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Top 10 Evolutionary Adaptations
oneill40 writes "The New Scientist has an interesting article up listing the Top 10 most amazing things to have evolved, including sex, death, the eye, language and parasites!" From the article:"Sponges are a key example of multicellular life, an innovation that transformed living things from solitary cells into fantastically complex bodies. It was such a great move, it evolved at least 16 different times. Animals, land plants, fungi and algae all joined in." J adds: Number four, Language, got a careful look from Carl Zimmer a while back. It's Pinker vs. Chomsky, winner take all, pass the popcorn!
AS FAR as humans are concerned, language has got to be the ultimate evolutionary innovation.
:)
really? by reading slashdot, it feels more like devolution to me!
Marge, get me your address book, 4 beers, and my conversation hat.
And talk about missing options sheesh! Best evolutionary adaptation? I vote breasts!
The single most amazing evolutionary adaptation is undoubtedly YOU. That a mouth breathing dolt, such as yourself, has been able to survive at all, let alone this long, defies all logic and brings the entire theory of evolution into question.
In fact, if ever there was evidence of an omnipotent diety, YOU are it! Obviously, God exists and in your case, he had a terrible accident!
"It's true that many species, including insects, lizards and plants, do fine without sex, at least for a while." ... don't forget about Slashdot readers... ZING!
How could they omit the female human breast?
Creationists.
*ducks*
Didn't that happen in the 60's?
"However useful sex may be now that we've got it, that doesn't tell us anything about how it got started"
Are they kidding? I'm sure it was a 'double dog dare' on a Tuesday afternoon in the garden of eden.
Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
Farting at will and belching your abc's?
:)
Oh, and sex is defintely #1 in the top 10. Which would you rather have, eyesight or an orgasm?
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
Time for another beer...
People say I'm crazy, I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes...
I disagree. The most amazing result would have to be republicans.
Sponges are a key example of multicellular life
i s16.html
No, its not called a sponge, its called a falafel thing.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013043mackr
-Bill
Top 10 Reasons To Procrastinate
10.
My four favorite things produced by evolution: yeast, barley, hops, and monks.
You can post it the second time this article appears on the Slashdot front page.
When the french wake up tomorrow, they totally going to take this out on some confused canadian tourists.
Originally it was on the list, but it got the thumbs down.
http://www.rootstrikers.org/
There is a solar eclipse today, a sure sign that the gods are mocking the Pope and his "one true god". :)
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
But the No Base Pair Left Behind Act lead to massive grade inflation.
As we are in Slashdot we can think of opposable thumbs as a part of sex.
1. tonsils - create more problems than they're worth. F*cking swelling, soreness and sleep apnea.
2. appendix - that's a winner.
3. coccyx - I had to look this up to spell this useless thing right.
4. funny bone - this has never made me laugh. It has helped with new curse words though.
5. needing sleep - 8 hours-c'mon, can't we evolve down to 2 or so.
6. the knee - there has got to be a better way- stretched ligaments, torn ACL's etc.
7. religion - nuff said.
8. ingrown toenails - trim trim trim
9. ingrown hair - great fun digging them out
10. balding - (or hair migration to the back) what is the point of this "evolutionary advance"?
I'm sure I missed many
I can accept the eye as a bad day at the office, but what sort of deranged engineer runs a sewer through the playground???
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
Wait wait wait. Let me get this straight. These cells are copying themselves? Isnt this ilegal? If not we need emergency cognresional legislation to stop this! Wont some body think of the children!!!
Stop anthropromorphizing evolution!
Yeah, evolution doesn't like it when you do that.
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
hey,ihavenothumbs,youinsensitiveclod!
One could argue the opposite. If Creationism is a valid scientific theory, why is it that only a minute percentage of scientists believe that it is true?
For instance; for every creationist scientist you can name, I can name two scientists who believe that creationism is utter rubbish. In fact, I'll do one better: for every creationish scientist you can name, I can name two scientists named steve, who believe that creationism is utter rubbish.
Dr. Stephen T. Abedon, Ph.D., Microbiology, University of Arizona
Dr. Stephen B. Aley, Ph.D., Biology, Rockefeller University
Dr. Steven I. Altchuler, Ph.D., Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism
Dr. Stephen W. Arch, Ph.D., Biology, University of Chicago
Dr. Stevan J. Arnold, Ph.D., Zoology, University of Michigan
Dr. Stephen M. Arthur, Ph.D., Wildlife Biology, University of Maine
Dr. Steven W. Barger, Ph.D., Cell Biology, Vanderbilt University
Dr. Steven J. Baskauf, Ph.D., Biology, Vanderbilt University
Dr. Stephen Beckerman, Ph.D., Anthropology, University of New Mexico
Dr. Stephen M. Beverley, Ph.D., Biochemistry, University of California
However, this is all really academic. Biology is a science. Evolution is a scientific theory, as there are simple tests one could devise to disprove it. Creationism is not a scientific theory because it is not disprovable; any evidence to the contrary can be explained away by God's omnipotence.
I doubt anyone objects particularly to Creationism being taught as a religious viewpoint. What most people object to is Creationism being taught as a science, when it is trivial to prove that it is nothing of the sort.
Uh Oh. What if the octopus is the crown of creation and humans are just here for their amusment. That would explain a lot.
You obviously know nothing about Gnosticism.
One or more of the Gnostic cults postulated that the "God" who created this Earth was a "blind, idiot God" and that there was a (female, IRRC) deity above him that would set things right eventually.
I think Angelina Jolie is her.
Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!