Eugene M. McCarthy

Eugene M. McCarthy earned a B.S. in mathematics, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in genetics, all from the University of Georgia.Eugene M. McCarthy, PhD His Master's thesis was on recombinational speciation,A theoretical assessment of recombinational speciation by Eugene M. McCarthy (1995) University of Georgia, Master's Thesis. and Ph.D. thesis was on computational genomics.LTR_TRUC, a novel data-mining tool, and its application to the rice and mouse genomes by Eugene Michael McCarthy (2003). University of Georgia, Ph.D. Thesis.
McCarthy likes to wave his credentials in genetics and hybridization around when arguing with other scientists, even when the other scientists' own expertise is completely relevant, e.g.:
*"Please note that Dr. Prothero is neither trained as a geneticist, nor is he an expert on hybridization."The Hybrid Theory: A rebuttal of PZ Myers' criticisms by Eugene M. McCarthy is a paleontologist and geologist.
*"First, please note that PZ Myers is neither trained as a geneticist, nor is he an expert on hybridization. I myself have a masters and Ph.D. in genetics from one of the leading genetics departments in the country (the University of Georgia's) and I've spent a lifetime investigating hybridization." Myers is an evolutionary developmental biologist.The Hybrid Theory: A Rebuttal of Prothero's Criticisms by Eugene M. McCarthy
==Avian hybrids==
Since his doctorate work, McCarthy has focused on hybridization, publishing the book Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World with Oxford University Press.Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World by Eugene M. McCarthy (2006) Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195183231. The Handbook has received some enthusiastically positive academic reviews.Review: Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World. Eugene M. McCarthy by Paul B. Hamel (2007). Integr. Comp. Biol. 47(5):786-787.Book Reviews: Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World by Peter Pyle (2006) Western Birds 37:237–248."Review: Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World by E. M. McCarthy" by J. M. Bridget (2006). J. of Field Ornithol. 77(2):235-236. One reviewer, Gary R. Graves, who is the Curator of Birds at the Smithsonian Institution, praised the comprehensiveness of the book but also had some serious criticisms of it."Review: Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World by Eugene M. McCarthy" by Gary R. Graves (2008). The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120(1):233-235. Graves' praise for the book's comprehensiveness is tempered by the book's lack of discrimination, "… those who cast a wide net had better be prepared to throw back the by-catch. Unfortunately, McCarthy kept it all—the good, the bad, and the vague." Graves describes some types of damage caused by this lack of discrimination:
*Introduction of "unsupported records in the the literature that are maddeningly difficult to eradicate once published."
*"…less savvy users may naturally assume the documentation backing the hybrid records in the book meets some quality threshold."
*"Inclusion of hybrids based on sight records and photographs of free-living birds endorses the notion promoted in many birding publications that accurate diagnosis of hybrids observed in the field is not only possible but probable."
*"The most serious problem with compilations of this nature is that synthesists may be tempted to use the data for phylogenetic or macroecological studies of hybridization."
==Stabilization Theory==
In 2008, McCarthy wrote a manuscript describing his idea of "Stabilization Theory".On the Origins of New Forms of Life: A New Theory by Eugene M. McCarthy (2008)] The manuscript was submitted to Oxford University Press but rejected for publication because it did not have a consensus for publication from peer reviews.Ankylodillos and other chimeras — another crackpot alternative to evolution by PZ Myers (January 17, 2013) Pharyngula. See comment #7 by Gene McCarthy (January 21, 2013).On the Origins of New Forms of Life: An anonymous peer review Macroevolution.net The theory has been described by PZ Myers as being similar to Saltationism,Ankylodillos and other chimeras — another crackpot alternative to evolution by PZ Myers (January 17, 2013) Pharyngula. which is a type of non-Darwinian evolution. All of the theories of non-Darwinian evolution have been rejected as being unsupported by evidence since the time of the Modern Synthesis of evolution (1936-1947). Indeed, McCarthy rejects the modern Synthesis, specifically rejecting natural selection as being the primary driver of evolution, and rejecting microevolution as being responsible for macroevolution. Instead, McCarthy literally turns the tree of life upside-down, and argues that hybridization between species is the primary driver of evolution, resulting in his Stabilization Theory. McCarthy also rejects the concepts of convergent evolution and adaptive radiation.
After claiming that armadillos may have descended from ankylosaurs, basically because they look similar, McCarthy continued with another of other examples.
The theory has had some interest from a creationistTwo Possible Cracks in Neo-Darwinism G. Smith (November 17, 2010) Thomistic Bent. and an intelligent design proponent,Up from the apes – and pigs? by Vincent Torley (July 5, 2013) Uncommon Descent. but only because the theory is in opposition to the Modern Synthesis of evolution.
==Human origins==
McCarthy published a treatise on human origins, entitled The Hybrid Hypothesis: A new theory of human origins,The Hybrid Hypothesis: A new theory of human origins by Eugene M. McCarthyHuman origins: The Other Parent by Eugene M. McCarthy that considers the possibility that human beings might have a chimpanzee-pig hybrid in their ancestry. (PZ Myers has termed this the "Monkey-Fucked-A-Pig (MFAP) hypothesis".The MFAP Hypothesis for the origins of Homo sapiens, Pharyngula)
McCarthy's hypothesis is based primarily on his research on bird hybrids, specifically that bird hybrids are partially-fertile about 8 times more often than they are completely sterile.Human Origins: The Hybrid Hypothesis by Eugene M. McCarthy Such partially-fertile offspring can produce offpring from backcrossing with one of the original two species. McCarthy, however, admits that:
This is the crux of the problem with this hypothesis. McCarthy has made an extraordinary hypothesis, but extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and McCarthy admits that there is no way to verify his hypothesis with genetic evidence.
A further problem with McCarthy's hypothesis is that the documentation of successful crosses would seem to be either within biological orders, or based on unreliable unscientific reports. This extends rather than fixes the problems noted by Graves in McCarthy's avian hybrids book, above. The unscientific reports are typically from newspapers, from before the era of genetic testing (basically protoscience), or from photographic evidence of what could easily be explained as birth defects. Examples are:
McCarthy does list on his website some speculative cross-order "hybrids" but he does not stand behind them as documented fact, e.g. the "cabbit", an alleged cross between a cat (Felix domesticus, order Carnivora) and a rabbit (family Leporidae, order Lagomorpha).Cat-rabbit Hybrids (Cabbits): Fact or fiction? by Eugene M. McCarthy The photographic evidence of cabbits appears to be just a cat with a stubby tail and a birth defect in its forelegs.El misterioso Gato-conejo de Tucuman by SupermassiveGravity (Feb 1, 2011) YouTube.
Because McCarthy is unable to use the genome to support his hypothesis, he instead points to morphological similarities to make his case. NearlyA chimp-pig hybrid origin for humans?, Phys.org all biologist bloggers have rejected this.Evolutionary theory that a chimp mated with a pig is pure sausagemeat, by Henry Gee This theory has been cited uncritically by both InfoWarsHumans emerged from male pig and female chimp world's top geneticist says, Infowars and YourNewsWire.Animal hybridization expert says humans evolved from chimp-pig mating, Your News Wire
While there might be morphological similarities, nearly all other evolutionary biologists have long ago come to the conclusion that this does not necessarily imply a relational connection between two species (e.g., see convergent evolution).
McCarthy considers in detail the hypothesis that echidnas and platypuses are derived from hybrid crosses between birds and mammals.Traits linking monotremes with birds, Macroevolution.net His website also features a large catalog of other cases he proposes might be similarly clade-defying hybrids,Mammalian Hybrids, by Eugene M. McCarthy among them a list of possible human-goat hybrids.Caprinid-human hybrids, Today: Contemporary Reports, by Eugene M. McCarthy
==The media==
McCarthy's theories have appealed to various media (Daily Mail,'Humans evolved after a female chimpanzee mated with a pig': Extraordinary claim made by American geneticist by Damien Gayle (04:45 EDT, 30 November 2013) Daily Mail. The Times of India, Infowars) because of its sensationalism. These media do not necessarily agree with McCarthy, but McCarthy's sloppiness (lack of evidence, refusal to cull out bad data, and extraordinary claims) enables this circus.
==See also==
*Aquatic ape
*Bestiality
*Golden hammer — If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail (i.e., I see hybrids everywhere).
*Mermaid — No, McCarthy has not considered this one. He actually has.Fish-human Hybrids by Eugene M. McCarthy
==External links==
*Macroevolution.net, his website
**About me, Macroevolution.net
*The MFAP Hypothesis for the origins of Homo sapiens by PZ Myers (July 2, 2013) Pharyngula
**The Hybrid Theory: A rebuttal of PZ Myers’ criticisms by Eugene M. McCarthy
*Hogwash! by Donald Prothero (Dec 04 2013) Skepticblog
**The Hybrid Theory: A Rebuttal of Prothero's Criticisms by Eugene M. McCarthy
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Evolution
Category:Pseudoscience promoters
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