Let's discuss evolution/SMBs raving insanity - Page 3

Professor Smarmiarty · 06-11-2010, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shiney

So we may actually be limited not by DNA constraints, but by biological powering / sustenance constraints? We perform at our max possible limit due to not being able to adequately fund our body's need for more power or something?
.

Pretty much. The brain could make far more connections/increase processing speed than it does but there is no way to power that, it would be very energy hungry and you wouldn't be able to feed it.
One of the big questions is why we developed the quite large brains that we did before they were useful- we developed them in times of relative abundance when there was no need for large brain power to make tools and such like and they required additional nourishment. When the climate got colder and food got worse having large brains helped distinguish humans from related species with lower brain power but we're not sure why they developed them in the first place.

There is actually a hardlimit to our brains ability to process information (people have caluclated what they think it is but can't remember right now) but before we get there we would need some kind of super food.

Azisien · 06-11-2010, 10:34 PM

Probably not even food that is the limit. I think taking North America by example we have no problem finding calories. The processing time for the food is probably what holds us back.

This can only be solved by nanites. Some kind of nanite will solve this, hopefully before a different kind of nanite destroys the Earth.

Professor Smarmiarty · 06-14-2010, 11:16 AM

Azi: Well yeah that's why we had a super food which is all energy all the time! But our biology probably can't handle that.

Special holiday edition of Learn with SMB while he waits for the train and reading some evo-devo papers:
Assuming you've done your background reading like good students you will know there are 35 basic body plans that all animals follow.
Now there are certain genes which are conserved[I] between different types of animals- which means they serve the same role in multiple animals. For example Hox genes which dictate the body plan of some creatures-ie how things get organised from head to tail. They have been found in many types of creature. Basically the physical order of the Hox genes along the chromosone map to the reality of the creature- head genes are first, tail genes last. Now two creatures that both have Hox genes are fruit flies and chickens. Prepare for some crazy shit.
So some guys took fruit flies and turned off the genes which develop the head- these flies die as embryos. If you add in the correct "head" genes at the right time of development the flies are saved. But you don't have to add in fly head genes- you can add in chicken ones and the flies develop fine. Flies and chickens have completely different heads but somehow the machinery is similar enough that you can just swap head genes. Crazy shitttttttttttttttt.

Krylo · 06-14-2010, 11:29 AM

Do they develop with tiny little chicken heads?

Edit: Could we do this with their legs and get tiny little drumsticks?

Edit to the Edit: Could we add a gene to produce hot sauce and make genetically engineered tiny little buffalo wings (drummies, whatever)?

Amake · 06-14-2010, 11:34 AM

I recall some experiment where they swapped fruit fly chromosomes in the same fruit flies and got legs instead of eyes and disgusting things like that. Those things are the closest to Lego Genetics in the real world.

I wonder how they ended up with six chromosomes or whatever it is. Something to do with their super short life cycle maybe? They've evolved over probably billions of generations and become completely streamlined on a genetic level?

Azisien · 06-14-2010, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smarty McBarrelpants

So some guys took fruit flies and turned off the genes which develop the head- these flies die as embryos. If you add in the correct "head" genes at the right time of development the flies are saved. But you don't have to add in fly head genes- you can add in chicken ones and the flies develop fine. Flies and chickens have completely different heads but somehow the machinery is similar enough that you can just swap head genes. Crazy shitttttttttttttttt.

It's crazy cool but really not that crazy when you consider from a fitness perspective how important it is for an organism to successfully, you know, develop a body. Super highly conserved genes ftw! But like you said genes are like a vague framework, for the flies especially their development is pretty much all perfectly timed hormone interactions. If we could finely tune hormone concentrations and timing in the fly we could probably make it turn into an ant. Maybe a chicken too but that would require more funding than the lab could get.

06-14-2010, 11:29 AM	#24
Krylo The Straightest Shota Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: It's a secret to everybody. Posts: 17,789	Do they develop with tiny little chicken heads? Edit: Could we do this with their legs and get tiny little drumsticks? Edit to the Edit: Could we add a gene to produce hot sauce and make genetically engineered tiny little buffalo wings (drummies, whatever)? __________________ I am very tired.

06-14-2010, 11:34 AM	#25
Amake Keeper of the new Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: A place without judgment Posts: 4,506	I recall some experiment where they swapped fruit fly chromosomes in the same fruit flies and got legs instead of eyes and disgusting things like that. Those things are the closest to Lego Genetics in the real world. I wonder how they ended up with six chromosomes or whatever it is. Something to do with their super short life cycle maybe? They've evolved over probably billions of generations and become completely streamlined on a genetic level? __________________ Hope insistent, trust implicit, love inherent, life immersed

06-11-2010, 10:34 PM	#22
Azisien wat Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,177	Probably not even food that is the limit. I think taking North America by example we have no problem finding calories. The processing time for the food is probably what holds us back. This can only be solved by nanites. Some kind of nanite will solve this, hopefully before a different kind of nanite destroys the Earth.

06-14-2010, 11:16 AM	#23
Professor Smarmiarty Sent to the cornfield Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: K-space Posts: 9,758	Azi: Well yeah that's why we had a super food which is all energy all the time! But our biology probably can't handle that. Special holiday edition of Learn with SMB while he waits for the train and reading some evo-devo papers: Assuming you've done your background reading like good students you will know there are 35 basic body plans that all animals follow. Now there are certain genes which are conserved[I] between different types of animals- which means they serve the same role in multiple animals. For example Hox genes which dictate the body plan of some creatures-ie how things get organised from head to tail. They have been found in many types of creature. Basically the physical order of the Hox genes along the chromosone map to the reality of the creature- head genes are first, tail genes last. Now two creatures that both have Hox genes are fruit flies and chickens. Prepare for some crazy shit. So some guys took fruit flies and turned off the genes which develop the head- these flies die as embryos. If you add in the correct "head" genes at the right time of development the flies are saved. But you don't have to add in fly head genes- you can add in chicken ones and the flies develop fine. Flies and chickens have completely different heads but somehow the machinery is similar enough that you can just swap head genes. Crazy shitttttttttttttttt.