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  • A Rebuttal to Zhang’s Critique of the Genetic Equidistance Phenomenon and Maximum Genetic Diversity Hypothesis

    分类: 生物学 >> 生物进化论 提交时间: 2025-02-13

    摘要: In his recent paper, Zhang attempts to refute the genetic equidistance phenomenon (GEP) while defending the molecular clock and neutral theory. However, he overlooks a fundamental contradiction: the neutral theory is based on the molecular clock, which in turn relies on the GEP. While Zhang demonstrates a superficial understanding of common methods in molecular phylogeny, he fails to grasp several critical facts and concepts relevant to the topic. The methods and results presented are largely irrelevant to the GEP, and his criticisms of the maximum genetic diversity (MGD) hypothesis largely amount to a strawman argument. Notably, Zhang neglects the multiple lines of evidence supporting the existence of an upper limit on genetic distance or diversity. He also overlooks the inconvenient fact that the implicit assumption of the molecular clock and neutral theory—that genetic distance has no upper limit—has yet to be validated by any direct tests. As a result, Zhang’s paper cannot be considered a meaningful contribution.