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Author Topic:   When does a species undergoing natural selection, change more?
NoNukes
Inactive Member


(4)
Message 6 of 21 (812501)
06-16-2017 10:50 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by aristotle
06-16-2017 5:18 AM


For an individual of a species to be weaker than the other members of it's [sic] species, it must be genetically imperfect in some way, in other words, there is a variation in its genetic code that is not in the stronger individuals.
Not necessarily the case. Humans, for example, are not genetically superior to other apes in lots of areas including strength, ability to survive in temperature extremes, speed, climbing ability, etc.
Natural selection picks the phenotypes with the best ability to survive in their environment. What makes it possible to survive in one environment may make it hard/impossible to survive in another environment.
That's why scientists are careful to use terms like fitness rather than emotion-laded terms like weaker, superior, or more perfect.
For an individual of a species to be strong, it must be closer to genetic perfection, in other words, there is less variation in its genetic code than in the weak members.
Perhaps you should rethink this. Human variety has lead to the traits which make it easier to survive in different locations. Things like lactase tolerance, dark or light skin color, and even variation in blood type make it easier to survive on certain diets, to thrive in certain locations, and to immune to different diseases than any single phenotype could produce.
Given that the major premise of your post is wrong, can we end this early?
Edited by NoNukes, : No reason given.

Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also in prison. Thoreau: Civil Disobedience (1846)
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Not really, it is a theory that is imposed on nature so consistently that you think you are observing it. -- Faith
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This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by aristotle, posted 06-16-2017 5:18 AM aristotle has not replied

  
NoNukes
Inactive Member


(2)
Message 9 of 21 (812735)
06-19-2017 9:58 PM
Reply to: Message 8 by Stile
06-19-2017 3:17 PM


Re: Only if they survive
There could be an animal (or human) that is born with a "perfect genetic code."
The concept of a "perfect genetic" code, from which any change or mutation would be a loss of perfection, is a strictly Creation Science idea. Perfection is not a part of the theory of evolution.

Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also in prison. Thoreau: Civil Disobedience (1846)
History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people. Martin Luther King
I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend. Thomas Jefferson
Worrying about the "browning of America" is not racism. -- Faith
Some of us are worried about just how much damage he will do in his last couple of weeks as president, to make it easier for the NY Times and Washington post to try to destroy Trump's presidency. -- marc9000

This message is a reply to:
 Message 8 by Stile, posted 06-19-2017 3:17 PM Stile has seen this message but not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 10 by Coyote, posted 06-19-2017 10:42 PM NoNukes has seen this message but not replied

  
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