Genetics is about to get personal...

[2nd Reef]

I think it's simply that little kiddies aren't discouraged from being sinister cackyhanders by being hit over the knuckles with bamboo canes by evil nuns when they write in kindy. Nought to do with natural advantage (but then my name isn't Darwin, in fact I've never even BEEN to Darwin).


Roebuck rules. And thank God, Allah and Buddha that the cricket is back on the radio!

[Chamberess]

Here's a bit of science on the subject Damage:

http://www.livescience.com/health/07091 ... _rise.html

[Shaunm]

1/78 with Hayden out just shy off 50

Re lefties, I started school in WA 1970 and still we were forced to 'use the right hand'. I bowled left handed and batted right handed, kicking a footy I could use both feet but right was dominant. At one stage I'd print left handed and write right handed. So it had some advantages I guess. Seems at anything natural I was left handed and anything taught I ended up right handed. :?

[Damage]

Live to 1000.

[Damage]

natural selection is over for us, and so is evolution,

Quite the opposite actually

[ric_vidal]

natural selection is over for us, and so is evolution,

Quite the opposite actually

[Chamberess]

The idea of 'advantageous genes' being passed on to successive genes is an idea which Dawkins discusses in The Selfish Gene. It's good reading.

[Shaunm]

Read about the 1940's attempt by NAZI's to clone

[yanks r us]

Just let natural selection do it own thing. Its been doing a bang up job on Earth for 3.5 billion years.

Its already done its thing. As the DNA has around 100 million bits (not including the redundant ones), only about 1 bit changes after one year.

We've moved into a new phase, external evolution. Which has seen the dramatic increase in our intelligence. Forget natural selection, we have trillions of bits of information available in books, which our constantly added and updated each day, unlike genes. We may be no smarter than what we where a thousand years ago, the only difference is our accumaltive knowledge.

The next phase wil be manipulative evolution. Once we work out the whole DNA and its genes we could improve our intelligence, memory, lifespan etc. Of course restrictions will be in place but people will inevitably be too tempted. What we will have are "superhumans", people who will not be able to benefit will simply weed or die out.

But thats assuming religion hasnt caused an end to the world by then

[Lairdy]

The idea of 'advantageous genes' being passed on to successive genes is an idea which Dawkins discusses in The Selfish Gene. It's good reading.

Good point - you can watch it too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0sES3nzgsU

[bookster]

Quote: natural selection is over for us, and so is evolution,

Just listening to the cricket and heard Peter Roebuck say that apparently (studies have shown) the proportion of left-handers in the world has risen from 4% to 10% of the population in just the last 50yrs or so.

Any thoughts on why this might be so in relation to our evolutionary path (as discussed above)?

I mean its such an increase that something gotta be behind it. Maybe evolution is still here.......... just not as we know it.

Just like the unions..... we lefties have been oppressed for too long

we're coming back

we're coming back

[daryl]

Quote: natural selection is over for us, and so is evolution,

Just listening to the cricket and heard Peter Roebuck say that apparently (studies have shown) the proportion of left-handers in the world has risen from 4% to 10% of the population in just the last 50yrs or so.

Any thoughts on why this might be so in relation to our evolutionary path (as discussed above)?

I mean its such an increase that something gotta be behind it. Maybe evolution is still here.......... just not as we know it.

And i wonder if this stat applies to surfing? Any more goofies around these days than the good old ones?

The frailty of 'the genome' it's not too likely we'll, DNA, will last for too long.

Doesn't telomere length regulate our lifespan, and telomere length is preordained to shorten.

[Chamberess]

Doesn't telomere length regulate our lifespan, and telomere length is preordained to shorten.

Yes there is a correlation between telomere length and life span. Some humans tend to have shorter telomere length than others which gives them something like an 86% higher death rate .There's been a fair amount of scientific research on this subject.

And yes, telomere length is destined to shorten as we get older. Scientists believe that this type of cellular aging partly evolved as a defense against cancer.We don't get cancer but we still die sooner

But if we are to think in terms of the selfish gene, we'd see more humans with longer telomere length coming into the world and the shorter telomere humans dying off...literally.

[Damage]

And what pray tell, Obi Wanberess, is a telomere length?

[Chamberess]

Look i'm no expert but from memory telomeres are the endings on chromosomes which protects them from destruction i.e fusing with other chromosomes or rearranging ...feel free to correct me if i'm wrong.

[yanks r us]

Theres actually a positive correlation between telomere length and aging.

Theres a genetic advantage for having a lot of moles on your body. People use to wonder what was the purpose of them or by-product. The longer your telomeres the more moles you will have but will age a lot better than someone who has shorter ones.

[ric_vidal]

Theres a genetic advantage for having a lot of moles on your body.

Where’s KK’s gif?

[yanks r us]

not sure what a gif is