From: nospam@buzz.off   
      
   On Mon, 7 Jul 2025 07:01:51 -0500, the following appeared in   
   talk.origins, posted by RonO :   
      
   >On 7/6/2025 10:09 PM, Pro Plyd wrote:   
   >>   
   >> https://indiandefencereview.com/its-official-dolphins-and-orcas-have-   
   >> now-crossed-the-point-of-no-return-in-their-evolution-of-returning-to-   
   >> land-again/   
   >>   
   >> Dolphins and orcas, revered for their intelligence   
   >> and agility, have reached a pivotal point in their   
   >> evolutionary journey. New research has revealed   
   >> that these marine mammals, once land-dwellers, have   
   >> evolved to a stage where returning to life on land   
   >> is biologically impossible. A breakthrough study   
   >> underscores that after millions of years of   
   >> evolutionary change, dolphins and orcas are now   
   >> forever bound to the ocean.   
   >>   
   >> Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B,   
   >> the study scrutinized over 5,600 mammal species   
   >> to understand how dolphins and orcas evolved from   
   >> semi-aquatic ancestors to fully marine life forms.   
   >> The research, led by Bruna Farina, a PhD candidate   
   >> at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland,   
   >> concludes that the transition from semi-aquatic to   
   >> fully aquatic is a one-way path. Once a species   
   >> makes this leap, its evolutionary direction becomes   
   >> irreversible.   
   >>   
   >> Farina’s team found that this transition occurred   
   >> millions of years ago when mammals returned to the   
   >> sea. Unlike their terrestrial predecessors, dolphins   
   >> and orcas cannot evolve back to a land-based   
   >> lifestyle. Their adaptations—such as specialized   
   >> limbs, unique diets, and reproductive systems—have   
   >> become so ingrained that reversing these traits is   
   >> no longer possible.   
   >> ...   
   >>   
   >> The paper is here   
   >>   
   >> https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2023.1099   
   >> Dollo meets Bergmann: morphological evolution in   
   >> secondary aquatic mammals   
   >>   
   >Never say never.  How did fish adapt to terrestrial life styles?   
   >Dolphins already have lungs.   
   >   
   The whole thing sounds to me like "We can't imagine how this   
   could be accomplished, so it can't; simply too many   
   simultaneous changes are required", an assertion more   
   familiar from evolution denialists than from (supposed)   
   scientists. I wonder if they think that cetaceans became   
   semiaquatic (not fully; they still can't breathe underwater)   
   in one fell swoop? And if not, why the same gradual process   
   won't work in reverse?   
   >   
   --   
      
   Bob C.   
      
   "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,   
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not   
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"   
      
   - Isaac Asimov   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)