09 Jan 12
Pretty cool. I was curious what sort of ancestral genes we humans might have lying around, and turned up an article trying to exploit ancestral genes to fight disease (HIV in this case):
http://www.mentalindigestion.net/?p=756
Wonder what other interesting ancestral genes we have lying dormant 🙂
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10 Jan 12
Originally posted by sonhouseInteresting article, but I'm afraid your headline has nothing to do with it. This is not man-made evolution; this is merely the reactivating of a gene (or genes) which had been produced by natural evolution, a long, long time ago.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-supersoldier-ants-lab-reactivating-ancestral.html
Remember, to have evolution, you need two things:
- a new adaptation to new circumstances, and
- speciation as a result of this.
As far as I am aware, lab experiments have amply demonstrated the former, but not yet the latter (although I may be out of date on that, in which case I'd like to see the evidence). Nature, of course, has been able to demonstrate both in spades.
The experiment described in the article shows neither; the adaptation evoked was old, not new. Interesting, but not man-made evolution.
Richard
Originally posted by Shallow BlueAdaptation is not evolution and there is no such thing as evolution, natural
Interesting article, but I'm afraid your headline has nothing to do with it. This is not man-made evolution; this is merely the reactivating of a gene (or genes) which had been produced by natural evolution, a long, long time ago.
Remember, to have evolution, you need two things:
- a new adaptation to new circumstances, and
- speciati r; the adaptation evoked was old, not new. Interesting, but not man-made evolution.
Richard
or artificial, except in the mind of theorist. 😏