It’s not really an adaptation as a random mutation that has benefitted the bird. It’s not as if the creature has just chosen to have a longer beak in order to survive, if any creature could do that the evolution process would become pointless very quickly.
Basically evolution is the process which affects an entire species, as a result of a beneficial change in an individual. The advantaged individuals live longer and manage to have more young than the others, thus gradually wiping out the non-mutated individuals.
You can have mutation without species evolution, but you can’t have the evolution without mutation.
Ah, but there is survival for the critter/individual/grouping of critters that are the fittest to survive in an enviroment - that plays a part as well. It is not always the strongest per say, as it is the one best suited. There are all sorts of things that affect what happens in a creatures body.
There have been dragonflys that have been found (Long since dead that is) with a 3 foot wing span. Where are they today? Much smaller. Why? The old atmosphere used to have an average 35% oxygen, compared to the 22% (I think that is what it is now) level we have today. The way an insects body works, over time, the more oxygen, the bigger the body can be supported.
So the question is, are our smaller dragonflys the result of enviromental preasure, or random mutation? We do not have dragonflys with 3 ft wingspans today - they can not survive. But were we to breed them in a contained oxygen rich enviro, they would get bigger… why? Random mutation, or enviroment? (Or both) Obvious, the code allows for that, with teh current ones we have now. It would only take a few generations of Dragonflys to prove that.
The other part of this formula, would be food, and predation. (Obviously) The question is, if we can create an enviroment that allows dragonflys to get bigger, (and they would) why should we think that random mutation is the key factor? (And yes, I am using some assumptions here, but I think they are reasonable given what we know about insects, and enviroment)
(Obviously, you realize the impact enviroment has on a species, it is simply an interesting bit of brain floss.)
You’re getting confused about environmental pressure and mutations again. The mutation is always random, whether or not it survives is dictated by the environment. The environment itself doesn’t force creatures to change, it just favours those better suited to it.
The mutation also has to be something that is favorable to the host… An extra T 27 gene is not so good in terms of host survivabilitiy… I can work to help protect against certain things, but there is a cost, in terms of having a very short life. Also, it is a predictive mutation in that, we can set odds on 1 in 5,000 to a reasonable degree of certainty… So, is that now random? I suppose it will always be a matter of defined and accepted terms.
This is where much of the debate is with the ID crowd is. Can a random mutation, be repeatable, and of benifit. And they have a point. To the greatest degree, random one offs are very unlikely to be of sustainable benifit. There are different schools on evo as well, even amoung the science community, as to how it actually works. (Shrugs)
So just for clarity, are you saying that a trait, such as humans getting taller than we were in say … the 1,600s, is due to a random, sustainable mutation?
Earth’s mass and gravity also were significantly smaller back in those days of 30 inch dragonflies. That’s gotta have something to do with maximum animal size.
Also, it’s always the dominant species on the planet that has the largest representatives. Back in the Carbon Age, insects and other many-legged, chitine-covered beasts were pretty much the kings, with amphibious lifeforms only starting to catch up with them.
Today, mammals are the dominant species, so they have the largest representatives on the planet, while all other species have grown smaller.
lol what? I’m not calling bullshit because I don’t know if it’s true or not, but this doesn’t sound right at all
I was under the impression that bugs were bigger then because of atmospheric oxygen content. Something to do with how they “breath” through surface area.
Mattemuse is right, the atmospehere was different back then. There was more oxygen in the air, so big animals had no issues getting enough oxygen in. When the oxygen levels gradually dropped, animals became smaller to adapt so they didn’t need as much oxygen.
i just saw a documentaryin discovey world. The Amazon Forest is a wonderful place.It is like heaven. But now i am definetly sure about something the world is not made for humans
The world wasn’t made for anything or anyone. However, there have been entire cities in the Amazon forest, so I’m not sure where you got that from in the first place.
All the mass in the universe account for a small percentage (like 1%) of the total universe.
If you were to remove all matter in the universe it would essentially be the same.
Another fun fact!
We live in a universe dominated by nothing (dark matter and dark energy)
Such a depressing truth but also an exciting one that we can understand a little of the mysteries of the universe.
We have but a mere speck of time to be conscious in this universe, but it is a privilege to get to experience the universe around us.
We are the result of super nova, we are made of the stars.
We are a way for the universe to know of it’s existence.
It’s an atheistic equivalent of a divine purpose: to learn as much about the universe as possible, because we (“we” meaning any intelligent life) are the sole way for the universe to know about itself.
The overall mass of the planet has only increased by a minuscule amount, via comets and asteroids. But it’s like dumping a bucket of water into the ocean; what you had before is so massive there is no noticeable change. The size of the earth has not changed at all, and the mass has been been kept at relatively the same level, and has been circulating for as long as the earth existed. What was here when the earth formed is still here, and nothing has essentially been added. It’s a contained system for the most part.
Actually, you could say we are actually equalizing the mass gained from space-faring debris by sending satellites into space. So in essence, no, we are in no way, shape, or form on a more massive planet.
Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.
