Evolution, Morphology and Exobiology

I see there are a few creationist posters here from time to time. So here is a very small amount of the evidence for common ancestry with the rest of the apes: (1) Chromosome Banding Patterns Here is Human Chromosome 2, alongside Chimp, Gorilla and Orang-Utan 2p,2q you can see there that the banding patterns are all pretty much the same. one major difference of course if that the other apes have 2 chromosomes there, whereas humans only have 1. However when we examine the human chromosome in more detail (which you can't from those diagrams) you find that in the centre of the human chromosome we have telomere like structures, which normally exist only at th…

I thought that the ideas behind or in this theory should help out many with the question that is on all or at least most minds, at least to fill in the general background and allow for a more informed and educational debates on Evolution. It's called the Selfish Gene Theory. Here's a brief rundown on it(plus many other goodness): Selfish Gene Theory For more information, great links, book reviews, etc, this is a very good site: Especially for those who are studying Evolution and or Physical(aka Biological) Anthropology, that site has a wealth of info, or at the very least it can set one on the right path to a great book, etc. World of Richard Da…

Some years ago while diving around the island where I live I've noticed that this coral always makes a right-handed helix. I wonder if it might be an adaptive feature or, more generally, what could cause it. I mean, I saw dozens of them and never one turning left...

Hi, Does a Web page describe changes in in the adult mammalian retina? As we age, cones and rods are lost? Does mitosis replace lost cells? What happens to the connecting nerves? Thx, ... P.

So far as I know Man is the only animal that goes in forregular 'meals'. Other species eat opportunistically or more or less continuously. Whilst some store food, they do not 'plan' regular meals ahead, human style. So what is the evolution and development of this trait and what is the relationship with our overall evolution and development ? Has it helped or hindered us ?

Hello all! I am not certain if this is the best place to be asking this but im conducting research on the effects of megacephaly on the bite force of native turtles in my area. I have made designs and ordered parts for a functional system to measure the bite force but did not fully think through the calibration process. If anyone has any experience here or any ideas on how I could generate known forces up to 300 psi (at least) on a 0.75 square inch sensor face it would be a great use for my research. Ideally it won't cost more than around $200. My current thoughts are to use a hydraulic press with a pressure gauge but these devices are far from ideal and made mostly for a…

The origin of complicated polymers on the surface of an early ocean would have to include protection against the UV radiation that would have been present at the time. With no oxygen in the atmosphere there would have been high UV breaking down most molecules and polymers that floated unprotected on the surface. Although UV might have also served as a source for synthesis it would also caused breakdown of products. This seems like an excellent dynamic to research for the actual origin of homochiral ribose and polymers of RNA. This might have supplied molecules for the RNA world.

Surely if God designed us then that's a mistake! Pukeing is surely counteractive to filling your belly.

Biology-Fans , the Post-Question above is specifically referring to plants/trees that have evolved to trap , ensnare , poison , or even run down large animals . This meaning those above the size of geckos , hummingbirds or mice . Nature abhors a vacuum , and given an ecological niche being unutilized in a specific environment , will often make do by altering , through natural-selection , a species normally incapable of filling that niche . The above applies both to the Kingdoms of Plantea and Animalia , but with minimal crossover between the two . However , as always there are exceptions . The most obvious and well-known of these would be the carnivorous plants ; pitcher-…

What is the evolutionary reason for humans to have large penis compared to Gorillas and for Gorillas to have small penis that is only about 4 inches long? Btw Gorillas are my favorite animal!

I'll use a simple analogy: We have a blue-eyed boy and a blue-eyed cat. Does that mean the cat and boy are related? Or if we see a black-eyed man and a blue-eyed boy, can we be sure that the man is not the boy's father? Following that logic, not mine, but that of the Darwinists: If a man looks like a monkey, then they are related? If you have been indoctrinated into calling these conjectures evidence, I have not.

In nature, the fittest don't always survive long enough; they often die. Yes, the weakest or most vulnerable die more often, but they aren't necessarily the least fit. A wounded animal, the favorite prey of an average predator, isn't always the least fit, but rather has met an unfavorable fate. Being a baby animal doesn't mean being less genetically fit, but rather being in a vulnerable situation. Many predators prefer babys. Natural selection as proposed by Darwinism does not exist. In reality, there are simply species designed to proliferate in the environment. No terrestrial organism actually survives; they all die. Species (individual organisms of each species) are no…

It's been suggested that our neanderthal cousins disappeared because they "assimilated" with our remote ancestors within our subspecies, homo sapiens sapiens. Is this right? I assume that means they interbred. If so, how can they be called a separate species? Surely they're the same as us, just a different ethnic group CHEERZ GIAN 🙂XXX (science age 12¾)

Since appearing in our area about 15 - 20 years ago, the invasive lionfish became a common resident on our reefs. Contrary to the wide-spread anti-lionfish propaganda about its many dangers to the local marine environment, such as "Nothing eats lionfish", "Local fish don't know that it's a predator", "It eats everything", "It multiplies uncontrollably", etc., it did not cause any damage to the coral reef or to its inhabitants. It rather found its eco-niche and lives peacefully with - i.e. eating and being eaten by - other fishes. It added an exotic element to our underwater experience, though. Please meet - the lionfish:

I saw a BBC report on this and looked up the paper in Nature Astronomy. It was published today: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-024-02472-9 It seems samples contain not only 14 out of the 21 amino acids (though racemic rather than showing a chiral preference), but also all 5 of the nucleobases found in RNA and DNA. So a lot of nitrogen-rich molecules. The authors suggest this points to reactions occurring in a low temperature regime, possibly one in which ammonia ice was stable, e.g. in the protoplanetary disc from which the planets and asteroids condensed. This supports the hypothesis that many components for life could have arrived from meteorites, rath…

If correct, the following article would be a significant departure from conventional thinking on evolution. It would inject some form of control into the process. With culture at hand, especially for humans, we may no longer be able to claim that we are but meagre innocent bystanders holding on to an anywhere ticket to nowhere, but accreditable participants in a bi-directional, self influenceable and self-perpetuating dance. Excerpts from the article: “It has become clear that many organisms influence their own evolution by creating non-genetic traits that can become subject to natural selection. This challenges traditional Darwinian thinking, which sees evol…

From an evolutionary perspective, polygamy is more efficient at producing offspring than monogamy, which is why I believe it has been practiced more commonly in ancient and less-developed societies where life expectancy is shorter. (I also believe it related to aspects of the culture in more primitive societies, in which "powerful" men were allowed to take many of the women for themselves, while men lower on the social caste system may have been left with none and often used as slave labor, unless their master deemed them fit to have a wife. As an example, polygamy is frequently mentioned in the Biblical Old Testament, and there are mentions of men being owned as eunuch s…

I remember decades ago when reading schoolbooks a "fact" often given- if all the blood vessels in a person were laid end to end they would be thousands of miles long- it was usually "to the moon and back" or circle the equator 4 times. In other words about 60,000 miles at the least. I read this again recently and it got me wondering. This has always seemed incredible to me. Not only incredible as in amazing, but literally "in-credible" as in not believable. There is literally 4 times around the equator lying within my 6 foot body? Is it true, or just another myth that gets perpetuated through the years? I i know some supposed science facts are just not true- si…

Hello All, First time here and I have no evidence for this thought, it's all ideation. What if neurodivergence is an evolutionary advantage? Let's not even talk about people, because that is so complex that I have little confidence I could address all of the possibilities that humans entail. But let's take non human species. What if neurodivergence is a mechanism to allow a species to thrive in specific environments but then explore others through the creation of a small subset of neurodivergent individuals. This probably often leads to failure or death, but in the event that a neurodivergent individual within a species comes across some better method of surviv…

First let me say that I have verified over 30 of these things and they are completely invisible. I accidentally figured out how to make them able to be seen and thats the smoke from vaporized dmt. And no you do not have to smoke it to be able to see it. And even when you can see it it looks like the predator creature from the movies when its invisible state. So in November 2023 I was smoking DMT in my room ( please keep reading) When I started seeing this dirty air or smoke moving in my room except this dirty air wasnt obeying physics because my big fan was on high and it had no effect on this stuff. Im watching it seeing it move in organized movements.…

I wonder... Unlike say, autism which does have it's positive sides, psychopathy has none I can think of. It's existence seems to be a net loss to society. If that's the case, why haven't genes responsible for it been bred out of the gene pool yet? Should we use gene editong to eliminate potential psychopaths given the harm they cause, once the necessary technology becomes available?

Let's say we have a small, genetically limited population due to bottleneck/founder effect - is there a way for such a population to increase it's genetic diversity other than by introducing new DNA from the outside? I am talking about small, genetically limited populations like the Amish.

I have long been interested in the prospects for improving upon the physical and neurological aspects of human beings, through ever advancing biotechnology, gene editing (CRISPR/Cas), brain-computer interfaces and so on. Obviously, this is an enormous subject, encompassing many different fields of research, but after reading numerous related books and following the science news in these areas every day, I definitely believe that what I'm alluding to is not only possible, but inevitable. There are many good reasons for doing so, ranging from making us less prone to the effects of aging to making us increasingly immune…

Following on from @Moontanman's thread on a new nitrogen-fixing organelle, I started wondering how biological nitrogen fixation first arose at the dawn of life. I found the linked paper, which I thought very interesting on the subject: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966842X23000914 The writers focus on the metal atoms (or metal/sulphide complexes) which are at the heart of nitrogenases, which can bind nitrogen, lower the strength of the triple bond and progressively add H+ and electrons to form eventually 2 molecules of ammonia. There are 3 variants of nitrogenase, one using just Fe, one using Fe and Mo (molybdenum) and one using Fe and V (vanad…