04-06-2006, 01:47 PM
Occhidiangela,Apr 6 2006, 07:57 AM Wrote:OK, genetic diversity is a "hedging of bets" at the species level. I am with you.
While you make some very good points, we should not forget the synergistic effect of nature AND nurture. Developing an advanced brain means nothing if it isn't used. Adapting sound survival strategies can overcome any number of purely genetic obstacles. Put a different way, some of the environmental obstacles are within us. As another example of non optimal evolutionary development, the appendix, to go with your sickle cell example.
Occhi
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Actually hes even wrong there. Evolution is not a proccess to force variety. But variety is an important element of evolution.
In its simplest terms evolution is just the change in population genotypes over time through various mechanisms.
Frequently we also call changes that make a species more fit evolution. This is also considered a correct defintion. Because this is the natural result of the species biology and its envirement.
What modern technology is doing is selectively modifying the envirment for indivuals at the exspense of the species fitness for the common evirement.