Re: the tonight show

[NJPharris@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/10/01 3:05:40 AM Eastern Standard Time, wuckus@ecol.net 
writes:

> > All modern birds are equally closely related to Velociraptor, since they
>  > share the same most recent common ancestor. That is, the common ancestor 
> of
>  > any modern bird and Velociraptor is the same species as the common 
> ancestor
>  > of any other modern bird and Velociraptor.
>  
>  Is this correct? Consider four creatures, A, B, C, and D.
>  
>  A --> B --> C
>  
>  and 
>  
>  A --> D
>  
>  Both C and D have A as their most recent common ancestor, but because B
>  interceded, C may, or may not, be more closely related to A than D.

But George was referring to this situation:

A --> B --> C, E

A --> D

C and E represent modern birds in George's statement, and D represents 
_Velociraptor_.  C and E are equally closely related to D, since the most 
recent common ancestor of C and D is A and the most recent common ancestor of 
E and D is also A.

--Nick