dwise1 writes:
Whether loss of that ability is deleterious depends on whether they can still get that vitamin through their diet. If they cannot, then it is deleterious; if they can, then losing the ability to synthesize vitamin C is neutral, it doesn't matter.
Why stop at guinea pigs? What about humans? We also have lost the ability to synthesize vitamin C.
As the human population has broken the 7 billion mark, I would love to see how Arriba defines 'detrimental' to also include 'exponential population growth'.
We have always eaten fruit and vegetables; more so than meat.
We rarely noticed that we could not survive without vitamin C.
The only real consequence of vitamin C dependency was that it initially limited our oceanic exploration.
Edited by Panda, : No reason given.
"There is no great invention, from fire to flying, which has not been hailed as an insult to some god." J. B. S. Haldane