Evolution can be your friend

This is a response to the letter "Theory of evolution full of missing links" from the March 15 Thousand Oaks Acorn.

In the letter, Lorin Wainwood challenges those who believe in evolution to "identify two examples that demonstrate the evolution from species A into species B." She goes on to assert that if we can do this we will "not only satisfy my curiosity but fame awaits you." Being the type of person who desires fame, I've decided to take Lorin up on her offer. Here we go:

Homo erectus to modern humans. From the fossil record, we can trace the gradual increase in brain size that ultimately separates these two species of earlier and later human forms. Early (2-million-year-old) Homo erectus have the smallest brains, and they get progressively larger as the millennia tick by. We draw the line between the two species at about 500,000 years ago because brain size and skull shape by this point are much closer to modern-day averages. This change through time is relatively easy to track, as there are quite a few fossils to work with in this instance.

Australopithecus afarensis to modern humans. Australopithecus afarensis is the famous 3.2-million-year-old "Lucy" skeleton found in the early 1970s, and one of the best examples of a "missing link" fossil found so far.

Reaching further back in time than in the example above, we can trace the evolution of this 4-foot-tall ape through the fossil record as Lucy gets taller and smarter, morphing over time into Homo erectus, and Homo erectus finally becoming modern-day humans.

Ms. Wainwood, hopefully your curiosity is satisfied. I now await my fame. Please shield me from the paparazzi, if you would be so kind. Andrew Kinkella Thousand Oaks