Over-Population (?) - Page 7

Tommathy · 10-05-2004, 10:20 PM

Is there actually a "birth defects per 1000 people" set of statistics somewhere for a generationally relevant amount of time (say, oh, twenty or so generations of twenty years long), or are you pulling this out of thin air?

And impure genome? Pardon? Is there some platonic genome out there that I wasn't invited to examine? Do we need to start panning the streams for pure genome?

Honestly, impure genome. A genome is the pool of genetic data in a species. It can not be "pure" or "impure" it simply is.

***

The community-building (with linguistics!) and technology are pretty much the same evolutionary advantage. Higher level intelligence really isn't useful if each individual organism has to re-discover everything from scratch. It's because humans share all sorts of information that we've been able to stay alive on this little blue-ball of a world. (I guess that could be construed to mean that gossip is an evolutionary advantage and not a social vice, but I digress). Lots of mammalian species will try and care for "less advantaged" members of the community (elephants come to mind). Having greater numbers of organisms, and a greater gene pool from which to select, is better than having a smaller "stronger/pure" pool.

Illuminatus · 10-05-2004, 11:30 PM

In my mind, when I hear "impure genome" I hear weakening of the human race. We're more susceptible to disease, more dependent upon technology and modern medicine, fatter and less in shape...so on and so forth.

I dunno if that's what Robot Jesus means.

Dark Black · 10-06-2004, 05:50 AM

AHHHHHH!!! ih8stupidppl/Robot Jesus, fatness is not genetic! Fitness is, but we haven't been 'reliant on modern medicine' long enough for that to affect it (assuming it would at all). Genomes cannot be impure! That would suggest, for a start, that somebody even knew what all of (or most, or some, or any at all) of the human genome actually means/does. Sure, we have it, but that doesn't mean we know what it all means. If I gave you the blueprints for a Boeing 747 it doesn't mean you could tell if it was faulty. Or even build one, for that matter.
If you were just going on the evidence that lots of people 'look, like, really unhealthy!' then you're an idiot, and I'm not even going to start trying to argue with you because it would be a lost cause.
Oh, and Adamark, there have been (as I previously stated) numerous mass extinctions in the past, usually caused by ice-ages. Ice-ages are very bad, WILL happen again and cause far more damage than any human has (so far...).
And as far as mass extinctions go, they are great! They usually help evolution along by clearing away 'weaker' but predominant species (like helping mammals by getting rid of the dinosaurs, who were more proliferant but could be considered 'weaker'). You may say, though, that mass extinction caused by humans would only damage other species and not itself, making my above point redundant. Yeah, well humans survived the last ice-age anyway! Which kinda makes this entire last paragraph a waste of time since it didn't really prove ANY point but since it took a while to write (read - 20 seconds) I really can't be bothered to delete it...

Drooling Iguana · 10-06-2004, 12:50 PM

Well, I can safely say that this thread is over-populated.

OMGROFLOLBYOB!!!!!!11111!!!!!1111eleventy-one!!!

Closing.

10-05-2004, 10:20 PM	#61
Tommathy Holier Than Thou Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Cloud Nine, Turn Left and I'm There~ Posts: 191	Is there actually a "birth defects per 1000 people" set of statistics somewhere for a generationally relevant amount of time (say, oh, twenty or so generations of twenty years long), or are you pulling this out of thin air? And impure genome? Pardon? Is there some platonic genome out there that I wasn't invited to examine? Do we need to start panning the streams for pure genome? Honestly, impure genome. A genome is the pool of genetic data in a species. It can not be "pure" or "impure" it simply is. *** The community-building (with linguistics!) and technology are pretty much the same evolutionary advantage. Higher level intelligence really isn't useful if each individual organism has to re-discover everything from scratch. It's because humans share all sorts of information that we've been able to stay alive on this little blue-ball of a world. (I guess that could be construed to mean that gossip is an evolutionary advantage and not a social vice, but I digress). Lots of mammalian species will try and care for "less advantaged" members of the community (elephants come to mind). Having greater numbers of organisms, and a greater gene pool from which to select, is better than having a smaller "stronger/pure" pool. __________________ I always make passes at boys who wear glasses.

10-05-2004, 11:30 PM	#62
Illuminatus The Dread Pirate Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Where the wild things are Posts: 1,310	In my mind, when I hear "impure genome" I hear weakening of the human race. We're more susceptible to disease, more dependent upon technology and modern medicine, fatter and less in shape...so on and so forth. I dunno if that's what Robot Jesus means. __________________ Man, n. An animal so lost in rapturous contemplation of what he thinks he is as to overlook what he indubitably ought to be. His chief occupation is the extermination of other animals and his own species, which, however, multiplies with such insistent rapidity as to infest the whole habitable earth and Canada. -Ambrose Bierce's Devil's Dictionary

10-06-2004, 12:50 PM	#64
Drooling Iguana Behold the power Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha Posts: 701	Well, I can safely say that this thread is over-populated. OMGROFLOLBYOB!!!!!!11111!!!!!1111eleventy-one!!! Closing. __________________ Estevan was eaten!

10-06-2004, 05:50 AM	#63
Dark Black Even eviller than black! Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 114	AHHHHHH!!! ih8stupidppl/Robot Jesus, fatness is not genetic! Fitness is, but we haven't been 'reliant on modern medicine' long enough for that to affect it (assuming it would at all). Genomes cannot be impure! That would suggest, for a start, that somebody even knew what all of (or most, or some, or any at all) of the human genome actually means/does. Sure, we have it, but that doesn't mean we know what it all means. If I gave you the blueprints for a Boeing 747 it doesn't mean you could tell if it was faulty. Or even build one, for that matter. If you were just going on the evidence that lots of people 'look, like, really unhealthy!' then you're an idiot, and I'm not even going to start trying to argue with you because it would be a lost cause. Oh, and Adamark, there have been (as I previously stated) numerous mass extinctions in the past, usually caused by ice-ages. Ice-ages are very bad, WILL happen again and cause far more damage than any human has (so far...). And as far as mass extinctions go, they are great! They usually help evolution along by clearing away 'weaker' but predominant species (like helping mammals by getting rid of the dinosaurs, who were more proliferant but could be considered 'weaker'). You may say, though, that mass extinction caused by humans would only damage other species and not itself, making my above point redundant. Yeah, well humans survived the last ice-age anyway! Which kinda makes this entire last paragraph a waste of time since it didn't really prove ANY point but since it took a while to write (read - 20 seconds) I really can't be bothered to delete it...