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Subject:
Re: Who says humans have stopped evolving?
From:
Beryl Rosenthal <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informal Science Education Network <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:39:15 -0400
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ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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This discussion has really held my attention.  Having taught anthropology for many years (often deep in the Bible belt), I can attest to the many misconceptions that people hold around evolution.  Among the "doubtful but curious", survival of the fittest is often translated as, "Well, we're here, and we survived, so we must be at the peak", not understanding that evolution will, indeed, continue.

By the way, re: cockroaches, see http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/db/animals/cockroaches-survive-nuclear-explosion.html

To the best of my knowledge, normally, the lactose tolerant gene actually gets "turned off" in adulthood, to allow us to digest lactose as a child.  One mutation is that it DOESN'T get turned off and we continue to digest it into adulthood.  Totally lactose intolerant folks can never tolerate it and have a different mutation.

Beryl

On Jul 20, 2010, at 9:56 PM, Martin Weiss wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> Survival of the just fit enough. Evolution doesn't push for more than is
> necessary for survival AND reproduction under any given environmental
> conditions. Sure genes will mutate but in your hypothetical static
> environment there would be "no" selection for the new traits necessary for
> survival and reproduction and therefore no discernible evolution. I say
> discernible because if there is no fossil record, or phenotypic or
> behavioral etc etc changes. We would however be able to see genomic changes.
> It is like lactose tolerance. The gene, produced by random mutation, was
> selected for by a behavior;  milk drinking as children had an advantage
> leading to survival and reproduction.. However, in cultures that were not
> dairy herders the gene for lactase production certainly existed at some
> very, very low level (random mutation demands that it did exist) but there
> was no selection for it and it probably disappeared..
> 
> Martin
> 
> On Tue, Jul 20, 2010 at 5:32 PM, Mike Slayton <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
> 
>> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
>> institutions.
>> 
>> *****************************************************************************
>> 
>> I don't know this, but even in a static environment, wouldn't the there
>> still be a "survival of the fitness" thing going on?  That is, wouldn't
>> nature favor the most successful traits and continue to evolve those traits?
>> 
>> I'm presuming that would go on until everyone reached "angel" status.   And
>> it may be, that as in the past, the definition of success and skills needed
>> to be successful would change.  As a aside.....if for no other reason the
>> definition of success  may change to address the all too human trait of
>> trying to avoid boredom.
>> 
>> Interesting pondering.
>> 
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>> For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the
>> Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
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> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
> Martin Weiss, PhD
> Science Interpretation, Consultant
> New York Hall of Science
> 
> ***********************************************************************
> For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
> 
> Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.
> 
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Beryl Rosenthal
Executive Director, Waterworks Museum
[log in to unmask]
617.277.0065

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For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.

Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

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