Back to Home

God & Science Forum Message

Forums: Atm · Astrophotography · Blackholes · Blackholes2 · CCD · Celestron · Domes · Education
Eyepieces · Meade · Misc. · God and Science · SETI · Software · UFO · XEphem
RSS Button

Home | Discussion Forums | God and Science | Post
Login

Be the first pioneers to continue the Astronomy Discussions at our new Astronomy meeting place...
The Space and Astronomy Agora
Invalid Statement (about Depleting Genetic Information)

Forum List | Follow Ups | Post Message | Back to Thread Topics | In Response To
Posted by Alexander on May 15, 2001 17:40:23 UTC

Again due to poor education. Copying DNA is not exact process (too much information to be copied perfectly). So, you constantly have new random information (call it errors, mutations, changes - whatever) added/removed/replaced to existing one. Due to blind randomness of those errors in most cases they produce garbage which does not survive.

For example, white butterflies in pre-industrial England were camouflaging (blending) good with white birch tree bark thus avoiding being eaten by birds. From time to time black or gray mutant butterfly had misfortune to be born to only be quickly eaten. But in 17-18 century humans started burning coal in such amounts that sooth begin to darken birch tree skin, and white butterflies could no longer hide. White color became disadvantage - they almost all were eaten. But gray and dark mutants now got upper hand and survived much better, producing dark offspring. In a few generations only most butterflies were gray or black.

Guess, what is happening now, when less and less coal is used? Whites are back.

That is how mutation-selection works and makes more genetically complex organisms at the expense of numerous trials and waste.

Follow Ups:

Login to Post
Additional Information
Google
 
Web www.astronomy.net
DayNightLine
About Astronomy Net | Advertise on Astronomy Net | Contact & Comments | Privacy Policy
Unless otherwise specified, web site content Copyright 1994-2024 John Huggins All Rights Reserved
Forum posts are Copyright their authors as specified in the heading above the post.
"dbHTML," "AstroGuide," "ASTRONOMY.NET" & "VA.NET"
are trademarks of John Huggins