From the Journals of the Not-So-Bright Scientist
So this is what comes from having a bored smurf at home on a Saturday morning... Prompt inadvertently provided by littleangelmary . My muse works in odd ways. Remember, this is all in fun - I don't really know anything about monogenesis and obviously neither does the NSB Scientist. Let it be known that this is just a piece of fluff. And may lead to future journal entries from the NSB Scientist.
What happens when a NSB Scientist gets a hold of a theory?
Our story starts with the NSB Scientist overhearing a discussion about the monogenetic theory of pidgins. Being his generally inquisitive self, he thinks 'Hmm...that sounds like an interesting topic!' Unfortunately, due to his selective and occasionally defective hearing, he only hears part of the conversation and must form his own deductions from this misheard source. Determined to learn more, he searches the Internet for references to 'the monogenetic theory of pigeons' for which he can find no references.
Delighted to have found an interesting topic with little or no published information, he gathers his scribbles and some inferences from the Internet regarding monogenesis (not specifically related to pigeons, you understand) and creates his own theory. NSB Scientist then proceeds to energetically outline a paper based on his ‘research’ and some personal deductions of his own. ‘I’ll be famous - this will be my first internationally published paper! Those snobs on the Research Council at the University can’t possibly turn me down for a grant this time!’
He spends the night typing up a draft of his paper brilliantly entitled ‘The Monogenetic Theory of Pigeons’. The soft copy safely stored on the network drive, he promptly drifts off, dreaming of various scientific awards and accolades - possibly even a building named in his honour.
We have managed to obtain a copy of NSB Scientist’s draft paper and are presenting it here for your review:
The Monogenetic Theory of Pigeons
First Draft
by NSB Scientist, BSc.
Introduction
Several theories exist regarding the creation of man versus the evolution of man to determine how the various races of man came to be as they are today. The same discussions can be made for the various creatures that reside upon the earth with man. The theory that all the races of man can be traced to a single human being is termed the theory of monogenesis. I intend to support this theory by applying it to pigeons, a bird of many species that have also spread across the world.
Theory
The basic concept of monogenesis, whether applied to human beings or to any other creature, is that they were all created from a single common unit. Ergo, all men owe their existence to a single original man and similarly all pigeons owe their existence to a single original pigeon. The differences in the various races and species are determined by environmental conditions to which they have been required to adapt.
I will touch on these requirements and associated evolutionary changes, and will provide limited speculation regarding why the migration to different environments occurred. For the most part, it is generally supposed within this paper that the primary reason behind relocation was overpopulation. The pigeon is now widespread across the world and while it does not require a great range, preferring to reside in flocks, the need for larger domains may be attributable to dietary requirements.
In a similar manner to which many people foster the idea that man originated on the African continent - the pigeon appears to have originated in New Zealand. From this island nation did the original pigeon branch out and spread itself world-wide. Of the many different species of pigeon - each has admirably adapted to the environment of its choice. From colouring and feathering to the size and shape of its beak, each pigeon has evolved to match its new habitat.
Method
In developing the theory outlined above, I have investigated the pigeon, thus:
· Origin known to date of the common pigeon or rock dove
· Known species of pigeon: Range/location/habitat, physical characteristics and personality traits
· Comparison of species to the common pigeon: differences and the relation of these differences to their habitat (see table 1. Comparison Matrix of Pigeon species to the Common Pigeon)
Documentation
· Bird Lore - The Passenger Pigeon: Early Historical Records
· Wikipedia - Columbidae (Pigeons)
· Wikipedia - Monogenesis
· Dictionary of Difficult words - Monogenesis
· Monogenetic Theory of Humanity
Conclusions
Despite the limited resources available to me for researching this topic, I believe that I have provided support to the concept of monogenesis with respect to humans via comparison with my theory of monogenesis of pigeons. It can be shown that all pigeons seem to have evolved from a single breed, based on similar base physical characteristics as well as character traits.
I believe this is an area that would not suffer from further investigation, as it could very well be the basis upon which many evolutionary theories could be solidified. The theory of evolution is not so fully understood that increased positive support would be undesirable.
Perhaps additional effort could also be directed at the logic behind the locations to which these birds originally migrated and what led them to remain and evolve in place?
What happens when a NSB Scientist gets a hold of a theory?
Our story starts with the NSB Scientist overhearing a discussion about the monogenetic theory of pidgins. Being his generally inquisitive self, he thinks 'Hmm...that sounds like an interesting topic!' Unfortunately, due to his selective and occasionally defective hearing, he only hears part of the conversation and must form his own deductions from this misheard source. Determined to learn more, he searches the Internet for references to 'the monogenetic theory of pigeons' for which he can find no references.
Delighted to have found an interesting topic with little or no published information, he gathers his scribbles and some inferences from the Internet regarding monogenesis (not specifically related to pigeons, you understand) and creates his own theory. NSB Scientist then proceeds to energetically outline a paper based on his ‘research’ and some personal deductions of his own. ‘I’ll be famous - this will be my first internationally published paper! Those snobs on the Research Council at the University can’t possibly turn me down for a grant this time!’
He spends the night typing up a draft of his paper brilliantly entitled ‘The Monogenetic Theory of Pigeons’. The soft copy safely stored on the network drive, he promptly drifts off, dreaming of various scientific awards and accolades - possibly even a building named in his honour.
We have managed to obtain a copy of NSB Scientist’s draft paper and are presenting it here for your review:
The Monogenetic Theory of Pigeons
First Draft
by NSB Scientist, BSc.
Introduction
Several theories exist regarding the creation of man versus the evolution of man to determine how the various races of man came to be as they are today. The same discussions can be made for the various creatures that reside upon the earth with man. The theory that all the races of man can be traced to a single human being is termed the theory of monogenesis. I intend to support this theory by applying it to pigeons, a bird of many species that have also spread across the world.
Theory
The basic concept of monogenesis, whether applied to human beings or to any other creature, is that they were all created from a single common unit. Ergo, all men owe their existence to a single original man and similarly all pigeons owe their existence to a single original pigeon. The differences in the various races and species are determined by environmental conditions to which they have been required to adapt.
I will touch on these requirements and associated evolutionary changes, and will provide limited speculation regarding why the migration to different environments occurred. For the most part, it is generally supposed within this paper that the primary reason behind relocation was overpopulation. The pigeon is now widespread across the world and while it does not require a great range, preferring to reside in flocks, the need for larger domains may be attributable to dietary requirements.
In a similar manner to which many people foster the idea that man originated on the African continent - the pigeon appears to have originated in New Zealand. From this island nation did the original pigeon branch out and spread itself world-wide. Of the many different species of pigeon - each has admirably adapted to the environment of its choice. From colouring and feathering to the size and shape of its beak, each pigeon has evolved to match its new habitat.
Method
In developing the theory outlined above, I have investigated the pigeon, thus:
· Origin known to date of the common pigeon or rock dove
· Known species of pigeon: Range/location/habitat, physical characteristics and personality traits
· Comparison of species to the common pigeon: differences and the relation of these differences to their habitat (see table 1. Comparison Matrix of Pigeon species to the Common Pigeon)
Documentation
· Bird Lore - The Passenger Pigeon: Early Historical Records
· Wikipedia - Columbidae (Pigeons)
· Wikipedia - Monogenesis
· Dictionary of Difficult words - Monogenesis
· Monogenetic Theory of Humanity
Conclusions
Despite the limited resources available to me for researching this topic, I believe that I have provided support to the concept of monogenesis with respect to humans via comparison with my theory of monogenesis of pigeons. It can be shown that all pigeons seem to have evolved from a single breed, based on similar base physical characteristics as well as character traits.
I believe this is an area that would not suffer from further investigation, as it could very well be the basis upon which many evolutionary theories could be solidified. The theory of evolution is not so fully understood that increased positive support would be undesirable.
Perhaps additional effort could also be directed at the logic behind the locations to which these birds originally migrated and what led them to remain and evolve in place?