo 2 occurred after humans had already long existed and had nothing to do with ape-kind at all. It turns out that Neanderthals and Denisovans each had 24. Thus Sapien sapiens are a simply different variety of human though still humans. There is nothing to suggest we were or are a newly emerging life-form or that with Chimps we also diverged from an earlier apelike common ancestor, just hypothesis driven speculation . We were all just diffreent varieties of human and remain human to this day.
The problem with this observable reality is that when parties use Chromosome 2 in humans as evidence for human chimp divergence, it is a misnomer created to persuade, by those with a non-demonstrated pre-held belief. The actual observable fact is the Chromosome 2 is indeed a fusion but it happened purely in the human lineage and has absolutely no relationship to anything that happened in chimps or in the elusive never identified presumed earlier ape-kind from which they allegedly diverged. The repeated faith based belief that it happened in some time of divergence allegedly 6.5 mya is an assumption. Nothing more. It is interpreting the facts to support an already presupposed theory (like looking through rose colored glasses). When chimps AND humans both had 24 pairs of chromosomes, chimps were still forever chimps and humans were still forever humans one having nothing to do with the other.
Now this does give to us another issue to consider. If the Sapien-sapien type humans were first, from which all other varieties evolved (the out of Africa theory), then this would imply an un-fusion took place rather than a fusion. IF that theory is correct, then those with a fusion at Chromo 2 evolved into types with no fusion, in other places, at a later time (after they migrated there), and that is scientifically unlikely. It appears more likely from the actual evidence we have, that we can observe and demonstrate, that the earliest humans had no fusion at this site and the OMO humans evolved from them.
We have also seen this in varieties of cows and mice, though the offspring of mating the two different varieties are often infertile or produce infertile offspring thereby limiting heritability. This however is not always the case. Some subspecies with fusions can produce fertile offspring with their unfused cousins (in bulls for example, but the offspring are still a variety of cow/bull). Thus there are cases where the fusion is found causing the development of different varieties of cow, or sheep, and so on as well as cases where it is not a factor. In either case however, they do however remain cow or sheep (not becoming a different life-form).
We also see a vast array of fusions in the autosomes and allosomes of Drosophila and other common house flies (each however remaining the same type of organism, i.e., fruit flies remain fruit flies). The Ethiopian narrow-headed rat (Stenocephalemys albipes), the Hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), and the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis), as well as others, all share 23 pairs of Chromosomes (like modern humans) but are utterly different types of creature and cannot mate at all.
Finally, modern humans (homo-sapien Sapiens) all have 23 pairs of Chromosomes due to a fusion at Chromosome 2. It has been alleged for decades that this was indicative of the relationship between Chimps and Humans and probably occurred in the alleged last common ancestor as Chimps and Humans diverged. However now we KNOW that was not correct and in fact that premise was wrong. People had failed to separate the data we did actually have from the historical narrative that had been attached to interpret the facts through the hypothesis as opposed to letting the data drive the hypothesis,
The fusion at Chromo 2 occurred after humans had already long existed and had nothing to do with ape-kind at all. It turns out that Neanderthals and Denisovans each had 24. Thus Sapien sapiens are a simply different variety of human though still humans. There is nothing to suggest we were or are a newly emerging life-form or that with Chimps we also diverged from an earlier apelike common ancestor, just hypothesis driven speculation . We were all just diffreent varieties of human and remain human to this day.
The problem with this observable reality is that when parties use Chromosome 2 in humans as evidence for human chimp divergence, it is a misnomer created to persuade, by those with a non-demonstrated pre-held belief. The actual observable fact is the Chromosome 2 is indeed a fusion but it happened purely in the human lineage and has absolutely no relationship to anything that happened in chimps or in the elusive never identified presumed earlier ape-kind from which they allegedly diverged. The repeated faith based belief that it happened in some time of divergence allegedly 6.5 mya is an assumption. Nothing more. It is interpreting the facts to support an already presupposed theory (like looking through rose colored glasses). When chimps AND humans both had 24 pairs of chromosomes, chimps were still forever chimps and humans were still forever humans one having nothing to do with the other.
Now this does give to us another issue to consider. If the Sapien-sapien type humans were first, from which all other varieties evolved (the out of Africa theory), then this would imply an un-fusion took place rather than a fusion. IF that theory is correct, then those with a fusion at Chromo 2 evolved into types with no fusion, in other places, at a later time (after they migrated there), and that is scientifically unlikely. It appears more likely from the actual evidence we have, that we can observe and demonstrate, that the earliest humans had no fusion at this site and the OMO humans evolved from them.