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Where is your God?


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But breading isn't the issue here, it's "natural selection"!!

You state that selection would occur if/when the environment suffered severe life altering changes, but just like me, you're unable to explain why selection is triggered into action at all? You're simply acknowledging that it does occur. Doesn't it strike you as strange that nature knows when to step in to address a potential problem?

 

No, because that's not how it works. Educate yourself here - http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/natural-selection.htm

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No, because that's not how it works. Educate yourself here - http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/natural-selection.htm

 

Read it!!!

 

"Fish that lived near the coast developed a strange mutation- growing fins that enabled them to drag themselves onto the shore"

 

Doesn't explain why though does it? Again, it simply indicates that it occurred due to this 'thing' we call selection. Educational? Don't think so sunshine!! Thanks all the same halibut.

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Read it!!!

 

"Fish that lived near the coast developed a strange mutation- growing fins that enabled them to drag themselves onto the shore"

 

Doesn't explain why though does it? Again, it simply indicates that it occurred due to this 'thing' we call selection. Educational? Don't think so sunshine!! Thanks all the same halibut.

You miss the point, and it is a quite basic one. Mutations happen ALL the time, if they are beneficial, or at least not detrimental, then they may propoagate due to the simple fact that they increase the chance of survival and hence, mating.

Environmental changes can aid the propagation of a particular mutation if it serves to fill the niche created by the environmental change. Quite simple really, elegant and totally lacking in any need of guidance, a guider or any plan whatsoever.

 

Jb

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Read it!!!

 

 

You miss the point, and it is a quite basic one. Mutations happen ALL the time, if they are beneficial, or at least not detrimental, then they may propoagate due to the simple fact that they increase the chance of survival and hence, mating.

Environmental changes can aid the propagation of a particular mutation if it serves to fill the niche created by the environmental change. Quite simple really, elegant and totally lacking in any need of guidance, a guider or any plan whatsoever.

 

Jb

Do you have any theories on why certain ancient species, such as sharks for instance, haven't really changed in appearance while other species continue to change and "mutate"? If mutations happen all the time, surely, sharks would be no exception to this rule?
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Do you have any theories on why certain ancient species, such as sharks for instance, haven't really changed in appearance while other species continue to change and "mutate"? If mutations happen all the time, surely, sharks would be no exception to this rule?

 

Sure, Sharks fill an gap in their environments very well, they are great hunters, have practically no predators (except for us). There's always been other smaller things in the sea for them to eat. There's no selection pressure for them to change.

 

Mutations do happen all the time, and Sharks are no exception to that. If none of the mutations give a significant advantage in the environment they live in, and the environment doesn't change significantly in some way that favours certain mutations (ie. if all the non-mutant sharks can still feed and reproduce just fine) they they will remain pretty much the same.

 

Also, not all species of Shark are the same age, some did change more recently than others, new types of Shark have popped up, and others have gone extinct.

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Sure, Sharks fill an gap in their environments very well, they are great hunters, have practically no predators (except for us). There's always been other smaller things in the sea for them to eat. There's no selection pressure for them to change.

 

Mutations do happen all the time, and Sharks are no exception to that. If none of the mutations give a significant advantage in the environment they live in, and the environment doesn't change significantly in some way that favours certain mutations (ie. if all the non-mutant sharks can still feed and reproduce just fine) they they will remain.

really? So, what distinguishes between which species are fine as they are and the ones that aren't? Is it this thing called "selection"? If so, how does it distinguish if selection is a totally random chance happening?
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So coming back to the title of this thread, to those of you that have one, "Where is your god?" Its impact on the Universe can't be measured in any way. It seems to do nothing other than answer random prayers and befriend needy and traumatised people in an individual basis. Without State collusion in the indoctrination of children, the Christian faith in the UK would be 'pretty much' a memory by now.

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really? So, what distinguishes between which species are fine as they are and the ones that aren't? Is it this thing called "selection"? If so, how does it distinguish if selection is a totally random chance happening?

 

Ah, I think I might see where the misunderstanding is.

 

The mutations are completely random, as far as we can tell.

 

The process of natural selection is not random.

 

Naturally, mutations which confer an advantage will be selected for and conversely mutations which give a disadvantage will be selected against. Not by any external chooser, but simply because individuals with advantageous mutations will be better at finding food/escaping predators/finding a mate/able to take advantage of a different environment without competition etc. then it will pass on it's genes.

 

A species will not go extinct as long as enough members of it can survive and reproduce. So why would Sharks go extinct or change?

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