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Author Topic:   What mutations are needed for a particular trait (e.g. wings) to arise?
nator
Member (Idle past 2169 days)
Posts: 12961
From: Ann Arbor
Joined: 12-09-2001


Message 55 of 111 (345547)
08-31-2006 8:47 PM
Reply to: Message 36 by skepticfaith
08-31-2006 2:52 PM


Re: Finite possibilities - not infinite..
quote:
I see your point about selection but what you mention is not a mutation! There were alredy slightly darker critters in the population!
No kidding there were already slightly darker creatures in the population.
If there weren't any creatures with dark enough fur, then the predator would eat them all and they would go extinct.
You seem to be under the mistaken impression that a population has to "wait" for a mutation to confer an advantage.
In actuality, it is mutations that confer slight variations within the individuals of a population that are selected or not by the environment.
IOW, they already exist within the population.
If the population had to wait for a mutation, they'd likely be SOL and go extinct if the environment changed too rapidly.
(And we do see that 99% of all life that has ever existed has, indeed, gone extinct.)
Let's pretend that we have some kind of awful, crazy government that decided to exterminate all of the people with blue eyes.
Having any eye color but blue is determined by your genes, and suddenly, having non-blue eyes suddenly has become very beneficial, even though it was pre-existing in the population.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 36 by skepticfaith, posted 08-31-2006 2:52 PM skepticfaith has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 70 by kuresu, posted 09-03-2006 8:44 PM nator has not replied

  
nator
Member (Idle past 2169 days)
Posts: 12961
From: Ann Arbor
Joined: 12-09-2001


Message 56 of 111 (345551)
08-31-2006 9:00 PM
Reply to: Message 54 by NosyNed
08-31-2006 8:12 PM


Re: being wrong
quote:
She wasn't very good at accepting that she was wrong because she got so very little practice at it.
Maybe that's my problem?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 54 by NosyNed, posted 08-31-2006 8:12 PM NosyNed has not replied

  
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