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muriel_volestrangler

(105,883 posts)

36. No, we are creatures that adapt our environment like no other

Tue Jul 30, 2013, 04:36 AM

Jul 2013

There has never been a species as innovative as us. Our intelligence has had a greater effect on the history of life on earth, in a short time, than anything else life has done (things like the increase of oxygen in the atmosphere took hundred of millions of years). We have changed the plants growing on large parts of the earth's surface, moved animals around between continents, bred new forms of plants and animals, built long-lasting structures, and now we're changing the atmosphere. The human species lives in environments from the Arctic to deserts, and changes them all. We are extremely adaptable, because of our intelligence.

Yes, there's no direction to evolution, except that a change must give as good, or a better, chance of survival of the next generations, and chance of breeding. A decrease in intelligence of the whole species would not fit this (less intelligent individuals can survive inside an intelligent society, but their genes would not be able to spread enough to affect the combined intelligence).

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Book rec for the "sky is falling" crowd. [View all] FSogol Jul 2013 OP

lol. that may be the funniest glass half full reference ever cali Jul 2013 #1

"But it was not, as some had predicted, the end of the world." NuclearDem Jul 2013 #2

Everything old is new again! FSogol Jul 2013 #4

Mass extinction? HappyMe Jul 2013 #3

There have been survivors, LWolf Jul 2013 #5

The cockroaches will rule! Fuddnik Jul 2013 #6

So be it. dipsydoodle Jul 2013 #9

Woops, not everywhere. longship Jul 2013 #28

Not if the human survivors have a good supply of Raid. n/t RebelOne Jul 2013 #33

Present company excepted, of course... MineralMan Jul 2013 #7

I'd take a more moderate approach. LWolf Jul 2013 #11

I see. Well, then... MineralMan Jul 2013 #13

But I don't. LWolf Jul 2013 #14

Well, OK, then. MineralMan Jul 2013 #15

The solution is actually to *expand* choice--particularly for women. antigone382 Jul 2013 #22

That's one viable strategy, anyway. LWolf Jul 2013 #25

To fit with the theme of the OP book recommendation csziggy Jul 2013 #8

Great site, thanks. n/t FSogol Jul 2013 #24

"You call what's goin' on around here a leak? Boy, the last time there was a leak like this . . . Major Hogwash Jul 2013 #10

Twinkies and roaches... one_voice Jul 2013 #12

plus sharks and arely staircase Jul 2013 #21

Humans are just another animal species circling the drain. hunter Jul 2013 #16

Not much chance of us going extinct...... AverageJoe90 Jul 2013 #17

Trilobites were tough too. hunter Jul 2013 #18

Apples and oranges, my friend. Apples and oranges. n/t AverageJoe90 Jul 2013 #19

It's not, and that's exactly where the human race has gone wrong. hunter Jul 2013 #29

Maybe so, but we are still truly unique. You can't deny that. AverageJoe90 Jul 2013 #31

No, we are creatures that adapt our environment like no other muriel_volestrangler Jul 2013 #36

I suspect nearly all periods of rapid climate change in earth's history... hunter Jul 2013 #37

If you can't outright deny climate change, you'll say the change is no big deal CreekDog Jul 2013 #27

That wasn't my intent behind that post and you damn well know it. AverageJoe90 Jul 2013 #30

don't try to make it about me. you disagree and minimize every specific climate change topic CreekDog Jul 2013 #34

CD, where did I mention climate change in that post? AverageJoe90 Jul 2013 #35

Either the book or the review is a bit confused muriel_volestrangler Jul 2013 #20

Still would be quite the scary scene, though. AverageJoe90 Jul 2013 #32

there's a joke about a guy that's scared about the sun exploding Enrique Jul 2013 #23

"Scatter" is the stupidest advice out there Warpy Jul 2013 #26