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Author Topic: Evolution in action?  (Read 38964 times)
RTyp06
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Evolution in action?
« on: January 09, 2007, 12:53:33 am »


Is this girl a product of evolution? You decide! (Video ok for all audiences)

http://www.vidmax.com/index.php/videos/view/209

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Re: Evolution in action?
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2007, 01:05:14 am »

No, I believe she is a hologram.

WTF kind of dumbass question is that?
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Re: Evolution in action?
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2007, 03:10:30 pm »

I think you mean "they", not "she", and so on. Wink
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Lukipela
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Re: Evolution in action?
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2007, 06:23:37 pm »


Is this girl a product of an intelligent designer? You decide! (Video ok for all audiences)

http://www.vidmax.com/index.php/videos/view/209



I... don't... know...?
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Re: Evolution in action?
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2007, 11:27:55 pm »

It's probably not that unlikely for things like this to happen, just a little duplicate command and a few nudges somewhere in the DNA. It's certainly a useful tool for mother nature, duplicate and mirror. Radial creatures would agree.

It would be cool with 4 arms... or maybe 2 arms and 4 tentacles... Squids can do awesome things with their tentacles.
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RTyp06
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Re: Evolution in action?
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2007, 02:37:43 am »


Is this girl a product of an intelligent designer? You decide! (Video ok for all audiences)

http://www.vidmax.com/index.php/videos/view/209



I... don't... know...?

Fortunately, to the dismay of many the stereotyper such as yourself, I don't hang my hat on an infallible designer. This seems more likely a genetic accident. Possibly the genetic degregation of the aboriginal, designed , DNA codes..?  Wink

Anyway, isn't this sort of mutation supposed to be the driving force behind evolution? I can see natural selection selecting for her/them (thnks Novus) over one headed humans.. After all, two brains are better than one, and she is kinda cute...Although there might be a problem in marriage, as any married, nagged out person could attest.

Then there is the problem of genetics, can she pass this to her offspring? Probably not. So is this really an evolutionary tool?

Oh, and by the way, I have yet to see a "tool" that wasn't built by a designer..
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Lukipela
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Re: Evolution in action?
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2007, 06:22:25 am »

Fortunately, to the dismay of many the stereotyper such as yourself, I don't hang my hat on an infallible designer.

Wait, I'm confused. Are you stereotyping me?

Quote
This seems more likely a genetic accident. Possibly the genetic degregation of the aboriginal, evolved, DNA codes..?  Wink

Either way is possible I suppose.

Quote
Anyway, isn't this sort of mutation supposed to be the driving force behind evolution? I can see natural selection selecting for her/them (thnks Novus) over one headed humans.. After all, two brains are better than one, and she is kinda cute...Although there might be a problem in marriage, as any married, nagged out person could attest.

I'm not sure what would give her an "edge" evolutionary speaking. I mean, selection pressure mostly affects situations where the mutation gives some sort of tangible advantage, such as running faster, seeing colour, or whatever. The two brains does seem to be offset by a natural clumsiness, which would negate her advantage from a purely survival based point of view. And Two brains doesn't (I assume), mean you're twice as smart, you might have two fairly average brains as well.

The video was interesting to watch though, thank you.

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Then there is the problem of genetics, can she pass this to her offspring? Probably not. So is this really an evolutionary tool?

Hard to say without studying her genetic material. It might, although probably not.

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Oh, and by the way, I have yet to see a "tool" that wasn't built by a designer..

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I don't hang my hat on an infallible designer.

In context, I do not understand. Are you saying that we are all bult by designers that you don't believe in?

Hard to say,
« Last Edit: January 10, 2007, 06:24:56 am by Lukipela » Logged

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Death 999
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Re: Evolution in action?
« Reply #7 on: January 10, 2007, 04:18:48 pm »

Is this a girl a product of evolution?

I don't see why not. Evolution tries every variation, and most of these variations are bad. Then they disappear, because they're bad.

She's not an end product, but nothing is.

That variations can be as extreme as this merely shows how powerful evolution can be. Small mutations -> big changes that can be dealt with.
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Re: Evolution in action?
« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2007, 04:54:54 pm »

I'm unable to watch this video at work (stupid blocking software!), but judging from the comments I've read thus far, I think I have a good idea what you're all seeing. This is the girl with 2 heads, right?

This is little more than a (somewhat atypical) case of conjoined twins, who could not be separated through surgery because they share vital organs (quite a lot of them in this case). Suffice to say, humankind has been familiar with this particular type of condition for centuries (though thankfully, we're mostly beyond the point where society would exploit those girls as sideshow freaks, or put them to death out of superstition). As I understand it, the clumsiness mentioned above stems from the fact that each head is in control of its respective half of the body; even walking is a monumental effort of coordination between essentially 2 individuals, sort of like being trapped in an eternal 3-legged race. I imagine that when the two disagree on what to do, they are at the very least literally paralyzed by indecision, and at worst, could get injured as they literally try to move in two directions at once.

What does this have to do with a "supreme designer," whether you're for or against the idea? Jack squat, really.
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Re: Evolution in action?
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2007, 05:16:57 pm »

I'm unable to watch this video at work (stupid blocking software!), but judging from the comments I've read thus far, I think I have a good idea what you're all seeing. This is the girl with 2 heads, right?
Yes, specifically the conjoined twins Abigail and Brittany Hensel, from a recent Learning Channel documentary.
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Re: Evolution in action?
« Reply #10 on: January 10, 2007, 05:48:47 pm »

I'm sorry, but this is not "Evolution" as you seem to think it is.

First off, two brains don't always mean better. Two brains means two people, which means two seperate opinions and thoughts on things, it doesn't mean jack if one is of a totally different mind-set, then they will find it hard to co-operate (I.E the whole Marriage issues.)

If it is a work of evolution, it sure has a strange way of working things, as we can see that the secondary twin isn't symetrical to the other, their neck is slightly tilted and positioned in such a way that the other can actually hamper the visual range.



Something I find closer to the links of evolution involves that of a Chinese boy. He was born with a fully developed extra arm. There can be several uses to having an extra "tool," but the arm was developed in a way that the other arm was in pain, so they removed it.

Now, if you had four arms, boy, you could type a hell load faster, eh?

But I digress, there's a fine line between Evolution and Mutation, Evolution is a Mutation that is beneficial, Mutation is something that happens when a gene switched on or off, and often has a negative side effect.

Two heads aren't esentially better than one, especially if it hampers their life in any way.






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Re: Evolution in action?
« Reply #11 on: January 11, 2007, 12:58:52 am »


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Wait, I'm confused. Are you stereotyping me?

Uh... Maybe?

Quote
Something I find closer to the links of evolution involves that of a Chinese boy. He was born with a fully developed extra arm. There can be several uses to having an extra "tool," but the arm was developed in a way that the other arm was in pain, so they removed it.

I understand one limb was useless as well so this doesn't bode well for evolution imo. Can you give any more links to the chineese baby, a name maybe?

Ok, how about this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydactyly

"Range of motor skills in these extra digits is hard to chart given the rarity of the condition, but cases have varied. In some cases, the extra digit has no joints in the bone and thus is completely immobile, in other cases the extra digit has limited dexterity, and some cases have been reported in which an extra finger was fully functional, and indistinguishable from the rest of the fingers."

Is this evolution perhaps?


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Ivan Ivanov
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Re: Evolution in action?
« Reply #12 on: January 11, 2007, 08:33:52 am »


"Range of motor skills in these extra digits is hard to chart given the rarity of the condition, but cases have varied. In some cases, the extra digit has no joints in the bone and thus is completely immobile, in other cases the extra digit has limited dexterity, and some cases have been reported in which an extra finger was fully functional, and indistinguishable from the rest of the fingers."

Is this evolution perhaps?

It would be if your survival depended on playing a piano, however without any selective preassure on this feature, it will keep comming and going.
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Re: Evolution in action?
« Reply #13 on: January 11, 2007, 03:41:52 pm »

I'm not sure if you're using these cases in an attempt to question the validity of evolution in a roundabout fashion, or if you are genuinely confused to as how evolution works and are merely looking for clarification. If you are doing the first, it is annoying and displays a lack of understanding regarding the subject you criticise. If you are doing the second, it is slightly worrying as you claim to have studied evolution carefully before discarding it, but I'll be happy to try and clarify any questions you have.
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Re: Evolution in action?
« Reply #14 on: January 11, 2007, 10:22:44 pm »

As for the lady (ladies?) with two heads, I have a slightly different quesiton in mind. For
those of you who believe in souls, would Ashley & Brittney have one soul (as in
one soul per body) or two souls (two heads/minds/personalities)?
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