Conflicting Conclusions on Speciation
Two new research studies, one on Himalayan songbirds and one on Brazilian ants, arrive at conflicting conclusions on speciation. The songbird research study was published in the prestigious British journal Nature, while the ant research study was published in the American journal Current Biology.
Trevor D. Price of the University of Chicago led the songbird study, and Christian Rabeling of the University of Rochester led the Brazilian ant study, both highly respected international teams.
While the findings in the Himalayan songbird study support Charles Darwin’s speciation theory of geographical isolation, the Brazilian ant’s findings undermine his theory. Speciation, an evolution term intended to explain how new species might have developed from existing species, is in trouble once again.