|
Home > Archive > Architecture > November 2007 > Evolution (was... LEO HighRise Agricultural, ....)
You are viewing an archived Text-only version of the thread.
To view this thread in it's original format and/or if you want to reply to
this thread please [click here]
| Author |
Evolution (was... LEO HighRise Agricultural, ....)
|
|
| Brian Whatcott 2007-11-19, 8:25 pm |
| On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 08:21:21 -0800 (PST), Pat
<groups@artisticphotography.us> wrote:
>So here is my question: Why has evolution stopped? Why aren't there
>new species springing up to fill in the voids?
Good question. Of course, evolution by natural selection is still
going on. Think fast life cycle bugs and insects for instance.
But it's harder now when people are involved.
People (at least half the human population) live on average
quite a while longer than their child-bearing span.
Drugs, food, medicine, hygiene.
So some characteristic that faces selective pressure, needs to reduce
lifespan nowadays by more than 50% on average in order to be really
effective in diminishing the frequency of offspring with that
character.
And an environmental impact that destructive is rare, when every man
jack (and jill) of us is the product of many hundreds of selections
that made it through the environmental hoops already.
Brian Whatcott Altus OK
| |
|
| Brian Whatcott wrote:[color=darkred]
> On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 08:21:21 -0800 (PST), Pat
> <groups@artisticphotography.us> wrote:
>
>
I'm sure there are. Of course, we "civilized" humans have thrown a
monkey wrench in the evolutionary spokes by speeding up environmental
change by a factor of 100. Normally a new species may require hundreds
of genetic adaptations. Now those adaptations may not be taking place
in time to keep up with the external changes. That's why there is an
unprecedented loss of species right now, not duplicated since that nasty
ol' meteorite plopped near Venezuela.
| |
| Kris Krieger 2007-11-21, 5:25 pm |
| BobCP <ctcboater@sbcglobal.net> wrote in news:gZJ0j.11763$yV6.1637
@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net:
> Brian Whatcott wrote:
>
> I'm sure there are. Of course, we "civilized" humans have thrown a
> monkey wrench in the evolutionary spokes by speeding up environmental
> change by a factor of 100. Normally a new species may require hundreds
> of genetic adaptations. Now those adaptations may not be taking place
> in time to keep up with the external changes. That's why there is an
> unprecedented loss of species right now, not duplicated since that nasty
> ol' meteorite plopped near Venezuela.
>
What makes you think evolution has stopped?
And why are you corss-posting all over creation?
|
|
|
|
|