GOAD.DAVISON@BIONET-20.BIO.NET (Dan Davison) (10/09/88)
The 23 September and 30 September issues of Science have a two-part article on the current controversy over the "DNA clock" results of Sibley and Ahlquist vs. Sarich et al. In brief, there is some concern that the data analysis methods used by Sibley and Ahlquist biased their results. This is particularly important because their hybridization results have placed humans and chimps closer together than either is to the gorilla. This is in distinct contrast to most other (perhaps *all* other) phylogenetics comparisons of the three species. The article is recommended on several levels: the sociology of science, the analysis of hybridization data, and the peer review process. Personally, I do not believe that hybridization data such as these are usable for analysis of close phylogenetic relationships. The presence of fractured, highly repetitive elements is one good reason, among several others. dan davison theoretical biology / los alamos national lab / t-10 ms k710 los alamos, nm 87545 / dd@lanl.gov / ...cmcl2!lanl!dd -------