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How come evolution never developed the wheel?

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Author Topic:   How come evolution never developed the wheel?
Tanypteryx
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Message 25 of 37 (846312)
01-03-2019 11:06 PM 		Reply to: Message 24 by coffee_addict
01-03-2019 9:49 PM

Heck, in the microscopic world the flagellum is practically a spinning wheel propeller anyway.

And it works really well, in single celled organisms. The only multi cellular organisms with flagella, to transport the organism, are like Volvox colonies with individual cells each having a flagellum. They all beat and the spherical colony kind of tumbles through the water. We also see flagella functioning as turbulence generators that cause water to stream around the organism bringing potential nutrients close.

These work because they are single cells that do not have to provide nerve and molecular exchange mechanisms connecting the "wheel" appendage to the main body.

Evolution works at modifying existing features rather than inventing the best solution humans can think up.

What if Eleanor Roosevelt had wings? -- Monty Python

One important characteristic of a theory is that is has survived repeated attempts to falsify it. Contrary to your understanding, all available evidence confirms it. --Subbie

If evolution is shown to be false, it will be at the hands of things that are true, not made up. --percy

The reason that we have the scientific method is because common sense isn't reliable. -- Taq

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Tanypteryx
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Posts: 3295
From: Oregon, USA
Joined: 08-27-2006
Member Rating: 3.2

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Message 27 of 37 (846338)
01-04-2019 10:55 AM 		Reply to: Message 26 by caffeine
01-04-2019 6:45 AM

Eukaryotic flagella like those of Volvox do not work on a wheel and axle principle, they flail around like whips. The International Society of Protistologists recommends that they should instead be called cilia, since they are homologous with cilia rather than with bacterial flagella. Etymologically it would make more sense the other way round, since flagella should flail, not rotate, and I think the eukaryotic examples were described first anyway.

Good information, thanks.

I was thinking of cilia as what I see on Paramecium and Stentor where they are shorter and have a synchronized beat, where as, on Volvox they don't seem to be synchronized.

Anyway, it is one of the nice things about EvC, learning new stuff.

What if Eleanor Roosevelt had wings? -- Monty Python

One important characteristic of a theory is that is has survived repeated attempts to falsify it. Contrary to your understanding, all available evidence confirms it. --Subbie

If evolution is shown to be false, it will be at the hands of things that are true, not made up. --percy

The reason that we have the scientific method is because common sense isn't reliable. -- Taq

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 Message 26 by caffeine, posted 01-04-2019 6:45 AM caffeine has seen this message
  
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