Evolution, Morphology and Exobiology

i cant remember how and why i started think about this, but could and would life ever evolve to temporarily go beyond the atmosphere? First there'd have to be some reason why being able to do so would be advantageous, like some food source that none else could reach. But that'd probably be something small, and what energy source would that feed off of to keep from freezing? Could it have an outside shell, then a way of keeping warm inside? How would this form on a microscopic organism level? I guess i'm as well to answer my own questions on this kind of subject, since it doesn't exist. I think it could be possible, so if possible, no matter how improbable, is it not …

OKay I am sure at least some people on this site has ever heard the story creationists lke to parrot about Darwin's deathbed recanting? Apparently as Darwin was on his deathbed, he asked for a bible and apologized to god for comeing up with the theory of evolution or something along those lines. This really annoys me as even if this did happen, what does it change? So this is supposed to make all the observations concerning evolution null? I have a challenge for anyone who wants it. Find me a reliable, attributed source (i.e. "proof") that this took place. Any discussion about this topic or any related topics are welcome. -Hellbender

To avoid a 7000 posts, lets skip over the never ending debate over what constitutes a transitional fossil, or inter species evolution. Micro vs Macro. What (for me) Darwinists have never been to come up with is the Origin of the FIRST life here on Earth. I thought I would bring this one to you Evol boys, to keep this from being a "mad dog" debate. Max.

Any one care to take point with one of the following? 1 : Creatures evolve to greater complexity. 2 : A human being is a collection of smaller life forms. 3 : unused structures remain latent within the genetic coding and may be re-expressed at a later date. 4 : people are highly specialised worms - with fancy sensors and limbs and other energy storage and distribution systems tacked on. 5 : In that primeval pond at the dawn of time we looked fairly similar to the microscopic viruses that are now competing for life with us. 6 : It is the most foolish thing to think of a person as an individual organism because we can not synthesize sunligh…

What possible evolutionary advantage could be gained for an organism by dying? aguy2

I'm all for evolution, but some part of it is a mystery to me. And by some, I mean one : how no acquired trait through evolution should disappear if it does'nt consist in a disadvantage for surviving and mating. Unless the above sentence is false, which is quite possible since I am a neophyte at evolution, then my body seems to hint some disapproval. First, I believe, the ancestors of the homo sapiens, the hominids, were not very far from being primitive apes. Seems to me like they possessed a tail. In our present state, our vermiform appendix hint strongly that we once possessed tails. Or so I've heard. Yet how many time I look back there, I don't see a…

I am starting this thread merely becasue I want to discuss the role of transitional fossils and their role in the science of evolution. Prominent examples include ichthyostega, archeopteryx, amphioxous, ambulocetus, australopithecus, etc. Thanks a llot

I've been reading The Origin of Species lately, and I must admit I am finding it very difficult and often have to go back and read a chapter numerous times until I'm satisfied with my comprehension. Anyway, this week in biology class we watched a film on a species of misquito that actually lives its entire lifespan in only 24 hours. I'm sure most of you have heard of it, but at the moment the exact name has slipped my mind. So my question is - would the organism's rate of evolution actually increase, seeing as how a new generation is created daily? I hope one of you can shed some light on this. Thanks!

In assuming that a carbon based life began on a planet very similar to Earth, would it be a possibility that the history of our very earth would be in comparison very linear to that of this other world's history? Do u think that certain technological advances would occur at about the same time in evolution; or are we a delayed, or even an advanced culture, relative to our time in this period of planetary consciousness? As im sure it has been asked many times before, do u think that languages would form lunguistically similar to our own?

http://www.edge.org/q2005/q05_3.html scroll down to where Donald Williamson offers a theory of how the Cambrian revolution might have happened it has to do with larvae and with barriers between species not being completely effective I am impressed by Donald Williamson. His essay is the next to last one on that page, which is page 3 of the whole set. It is nearly at the bottom. only one short one came after it. there was something also by someone named John McWhorter that impressed me but I cannot remember what it was or why. that was on this other page. http://www.edge.org/q2005/q05_9.html oh yes it was GREAT it was about the Indones…

I am half way through this book (it's wonderful by the way), and am interested to find out if any of you have read it? There is substantive section covering evidence, and overlapping cultures of Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal, and of course plausible theories why Neanderthal died out. I highly recommend this book but would like to pick up a related discourse. Lena

Let's take this scenario (which I think is disturbingly likely to happen): Nuclear war has ended. Just about every continent is a wasteland, mostly with radiation and toxic levels nearly unbearable to homo sapiens species. All mammals including humans become extinct within about 10 years or so. The interesting part comes first: Now that the sections in the food chain and ecosystem where humans and mammals used to be is empty, a new species will most likely take it over within a couple of hundred million years. But which species will natural selection choose to be the next "dominant" species? Highly radioactivity withstanding insects? Bacteria will start to evolve …

Have you ever heard of a concept called 'panspermia' http://mv.lycaeum.org/mu/_panspermia.html ? Basically it is saying that there is a good possibility that life propagates itself throughout the universe by means of spores. There seems to be an unvoiced assumption that 'Terra' is solely an importer of these spores and takes little notice of Terra as an exporter of spores. There is avery high probability that Terra's life forms have been capable of propagating at least bacterial spores for up to three billion years. The universe may be only twelve or so billion years old, and it takes at least a second generation star to support the heavy elements necessary for…

I remember watching a short documentary on this guy who believed in Lamarcianism evolution still and was out to prove it scientifically. He had quite a bit of proof that it worked in immune systems as well. Given the complexity of living organisms, do you think that it would be feasibly possible for there to be a genetic way of explaining Lamarcianism (not necessarily in humans)? Proteins are made of amino acids which also compose DNA. In stretching its neck, hence building up muscles, could the excess production of proteins foment a change in the DNA structure by mutation that could possibly be transferred at a later stage to the gamete cells? This is all done wi…

What molded you to think and have an opinion about the neanderthal man's inteligence and relative position to todays hominid, the Homo Sapiens?

I'm not sure if there's already a thread on this, I couldn't find one and thought I'd start one to open up some discussion, especially since human evolution has been a recent topic of discussion on here. http://www.nature.com/news/specials/flores/index.html No, they're not excavating Hobbiton. All joking aside, I can't wait to see if there are further discoveries of remains and possible archaeological sites that give further evidence as to their living conditions, etc.

Are human's still evolving? Would the intelligence we have acquired through evolution prohibit further evolution, for example people genetically predisposed to certain diseases, etc. will still more than likely reach breeding age.

I think it is possible that apes and monkeys were alive in the dinosaur age. Many mammals such as rodents were around back then and many mammals would have moved to the trees to avoid dinosaurs. This would result in hand and primate evolution. Then it is only a matter of time before monkeys and even apes evolved. Primates had hundreds of millions of years to make that evolutionary step. Remains of chimpanzees, gorilla and orangutan ancestors are so rare because of their habitat. So it would be almost impossible for the dinosaur primates remains to be found after so long. There could even be a possibility that intelligent apes could have evolved.

topic. secondly if there are aliens would they look like humans?

Apparently, the various species of mantis shrimp have the most fully developed eyes on the planet, with ten to twelve types of visual cones, maybe as many as sixteen (we only have three), and trinocular vision (for each eye!!!) What of this is true? Are there any further details that might be interesting? Where can I find more info that I can trust? And, also, what applications may this tidbit of evolutionary extremism have regarding the genetic enhancement of future generations of humans?

I belive that Archaeopteryx is a bird and it has nothing to do with transitional form. Below is a brief info about this subject: ARCHÆOPTERYX AND OTHER ANCIENT BIRD FOSSILS While evolutionists have for decades been proclaiming Archæopteryx to be the greatest evidence for their scenario concerning the evolution of birds, some recently-found fossils invalidate that scenario in other respects. Lianhai Hou and Zhonghe Zhou, two paleontologists at the Chinese Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology, discovered a new bird fossil in 1995, and named it Confuciusornis. This fossil is almost the same age as Archæopteryx (around 140 million years), but has no teeth in its mouth.…

ET Life, and Intelligence -------------------------- The preoccupation of some humans with possibile existence of off-Earth "intelligent" life and their efforts in search of such "intelligent" life are, in our present state of comprehension of the nature of life, futile and pitiful. Our own base life elements, our genes, many of which we share with many other Earth forms of life, can and do fulfil their sole purpose/role which is survival/proliferation, without humans'-like cultural toolings. Their RNA and proteinaceous toolings and chemical communications are for their purposes superior to our toolings for our needs and purposes. Human-culture-like traits are just a…

I put this in the religion page before noticing this topic I personally believe in evoloution, but this is a very strange topic: How has an eye so perfect been evolved, with a retina, optic nerve, iris, pigment, pupil, lens etc...? In a debate we had at my school, the people against's response was that other animals had better eyes than us, so I just want to make it clear I am talking about the eye, not the human eye. Also, if it has evolved, what did it evolve from? What was it before it became a thing to see? I want to make it clear that I'm not a loony who doesn't believe in evolution despite all the compounding evidence, I merely want to see if anyone has…

Endosymbiosis, the theory that says that plastids such as mitochondria and chloraplasts are actually the decendents of bacteria that entered into a symbiotic relationship with other cells. Several weeks ago my plant physiology professor made an interesting prediction. The roots of legumes form symbiotic relationships with nitrogen fixing bacteria calle rhizobium. The process of how the root cells and rhizobium actually form their relationship requires that the bacteria infect the root cells. The prediction made by my professor was the possibility of these bacteria one day becoming just as much a part of the plant as mitochondria. So what we have is a possible case for…

From an evolutionary standpoint, do you think that race is relevant? This is in the context of sequencing the human genome and using race as a way to define diseases etc. Please read the article: http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/27/news/genes.html