An evolution question

[Abaddon]

Well im in my final year of a Zoology degree so thats where it came from for me.. even if randomly we have posted the same thing!

 

[GoodSarmatian]

In the last hundreds of years we have seen the extinction of many species

Evolution also means that if you can't compete you're out of the game, and no species can compete with humans.
There are no predators to limit our growth, so human populations grow larger and larger and exterminate other species simply by eating them or killing them for trophys.
The "invention" of toxic waste and more efficient methods to exploit this planet has accelerated this process even more.

 

[Masquerouge]

There are no predators to limit our growth,

What about viruses?

 

[Bill3000]

And there is a predator that limits our growth - ourselves.

 

[StarWorms]

What about viruses?

Viruses are not classed as living.

 

[Masquerouge]

Viruses are not classed as living.

Eh. Yeah. But still, I think they are the only single thing that can endanger human growth.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

What about viruses?

They aren't very effective against our advances in science and medicine.
It takes a man made virus to take out mankind .

 

[Masquerouge]

They aren't very effective against our advances in science and medicine.
It takes a man made virus to take out mankind .

They're pretty darn effective though, especially when said advances and medicines are not widely available.

 

[Bill3000]

Viruses are not classed as living.

Insert Agent Smith's speech about how humanity is a virus here.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

They're pretty darn effective though, especially when said advances and medicines are not widely available.

But they don't keep our population down.
We are six billions (or seven billions ?) and growing. Nothing can stop us. Our race will even survive after we have turned this planet to a barren rock.

 

[StarWorms]

What about viruses?

Eh. Yeah. But still, I think they are the only single thing that can endanger human growth.

A predator has to be a living organism.

Eventually people will use viruses to their advantage by manipulating them to create viruses that will cure diseases instead.

What keeps our population down is overpopulation. We are taking more from the environment than we are putting back in and if this continues we will eventually start to run out of resources and die.

Personally I think humans will be the death of humans.

 

[ironduck]

Evolution also means that if you can't compete you're out of the game, and no species can compete with humans.

Humans host a number of organisms that have greatly benefitted from our success.. dustmites, for instance.

 

[El_Machinae]

Humans host a number of organisms that have greatly benefitted from our success.. dustmites, for instance.

Cows, too! Puppies, budgies, rabbits, ferrets.
Magpies, seagulls.
Goldfish.

 

[Bill3000]

Humans host a number of organisms that have greatly benefitted from our success.. dustmites, for instance.

Yes, but that isn't competing.

 

[ironduck]

Yes, but that isn't competing.

That was partially my point.. the success of humans have lead to the success of a number of other species, both large and small. The notion that 'nothing can compete with humans and will therefore become extinct' is flawed on several levels.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

The notion that 'nothing can compete with humans and will therefore become extinct' is flawed on several levels.

I didn't say everything was going extinct, but the fact that we exterminated some species is in perfect harmony with evolution.

 

[Underseer]

The evolutionist view holds that over time life on earth has become more complex and more numerous (more species). In the last hundreds of years we have seen the extinction of many species. If life increases in complexity and number, we should have seen the rise of some species more advanced than their ancestors. So the question is: Has the speciation of a more complex lifeform than its ancestor ever been observed and documented?

And before anybody says:"Define complex!"
More complex means more genes, not the size of the genome, but the number of genes. The human is the most complex creature on earth with approximately 35 000 genes.

The religionist view says that the moon is made of green cheese. The moon is not made of green cheese, ergo God doesn't exist. QED.

 

[El_Machinae]

It's not good game theory, though, because we don't really know how to sustainably exploit our environment.

 

[Arakhor]

You spent your first post resurrecting an eight-year-old thread? Not your best move, that.

 

[Domen]

In the last hundreds of years we have seen the extinction of many species.

And also the emergence of many new species.