[arise by splitting into two. Halstead further accuses…]

Scan page 15

arise by splitting into two.

Halstead further accuses the cladists of not believing in gradual evolution and indeed of being violently opposed to it, believing only in rapid evolution.

Now why should this be, asks Prof. Halstead? Why, it's obvious! According to J.V. Stalin (quoting Engels) "the world outlook of the Marxist Leninist party is in the recognition of development in which the qualitative changes occur not gradually but rapidly and abruptly - taking the form of a leap from one state to another"

The implication is that the cladists are a Marxist fifth column in the scientific world and the National History Museum are 'unwittingly or wittingly" (!) committed to foisting Marxism onto our children.

So I cycled eagerly off to the National History Museum to witness the blatant subersion of our youth. Very interesting it was too, and I would recommend the dinosaur exhibition, but I couldn't find any oacking for the Enoch Powell of palaeontology.

Cladistics seems a better way of organising our knowledge because it shows relationships much better than just grouping species into birds, reptiles or mammals, etc. For example, birds are a clade because they share a unique feature (feathers) and represent all the descendants of one ancestor.

Mammals are also a clade (their unique feature is the mammary gland).

Birds, reptiles

mammals are a clade - th represent all the descende: of a common ancestor 3 they share a feature r found in any other anim - the amnion, a membra around the embryo conta ing a fluid similar to s water which allows : embryo to develop elsewh: than in the water.

But reptiles are not clade - the ancestor the reptiles was also : ancestor of the birds.

The living reptiles m closely related to the br are the crocodiles (!) = birds and crocodiles for. clade.

Where do dinosaurs :c in? Well, it seems that bi crocodiles, pterosaurs. " pterodactyls) and dinos are a clade called archosaurs. Birds dinosaurs are the T.. closely related of : groups, and form a clade And birds are right ir. middle of one group of : saurs, being quite cie: related to tyrannosaurulargest bird carnivor eve:

This clade is then els to another clade of din. before being more inti related to the crocodile:

The exhibition exa:: said that all these dit= species must have .. through gradual chanet: there is little comfor: doubtful Marxist in exhibition. But it #i. interesting to discure: the sparrow is second. to Tyrannosaurus Rey Information from and the National *• Museum. (Informat ri last week's column?."

Guardian and Ven