Why is life so concise?

[Ahmad]

You are obviosly missing my point. Maybe you didn't read my comments from the beginning.

 

In case you did read them but didn't understand them, let me explain them more to you.

 

Defining weither ones life is convenient or not is something very relative and not part of my speciality. The point I was making is that some features that we have make our lives more convenient that if we didn't have them.

 

Again my example, how did we acquire voluntary control over macturition and defecation? Why isn't it involuntary like in other animals? Why did we get that feature and keep it?

 

Let me explain this more to you. If the only driving force for life and evolution was natural interactions and trial and error with different combinations of genes, then, statistically, we are supposed to see a HUGE number of phenotypes that aren't neccessary for sustaining life in hour bodies, but we must supposingly acquire them through the process of trial and error that we've gone through.

 

So your reply is that these phenotypes that we would have aquired will get lost because there is no pressure keeping them. As I barely find any un-necessary phenotypes in my body, this mechanism of eliminating such genes must be very efficient.

 

Now my comment on this is: what is keeping these phenotypes that are not necessary to sustain life or preserve the species, while they are useful to us.

[Ahmad]

Also, as the mechanism of loosing useless phenotypes is mutations, which is the same mechanism for gaining new phenotypes.

 

So phenotypes are added and eliminated from the species all the time by the same mechanism. What is it in this mechanism that makes removing useless mutations more favorable than adding new ones?

[DocBill]

Originally posted by Ahmad

Also, as the mechanism of loosing useless phenotypes is mutations, which is the same mechanism for gaining new phenotypes.

 

So phenotypes are added and eliminated from the species all the time by the same mechanism. What is it in this mechanism that makes removing useless mutations more favorable than adding new ones?

 

Thank you for taking the time to explain this to me. I am obviouslly a moron, and so I am very greatfull for your enlightening me. How could I have believed that my reply would have be seen as a "pun."

 

Thanks for your time.

Bill

 

 

[spuriousmonkey]

Originally posted by Ahmad

Again my example, how did we acquire voluntary control over macturition and defecation? Why isn't it involuntary like in other animals? Why did we get that feature and keep it?

 

i'm confused and maybe i misunderstood you, but...

 

 

who says that we have more voluntary control over micturation and defecation than other animals???

 

 

a dog sniffs a tree....finds the scent suitable and pees...a dog is being locked up in a room and only relieves himself after hours and hours of waiting for its master to take him out.

 

Years ago I walk past a leopard in a cage in a zoo and he sprays me with urine at the exact moment I was in reach (yes...funny).

 

it seems like some animals have quite a lot of control on this wonderful bodily functions that are the cornerstone of life.

 

Originally posted by Ahmad

Now my comment on this is: what is keeping these phenotypes that are not necessary to sustain life or preserve the species, while they are useful to us.

 

genotypes do not always have phenotypes and therefore you might not see any phenotype of useless genes. If a gene is useless it can still be harmless and that would exclude any active selection against it. And we may not know the function of certain phenotypes, but this doesn't mean they have no function.

 

as for the voluntary control on defecation and micturation it is clear that these functions are quite important. Especially in a social group it might be important to have control over these functions and also for the hygiene of yourself and the group.

 

[Ahmad]

Sorry DocBill, I didn't mean to be rude. I was really serious about what I'm writing, but your sarcasm shocked me.