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Human Evolution Is Over

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Prof_Pretorius
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15 Oct 2008, 11:39 am

twoshots wrote:
Prof_Pretorius wrote:
Well, that's it then?

This is as good as it gets?

We don't end up with huge brains and bulgy foreheads?

Ah well, end of the line, all off ....

While new mutations may or may not be emerging, this does not mean that there can't be selection on the frequency of existing gene variations.

And indeed, there may be quite substantial selection taking place. For one thing, there is reason to believe (as I never tire of pointing out) we're actually getting stupider, because high IQ individuals are considerably less likely to reproduce than low IQ individuals.


Rent "Idiotocracy"


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pandd
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15 Oct 2008, 9:42 pm

slowmutant wrote:
pandd wrote:
slowmutant wrote:
Prof_Pretorius wrote:
Averick wrote:
I thoroughly disagree with this doctor. As long as there is diversity amonst the species of this planet, adaptation will not hault.


Nope ! ! Sorry ! ! It's all over. "Game over man ! !! !"


You can't know that. Evolution is not just about species; it is also about the individual.

Biological evolution is not about the individual at all.


Microevolution, not macroevolution. Since the day I was born, I have evolved quite a ways as an individual.

Microevolution is a change in the frequency at which various alleles occur (in a population) from one generation to the other (not about the individual), macroevolution refers to the speciation (again not about the individual).
Biological evolution refers to micro and macro evolution.

No one was talking about the kind of change you are now citing. Your argument is a straw-man or the result of a failure to differentiate between what is being discussed and an entirely different phenomenon.



LKL
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15 Oct 2008, 11:48 pm

Slowmutant, your use of the word 'evolution' is perfectly valid in the colloquial sense, but is totally invalid in the scientific one. Like the word 'theory,'
'evolution' is very tightly defined in scientific circles but far less so in general use. You might let us know if you're trying to make a scientific point or a social one.



CanyonWind
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16 Oct 2008, 8:10 am

Actually, astronomers use the term "stellar evolution" to describe the changes that occur within the lifetime of an individual star.

Of course astronomers aren't biologists. Now and then they do a little thinking about the data they're collecting.

Hey, I got an idea, let's see how many genomes we can sequence.


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slowmutant
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16 Oct 2008, 9:06 am

pandd wrote:
slowmutant wrote:
pandd wrote:
slowmutant wrote:
Prof_Pretorius wrote:
Averick wrote:
I thoroughly disagree with this doctor. As long as there is diversity amonst the species of this planet, adaptation will not hault.


Nope ! ! Sorry ! ! It's all over. "Game over man ! !! !"


You can't know that. Evolution is not just about species; it is also about the individual.

Biological evolution is not about the individual at all.


Microevolution, not macroevolution. Since the day I was born, I have evolved quite a ways as an individual.

Microevolution is a change in the frequency at which various alleles occur (in a population) from one generation to the other (not about the individual), macroevolution refers to the speciation (again not about the individual).
Biological evolution refers to micro and macro evolution.

No one was talking about the kind of change you are now citing. Your argument is a straw-man or the result of a failure to differentiate between what is being discussed and an entirely different phenomenon.


Pardon me. My bad.



Prof_Pretorius
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16 Oct 2008, 9:32 am

"The party's over, it's time to go home ..."


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slowmutant
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16 Oct 2008, 9:33 am

Are you trying to kill this thread, Pretorius? :lol:



Prof_Pretorius
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16 Oct 2008, 10:10 am

slowmutant wrote:
Are you trying to kill this thread, Pretorius? :lol:


In a word, YES ! !!


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