Two points: 1) Regarding sleep. In phylogenic terms, there's a eukarotic branch where opisthokonts may have split, creating the genotype we call metazoa (animals, broadly speaking); common to all animals is the phenotypic behaviour of sleeping*. Other opisthokonts, like collared-flagellates and fungi, don't sleep as far as we can tell -- and we obviously don't think of these as our possible predators! Hence, in evolutionary terms, our need to sleep has not lead to our extinction since all competing species also sleep. You can look to other behaviours like shelter building and our strong tribal instincts for other reasons why we have been so successful in so many different environments.
* It's not known whether sponges have circadian clocks, but they do not display identifiable sleeping rhythms. 2) Regarding intelligence, a thousand years is no time whatsoever in evolutionary terms. You can trace back the evolution of hominid intelligence back over 10 millions years. In fact, there's reasonable arguments that our intellectual capacity may even diminish as chavs -- supported by welfare states -- are successfully raising more children to adulthood. Ian 2009/7/15 [email protected] <[email protected]> > > Yet I can't help but think that we have no predetors except our selfs, > and we are all programed to sleep when it gets dark, and that > intelegence has enabled us to build secure shelters to protect us from > those that may harm us whilst asleep. > > So I see no contradiction there at all. > > On 14 July, 18:35, retiredjim34 <[email protected]> wrote: > > As I understand one basic premise of the theory of evolution, > > survival of the fittest prefers individuals that live longer, breed > > faster and leave more progeny. Yet two traits we possess – sleep and > > intelligence – seem to contradict this preference. > > Sleep works against survival for, while sleeping, an individual > can > > hardly defend against attack and consumption. So evolution would seem > > to have selected those individuals needing less and less sleep, until > > sleep would no longer be needed. Yet today, maybe one billion years > > after speciation began, we still need our 8 hours of sleep. > > Intelligence also seems to disprove the all-encompassing scope of > > evolution. Those individuals better able to recall experience and > > predict the future would have an advantage in food-gathering, mate > > selection and progeny protection. Yet we hardly seem smarter today > > than humans living thousands of years ago. > > Are these traits exceptions to evolution? Are there other > exceptions? > > I expect so. But no one discusses them. Why not? > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
