Funny, the Norski's were the nicest folks I met in Europe, gave us baskets of bread, cheese, and coffee when they found out we were American. Mind you, this was 20 years ago...
On Wed, Dec 31, 2008 at 1:03 AM, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > When we die we go to heaven. Hell is 12 miles south of Oslo and > Fucking is a little village in Austria. The Norwegians have sound > policies on preventing underclasses and Austria has obvious > temptations. I'll never find Pat's god without maps we cannot yet > construct. I am thus as likely to get to heaven as entry to the > Crooked Hooker. I am more certain I shall die constrained to the > speed of light, moving at this speed in time, knowing the universe > expands at greater speed, than believing in fairy stories. The great > sadness is that I will have lived and died in a dud society that could > have been much better - a bit like taking a holiday in the rainy > season at Blackpool. > > On 30 Dec, 22:34, chazwin <[email protected]> wrote: > > Sorry dear, this IS the smoking room: ladies not allowed. > > > > On Dec 30, 9:29 pm, gabbydott <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Would the gentlemen please go over to the library and smoke there. > > > Thank you. > > > > > On 30 Dez., 18:47, chazwin <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Reminds me of a joke. > > > > > > What is the difference between a truck load of babies and a truck > load > > > > of ping pong balls???? > > > > > > .. > > > > . > > > > > > You can't unload a truck load of ping pong balls with a pitch-fork. > > > > > > On Dec 30, 4:52 pm, "Chris Jenkins" <[email protected]> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > Hmmm...you have a point there, mate. > > > > > > > On Tue, Dec 30, 2008 at 11:35 AM, Pat < > [email protected]>wrote: > > > > > > > > On 30 Dec, 02:15, "Chris Jenkins" <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > > > Having a fuckload of babies certainly ups the chances, mate... > ;) > > > > > > > > Isn't ANY load of babies, technically, a fuckload, though? > ;-) > > > > > > > > > On Mon, Dec 29, 2008 at 8:53 PM, chazwin <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > On Dec 29, 4:45 am, "Chris Jenkins" < > [email protected]> > > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > Survival of the fittest is indeed commonly misunderstood, > most > > > > > > especially > > > > > > > > > when it comes to humans. It's not survival of those most > fit to > > > > > > survive. > > > > > > > > > It's survival of those most likely to procreate, and so it > has been > > > > > > > > through > > > > > > > > > out all of evolution. > > > > > > > > > > Actually it is those who are able to produce successful > offspring in > > > > > > > > their given environment. > > > > > > > > Procreation is not enough in itself. > > > > > > > > > > > And so it is that those with nought else to do but rock the > bedposts > > > > > > turn > > > > > > > > > out children at three times the rate... ;) > > > > > > > > > > > On Sun, Dec 28, 2008 at 11:30 PM, archytas < > [email protected]> > > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > The phrase "survival of fittest" is widely misunderstood > Many > > > > > > wrongly > > > > > > > > > > assume it means that evolution always increases the > chances of a > > > > > > > > > > species surviving. Evolution sometimes results in > individuals or > > > > > > > > > > populations becoming less fit and may occasionally even > lead to > > > > > > > > > > extinction. > > > > > > > > > > > > There are several ways in which evolution can reduce the > overall > > > > > > > > > > fitness of individuals or of populations. For starters, > natural > > > > > > > > > > selection can take place at different levels - genes, > individuals, > > > > > > > > > > groups - and what promotes the survival of a gene does > not > > > > > > necessarily > > > > > > > > > > increase the fitness of the individuals carrying it, or > of groups > > > > > > of > > > > > > > > > > these individuals. > > > > > > > > > > > > For example, parasitic DNA elements, or transposons, can > spread > > > > > > > > > > through a population even though they make their host > organisms > > > > > > less > > > > > > > > > > fit. Transposons are one cause of genetic diseases such > as > > > > > > > > > > haemophilia. > > > > > > > > > > > > Similarly, selfish individuals may thrive at the expense > of > > > > > > altruistic > > > > > > > > > > individuals in a group - making them the "fittest" - even > though > > > > > > they > > > > > > > > > > make the group as a whole less competitive. Such cheaters > can have > > > > > > > > > > disastrous consequences. > > > > > > > > > > > > In 1932, J. B. S. Haldane suggested this could even lead > to the > > > > > > > > > > extinction of populations - a phenomenon called > evolutionary > > > > > > suicide. > > > > > > > > > > Models and some experimental evidence suggest he was > right. > > > > > > > > > > > > For instance, when nutrients run low, individual > myxobacteria > > > > > > (slime > > > > > > > > > > bacteria) may come together to form a fruiting body to > produce > > > > > > spores. > > > > > > > > > > Lab studies have shown that cheating myxobacteria that > only produce > > > > > > > > > > spores and never help form the non-spore producing parts > of the > > > > > > > > > > fruiting body can drive populations to extinction. > > > > > > > > > > > > Genes capable of driving populations to extinction might > have a > > > > > > > > > > practical use, however. Biologists are exploring the > possibility of > > > > > > > > > > releasing engineered parasitic DNA into populations of > malaria- > > > > > > > > > > carrying mosquitoes. > > > > > > > > > > > > There is concern that something similar could happen > accidentally. > > > > > > > > > > Fish that have been genetically modified to produce a > growth > > > > > > hormone > > > > > > > > > > grow faster and larger, mature earlier and produce more > eggs. But > > > > > > they > > > > > > > > > > are less likely to survive in the wild than unmodified > fish. > > > > > > According > > > > > > > > > > to the Trojan gene hypothesis, a gene variant that > produces such > > > > > > > > > > characteristics could spread rapidly through a wild > population > > > > > > despite > > > > > > > > > > reducing individual fitness, and eventually drive the > population to > > > > > > > > > > extinction. > > > > > > > > > > > > Another way in which evolution can reduce a species' > chances of > > > > > > > > > > survival is through the accumulation of detrimental > mutations. > > > > > > > > > > Mutations provide the vital raw material for natural > selection, so > > > > > > if > > > > > > > > > > the mutation rate is too low a population will not be > able to > > > > > > evolve > > > > > > > > > > fast enough to keep up with environmental changes. > > > > > > > > > > > > If, on the other hand, a population's mutation rate is > too high, > > > > > > > > > > detrimental mutations may accumulate faster than natural > selection > > > > > > can > > > > > > > > > > eliminate them. Eventually, the number of mutations can > exceed the > > > > > > > > > > "error catastrophe threshold", again leading to the > extinction of a > > > > > > > > > > population. > > > > > > > > > > > > In theory, any species with a very small population could > > > > > > accumulate > > > > > > > > > > deleterious mutations faster than it can eliminate them. > The > > > > > > problem > > > > > > > > > > is especially severe for asexual organisms such as the > Amazon molly > > > > > > - > > > > > > > > > > an effect known as Muller's rachet. > > > > > > > > > > > > It is far less of a problem for sexually reproducing > species > > > > > > because > > > > > > > > > > the exchange of genetic material between chromosomes can > separate > > > > > > good > > > > > > > > > > and bad mutations. Some unlucky offspring get saddled > with lots of > > > > > > > > > > nasty mutations and die out, while the lucky ones get > hardly any. > > > > > > > > > > > > In theory, a mutation catastrophe can also occur as a > result of > > > > > > > > > > linkage. This refers to gene variants that are inherited > together > > > > > > > > > > because they sit next to each other on a chromosome. > Suppose a > > > > > > > > > > mutation that greatly increases the mutation rate somehow > ends up > > > > > > next > > > > > > > > > > to a new mutation that greatly increases fitness. The > immediate > > > > > > > > > > fitness benefits of the beneficial mutation will > initially mask the > > > > > > > > > > deleterious effects of the "mutator" mutation, meaning > both > > > > > > mutations > > > > > > > > > > will rapidly sweep through a population, ultimately with > disastrous > > > > > > > > > > consequences. > > > > > > > > > > > > A few doctors hope to exploit mutation accumulation to > treat > > > > > > diseases. > > > > > > > > > > Certain viruses such as HIV are already close to the > error > > > > > > catastrophe > > > > > > > > > > threshold. Drugs that increase the mutation rate of the > viruses > > > > > > still > > > > > > > > > > further might push them over the threshold and drive a > population > > > > > > of > > > > > > > > > > viruses inside a person's body to extinction. > > > > > > > > > > > > Finallly, it has long been recognised that the > competition between > > > > > > > > > > members of the same species to reproduce - sexual > selection - can > > > > > > > > > > favour traits that reduce a species' overall fitness. > Male peacocks > > > > > > > > > > with the biggest and brightest tails might get the > females' > > > > > > attention, > > > > > > > > > > but lugging around a heavy, conspicuous tail reduces > their chances > > > > > > of > > > > > > > > > > survival. > > > > > > > > > > > > Studies of threatened bird species suggest that sexual > selection > > > > > > can > > > > > > > > > > indeed drive populations to extinction. Some biologists > go so far > > > > > > as > > > > > > > > > > to blame sexual selection for the conspicuous consumption > that > > > > > > > > > > threatens humanity's future. > > > > > > > > > > > > According to the handicap principle, features such as > peacocks' > > > > > > tails > > > > > > > > > > evolve precisely because they are disadvantageous. > Consider an > > > > > > > > > > individual who is trying to signal to females how fit and > strong he > > > > > > > > > > is. If the signal is easy to make, weaker males can > easily cheat by > > > > > > > > > > making the same signal. But if making the signal is > costly - such > > > > > > as > > > > > > > > > > growing a large, clumsy tail or giving away food - > there's no way > > > > > > to > > > > > > > > > > cheat. > > > > > > > > > > > > Proving that any of these phenomena have ever led to > extinctions in > > > > > > > > > > the wild is far from easy, because any species to which > this has > > > > > > > > > > happened are, of course, no longer around to study. The > indirect > > > > > > > > > > evidence is growing ever stronger, though. > > > > > > > > > > > > The above is from this week's New Scientist. I've come > across > > > > > > about > > > > > > > > > > 20 misconceptions of evolution reading literature > recently and, of > > > > > > > > > > course, creationist myths are legion. My interest is > indirect - > > > > > > I'm > > > > > > > > > > looking for examples of why our debates are so little > evidence > > > > > > based > > > > > > > > > > for a theory of language.- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text - > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
