The terms 'transitional' and 'intermediate' are for the most part used as synonyms to each other. However, a distinction between the two can be made: Transitional can be used for those forms that do not have a significant amount of unique derived traits that the derived relative does not possess as well. In other words: a transitional is morphologically close (if not identical) to the actual common ancestor of itself and the derived relative. Intermediate can be used for those forms that do have a larg ...

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Transitional fossil, Transitional fossil - The 'Missing Link', Transitional fossil - Transitional forms and cladistics, Transitional fossil - Transitional forms vs. intermediate forms, Transitional fossil - Misconceptions, Transitional fossil - External link

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Definition and meaning of cladist:

cladist - a systematist who attempts to classify life forms according to their evolutionary relationships, not just overall similarity

(Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) )

Also see these pages: Oceanography, Oceanography Sitemap, Coral Reef, Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change,

Temnospondyli - Two types of Vertebrae. Originally, Temnospondyls were classified according to the structure of the vertebrae. Earlier forns, with complex vertebrae consisting of a number of separate elements, were called "Rachitomi", and large Triassic aquatic forms with simpler and more degenerate vertebrae were called "Stereospondyli"; and these two types were considered suborders of the order Temnospondyli. In the Ratchitomous condition the intercentra were large and wedge-shaped, and the pleuracentra ...

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Temnospondyli, Temnospondyli - Classification, Temnospondyli - Two types of Vertebrae, Temnospondyli - Cladistic Research, Temnospondyli - Evolutionary History

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Definition and meaning of cladistics:

cladistics - the systematic classification of groups of organisms on the basis of the order of their assumed divergence from ancestral species

(Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) )

Also see these pages: Oceanography, Oceanography Sitemap, Coral Reef, Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change,

The New Testament has been preserved in more manuscripts than any other ancient work, having over 5,300 Greek manuscripts, 10,000 Latin manuscripts and 9,300 manuscripts in various other ancient languages including Syriac, Slavic, Ethiopic and Armenian. This compares to less than 700 manuscripts for Homer's Iliad, the next most well-documented work from antiquity. The sheer number of witnesses presents unique difficulties, mainly in making stemmatics impractical. Consequently, New Testament textual critics have adopted eclecticism aft ...

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Textual criticism, Textual criticism - Methods of Textual Criticism, Textual criticism - Copy Text Editing, Textual criticism - Eclecticism, Textual criticism - Stemmatics, Textual criticism - Cladistics, Textual criticism - Textual Criticism of the New Testament, Textual criticism - Textual Criticism of Classical Texts

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In genetics, homology is used in reference to protein or DNA sequences, meaning that the given sequences share a common ancestor. Sequence homology may also indicate common function. Homology is an all-or-nothing quality; there is no such condition as "degrees of homology." Sequence regions that are homologous may be called conserved, consensus or canonical sequences and represent the most common choice of base or amino acid at each position. Homology among proteins and DNA is often concluded on the basis of seque ...

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Homology biology, Homology biology - Homology of sequences in genetics, Homology biology - Orthology and paralogy, Homology biology - Homologous chromosome pairs

Read more here: » Homology biology: Encyclopedia II - Homology biology - Homology of sequences in genetics

In their 2001 study, Kielan-Jaworowska and Hurum found that most multituberculates could be referred to two suborders: "Plagiaulacida" and Cimolodonta. The exception is the genus Arginbaatar, which shares characteristics with both groups. "Plagiaulacida" is paraphyletic; it is an informal suborder which doesn't satisfy the cladistic criterion of consisting of an ancestor and all of its descendants. Its members are the more basal multis. Chronologically, they ranged from perhaps the Middle Jurassic (unnamed material), until the ...

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Multituberculata, Multituberculata - Groups within Multituberculata, Multituberculata - Geographic distribution

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The nautiloids are among the group of animals called the cephalopods (class Cephalopoda), which also includes ammonoids, belemnites and modern coleoids such as octopus and squid. The cephalopods are an advanced class of a larger group of animals called the mollusks (phylum Mollusca), which includes gastropods and bivalves. Cladistically speaking, nautiloids constitute a paraphyletic assemblage. They are a grade of cephalopods united only by shared primitive (plesiomorphic) features that are ...

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Nautiloid, Nautiloid - Taxonomic relationships, Nautiloid - Defining Characteristics, Nautiloid - The Recent Nautilus, Nautiloid - Fossil Record, Nautiloid - Evolutionary History, Nautiloid - Classification

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Cladistic research (by A. Pridgeon, R. Solano and M. Chase) has shown that the genus Stelis is monophyletic. But the distinction with several Pleurothallis subgenera is blurred (see Reference). They are closely related to the massive genus Pleurothallis and Masdevallia. Although vegetatively the species show much variety, the flowers show a basic uniformity and are very similar throughout. Apatostelis Garay, Dialissa Lindl., Humboldtia Ruiz & Pav. and Steliopsis Brieger a ...

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Leach orchid, Leach orchid - Description, Leach orchid - Taxonomy, Leach orchid - Species, Leach orchid - Reference

Read more here: » Leach orchid: Encyclopedia II - Leach orchid - Taxonomy

The Prosauropoda were originally defined as the early, bipedal, Triassic ancestors of the great sauropod dinosaurs. More recently, cladistic analysis suggests that rather than being ancestral to sauropods, prosauropods were a sister clade. Recent studies of the genus Massospondylus reveal that the Prosauropoda is indeed monophyletic. This group is a sister group to the Sauropoda, not an ancestral group. The problem however lies in what genera are considered prosauropods. Upchurch (1997) proposes a Node-Based Definition: Blikana ...

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Prosauropoda, Prosauropoda - Changing definitions, Prosauropoda - Technical diagnosis, Prosauropoda - History and general description

Read more here: » Prosauropoda: Encyclopedia II - Prosauropoda - Changing definitions

Occam's Razor has become a basic perspective for those who follow the scientific method. It is important to note that it is a heuristic argument that does not necessarily give correct answers; it is a loose guide to choosing the scientific hypothesis which (currently) contains the least number of unproven assumptions. Often, several hypotheses are equally "simple" and Occam's Razor does not express any preference in such cases. At the same time, without the principle of Occam's Razor science does not exist. The primary activity of sci ...

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Occam's Razor, Occam's Razor - Variations, Occam's Razor - History, Occam's Razor - Justifications, Occam's Razor - Chatton's Anti-razor, Occam's Razor - In science, Occam's Razor - In biology, Occam's Razor - In medicine, Occam's Razor - In philosophy of mind, Occam's Razor - In religion, Occam's Razor - In statistics

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Probably the first person to make use of the principle was Ockham himself. He writes "The source of many errors in philosophy is the claim that a distinct signified thing always corresponds to a distinct word in such a way that there are as many distinct entities being signified as there are distinct names or words doing the signifying." (Summula Philosophiae Naturalis III, chap. 7, see also Summa Totus Logicae Bk I, C.51). We are apt to suppose that a word like "paternity" signifies some "distinct entity", because we suppose t ...

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Occam's Razor, Occam's Razor - Variations, Occam's Razor - History, Occam's Razor - Justifications, Occam's Razor - Chatton's Anti-razor, Occam's Razor - In science, Occam's Razor - In biology, Occam's Razor - In medicine, Occam's Razor - In philosophy of mind, Occam's Razor - In religion, Occam's Razor - In statistics

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In the philosophy of religion Occam's Razor is sometimes used to challenge arguments for the existence of God: if there doesn't seem to be a need for God (to explain the universe), then God most likely doesn't exist. None of these applications has been considered definitive because the competing assumptions are not (and perhaps cannot be) precisely defined. Also, it should be added that the principle is only a guide to the best theory ba ...

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Occam's Razor, Occam's Razor - Variations, Occam's Razor - History, Occam's Razor - Justifications, Occam's Razor - Chatton's Anti-razor, Occam's Razor - In science, Occam's Razor - In biology, Occam's Razor - In medicine, Occam's Razor - In philosophy of mind, Occam's Razor - In religion, Occam's Razor - In statistics

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There are various papers in scholarly journals deriving versions of Occam's Razor from probability theory and applying it in statistical inference, and also of various criteria for penalizing complexity in statistical inference. Recent papers have suggested a connection between Occam's Razor and Kolmogorov complexity. One of the problems with the original formulation of the principle is that it only applies to models with the same explanatory power (i.e. prefer the simplest of equally good models). A more general form of Occam's Razor ...

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Occam's Razor, Occam's Razor - Variations, Occam's Razor - History, Occam's Razor - Justifications, Occam's Razor - Chatton's Anti-razor, Occam's Razor - In science, Occam's Razor - In biology, Occam's Razor - In medicine, Occam's Razor - In philosophy of mind, Occam's Razor - In religion, Occam's Razor - In statistics

Read more here: » Occam's Razor: Encyclopedia II - Occam's Razor - In statistics

The history of hominoid taxonomy is somewhat confusing and complex. The names of subgroups have changed their meaning over time as new evidence from fossil discoveries, anatomy comparisons and DNA sequences, has changed understanding of the relationships between hominoids. The story of the hominoid taxonomy is one of gradual demotion of humans from a special position in the taxonomy to being one branch among many. It also illustrates the growing influence of cladistics (the science of class ...

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Ape, Ape - Historical and modern terminology, Ape - Biology, Ape - Cultural aspects, Ape - New Subspecies?, Ape - History of hominoid taxonomy, Ape - Classification and evolution, Ape - Legal status

Read more here: » Ape: Encyclopedia II - Ape - History of hominoid taxonomy

The principle is most often expressed as Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem, or "Entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity", but this sentence was written by later authors and is not found in Occam's surviving writings. This also applies to non est ponenda pluritas sine necessitate, which translates literally into English as "pluralities ought not be supposed without necessity". This can be interpreted in two subtly different ways. One is a preference for the simplest theory that adequately accoun ...

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Occam's Razor, Occam's Razor - Variations, Occam's Razor - History, Occam's Razor - Justifications, Occam's Razor - Chatton's Anti-razor, Occam's Razor - In science, Occam's Razor - In biology, Occam's Razor - In medicine, Occam's Razor - In philosophy of mind, Occam's Razor - In religion, Occam's Razor - In statistics

Read more here: » Occam's Razor: Encyclopedia II - Occam's Razor - Variations

William of Ockham (c.1285–1349) is usually credited with formulating the razor that bears his name, which is typically phrased "entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity." In Latin, "entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem". However this phrase does not appear in any of his extant writings. It is not until 1639 that this phrasing was coined by John Ponce of Cork. There are a variety of similar phrases such as "frustra fit per plura quod potest fieri per pauciora" - "in vain we do by many which can be done by means ...

See also:

Occam's Razor, Occam's Razor - Variations, Occam's Razor - History, Occam's Razor - Justifications, Occam's Razor - Chatton's Anti-razor, Occam's Razor - In science, Occam's Razor - In biology, Occam's Razor - In medicine, Occam's Razor - In philosophy of mind, Occam's Razor - In religion, Occam's Razor - In statistics

Read more here: » Occam's Razor: Encyclopedia II - Occam's Razor - History

Occam's Razor is known by several different names including the Principle of Parsimony, the Principle of Simplicity, and the Principle of Economy. The reason for these alternative names can be explained by the association of simplicity and parsimony with Occam's Razor. Prior to the 20th century it was believed that the metaphysical justification for Occam's Razor was simplicity. It was thought that nature was in some sense simple and that our theories about nature should reflect that simplicity. With such a metaphysical ...

See also:

Occam's Razor, Occam's Razor - Variations, Occam's Razor - History, Occam's Razor - Justifications, Occam's Razor - Chatton's Anti-razor, Occam's Razor - In science, Occam's Razor - In biology, Occam's Razor - In medicine, Occam's Razor - In philosophy of mind, Occam's Razor - In religion, Occam's Razor - In statistics

Read more here: » Occam's Razor: Encyclopedia II - Occam's Razor - Justifications

William of Ockham (c.1285–1349) is usually credited with formulating the razor that bears his name, which is typically phrased "entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity." In Latin, "entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem". However this phrase does not appear in any of his extant writings. It is not until 1639 that this phrasing was coined by John Ponce of Cork. There are a variety of similar phrases such as "frustra fit per plura quod potest fieri per pauciora" — "in vain is done by many which can be done by m ...

See also:

Occam's Razor, Occam's Razor - History, Occam's Razor - Justifications, Occam's Razor - In science, Occam's Razor - In biology, Occam's Razor - In medicine, Occam's Razor - In religion, Occam's Razor - In philosophy of mind, Occam's Razor - In statistics, Occam's Razor - Variations, Occam's Razor - Chatton's Anti-razor, Occam's Razor - Trivia

Read more here: » Occam's Razor: Encyclopedia II - Occam's Razor - History

Occam's Razor is known by several different names including the Principle of Parsimony, the Principle of Simplicity, and the Principle of Economy. The reason for these alternative names can be explained by the association of simplicity and parsimony with Occam's Razor. Prior to the 20th century it was believed that the metaphysical justification for Occam's Razor was simplicity. It was thought that nature was in some sense simple and that our theories about nature should reflect that simplicity. With such a metaphysical ...

See also:

Occam's Razor, Occam's Razor - History, Occam's Razor - Justifications, Occam's Razor - In science, Occam's Razor - In biology, Occam's Razor - In medicine, Occam's Razor - In religion, Occam's Razor - In philosophy of mind, Occam's Razor - In statistics, Occam's Razor - Variations, Occam's Razor - Chatton's Anti-razor, Occam's Razor - Trivia

Read more here: » Occam's Razor: Encyclopedia II - Occam's Razor - Justifications

Occam's Razor has become a basic perspective for those who follow the scientific method. It is important to note that it is an heuristic argument that does not necessarily give correct answers; it is an indispensable guide to choosing the scientific hypothesis which (currently) contains the least number of unproven assumptions. Often, several hypotheses are equally "simple" and Occam's Razor does not express any preference in such cases. At the same time, without the principle of Occam's Razor science does not exist. The primary activ ...

See also:

Occam's Razor, Occam's Razor - History, Occam's Razor - Justifications, Occam's Razor - In science, Occam's Razor - In biology, Occam's Razor - In medicine, Occam's Razor - In religion, Occam's Razor - In philosophy of mind, Occam's Razor - In statistics, Occam's Razor - Variations, Occam's Razor - Chatton's Anti-razor, Occam's Razor - Trivia

Read more here: » Occam's Razor: Encyclopedia II - Occam's Razor - In science