> > Resistance... of hatever sort you like... insects to insecticides,
>> Sounds like natural selection, can you expound on that. How do I know
> there weren't a small percent of insects that were resistant to
> the insecticide to begin with. My question was pointing at *observing* a
> benifitial mutation in the genetic code.
On the one hand, you can observe mutations in the genetic code.
Whether or not the mutation(s) is/are benefitial depends on the
present environmental conditions. This question is inseperable from
selection - no matter if it is natural selection or anthropogenic
selection.
Once more: you cannot observe benefitial mutations without selection,
because without selection they cannot be beneficial.
Cheers,
Gerhard
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Gerhard Steiner
Institute of Zoology
University of Vienna Phone: +43 1 31336 1299
Althanstr. 14 FAX: +43 1 31336 778
A1090 Vienna, Austria
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