Evolution part II

[Sombrero]

I've re-thought my question about evolution...

It's described as "the survival of the fittest", but i question whether that's all it is...

The notion that the biggest, fittest, healthiest xxxxxxx (i.e. any creature) get's first dibs on the females, and therefore the next generation carry on those 'big/fit/healthy' characteristics... etc... is a sound notion, and will be true in mainly herd animals....

But what's rarely mentioned is the fact (well i believe it to be a fact) that evolution is about birth anomolies. So something is born with a claw facing the wrong way, or an extra nipple, or two simple brains, or etc etc - you get my drift. So it's now down to not "survival of the fittest", but "just how fit are you for survival?"...

And there's the crux, people ask that if we came from apes, then why are there still apes? well because the anomoly was fit for survival, and yet the ape race was also fit for survival...

It's also interesting to note that evolution could be detramental for a species... for example, it's quite feasible that a larger, fitter, more fertile beetle with much bigger claws was born, but was more susceptible to a certain parasite... it might wipe out it's competition, and then fall to the parasite...

Such a random science...

 

[joe-90]

It should be called 'Survival of the best suited'. It doesn't mean fittest as in running and turning somersaults.

 

[Sombrero]

It should be called 'Survival of the best suited'. It doesn't mean fittest as in running and turning somersaults.

yeah thanks... i just said that !!!!??

 

[joe-90]

You did? I'd better call in the interpreters next time.

 

[Sombrero]

Yeah, kinda, you said this:

It should be called 'Survival of the best suited'.

and i said ""just how fit are you for survival?"... "

that's close enough isn't it?

 

[Bodgeitandleggit]

survival

 

[Sombrero]

survival

agreed completely, and that's where survival of the fittest is limited, as it's also survival of the nearly as fit, but not a threat... kinda thing

 

[gasbanni]

Giraffes grew long necks to get to the vegetation high up so they'd survive

that's why low grazers such as sheep cows and horses died out..............


Evolution biggest fairy tale of all

 

[Sombrero]

Giraffes grew long necks to get to the vegetation high up so they'd survive

that's why low grazers such as sheep cows and horses died out..............


Evolution biggest fairy tale of all

Q.E.D.

 

[JBR]

I agree. It wasn't just the 'most fit' that survived, but also many 'not quite as fit'. Perhaps we should describe it as the 'demise of the least fit'!

 

[Sombrero]

et voila !!

so do we need to re-visit the evolution equation?

 

[LastMagicBean]

What happened to ...'The meek shall inherit the earth'.?????

That's obviously out the window then.

 

[ellal]

What happened to ...'The meek shall inherit the earth'.?????

That's obviously out the window then.

Not really...

But then benefits weren't exactly 'de rigueur' at the time of writing...

 

[chapeau]

I rather like "The meek shall inherit the earth, but not its mineral rights", attributed to J P Getty.

The Dawkins quote of the day is that natural selection is "the process whereby replicators out-propagate each other". The replicator, as proposed by Dawkins. is the gene. And if you want to know how it all works then reading Dawkins is a good place to start.

 

[Sombrero]

Giraffes grew long necks to get to the vegetation high up so they'd survive

Actually, this is so wrong..

Evolution is not a concious decision...

it's about the 4 legged mammal that was born with a mutant genetic longer neck, then bizarly could reach more food, and managed to survive alongside the okapi !!!

nothing predetermined !