What 'transitional species' are we. . . eventually?

[CoyoteNature]

What interests me is what we don't know about, and what this applies to our own evolution.

I mean the testing period for many kinds of drugs, technologies, chemicals, genetically engineered lifeforms, just wouldn't happen on the same scale as evolution. I mean its ten years at a minimum, from that we extrapolate it should be good enough for twenty years, forty years, a hundred years.

Then there is the continued effect of all the pollutants in our environment from hormones, to mercury contamination, to ozone depletion, to a number of other effects such as various carcinogens.

Couldn't the evolution of a new species be one in which various DNA, RNA alterations through say the effect of certain environmental effects we create, cause evolution without direct intervention at all from us?

[Netko]

snipped explanations of certain ways the human race could become extinct

If you really want to feel depressed and have a new appreciation for how seriusly vurneable and possible self-destroying the human race is check out Exitmundi, where all the possible ways the human race could get destroyed are listed (from realistic possibilites which could happen any moment to unrealistic biblical and other mythological end-of-the-world scenarios).

[Enforcer Talen]

http://www.armageddononline.org/ Similar premise

[Darth Servo]

If you really want to feel depressed and have a new appreciation for how seriusly vurneable and possible self-destroying the human race is check out Exitmundi, where all the possible ways the human race could get destroyed are listed (from realistic possibilites which could happen any moment to unrealistic biblical and other mythological end-of-the-world scenarios).

Amazing that they actually use a pic of the nanites from MST3K

Hey, just trying to find the silver lining.

[brianeyci]

http://www.armageddononline.org/ Similar premise

I took a look at both sites, and I like the Exit Mundi site way better. For one thing it takes a skeptics approach to unlikely events, and things like Planet X are thoroughly debunked. Comparing the alien invasion pages of Exit Mundi and Armageddon Online, Exit Mundi actually goes into the factors of intelligence and how natural selection doesn't favor intelligence, but Armageddon Online is far less informative. Exit Mundi is easier to navigate with its simplistic outline. Armageddon Online looks better but is less functional.

Exit Mundi even has realistic armageddons like Smog and Terrorism.

Brian

[Magnetic]

Here's a response from another forum:

I'd expect to see things that are partially-formed, like wings, or beaks, or eyes. Remember, we're told that species like dinosaurs evolved into other things, like chickens. That's a pretty big change, so I'd expect to see where a Tyranasarus Rex started to sprout wings and grow feathers.

And to take it another step - where's the first instance of wings? If evolution were true, at some point we should see fossils that have the beginnings of wings or spines, or bones, even.

[Darth Wong]

It's interesting how they assume there should be "partially formed" eyes rather than more primitive eyes. Once you replace their "partially formed" bullshit with "more primitive", it becomes painfully obvious that you can see evidence of "transitionals" everywhere you look.

[Nephtys]

Here's a response from another forum:

I'd expect to see things that are partially-formed, like wings, or beaks, or eyes. Remember, we're told that species like dinosaurs evolved into other things, like chickens. That's a pretty big change, so I'd expect to see where a Tyranasarus Rex started to sprout wings and grow feathers.

And to take it another step - where's the first instance of wings? If evolution were true, at some point we should see fossils that have the beginnings of wings or spines, or bones, even.

Break out the Puncucated Equilibrium.

The structure of dinosaur bones are very similar to avian ones, notably in bipedal predators. Their tiny, effectively useless arms are curved very similar to a bird's wings. If a layer of tissue grew over it as a covering, they might as well be considered wings.

The very fact that this fool is using the 'it doesn't LOOK like a T-Rex could turn into a chicken' argument is pretty much telling. Guess what? Some extinct BONES do show direct connections to avian bones. Much in the same way many animals with wings that became ground-based lost real functionality in their wings. Ref: Penguins, Ostrich, Chicken...

Also of course, point out that there's species of Dinosuar out there other than T-Rex. A smaller predator would most certainly be the ancestor species of a bird.

[Darth Wong]

It's also noteworthy that dinosaurs need not necessarily be direct ancestors of birds in order to be related to them. They could be different branches on the same tree, much as modern gorillas and humans are related but we are not actually descended from them.

[LadyTevar]

So really, the human species is transitioning towards a long-lived, slow-breeding species which will have a slowed rate of physical maturation. With the advent of medicine and processed food, our teeth may become smaller, and our immune systems may become weaker.

We're Becoming ELVES?!?!?

[Darth Servo]

It's also noteworthy that dinosaurs need not necessarily be direct ancestors of birds in order to be related to them. They could be different branches on the same tree, much as modern gorillas and humans are related but we are not actually descended from them.

Indeed, even if birds are directly descended from dinosaurs, it would be impossible for every dino to give rise to birds. 99.9999999% of dino species must be evolutionary "uncles" rather than ancestors.

[wolveraptor]

Okay, when someone asks for evidence of early feathers, they're just being lying assholes. You'd have your head shoved miles up your ass not have heard of even ONE of the numerous birdlike small dromaeosaurids. Sinornithosaurus, Buitreraptor, Archaeopteryx, Microraptor...hell, that's off the top of my head.

[dworkin]

For a fictional but somewhat reasoned approach to future life try Evolution (by Stephen Baxter), The Future is Wild (I want a pet squibbon!) and After Man. And of course, for all those idiots claiming we are the apex of evolution there's still the two classics.

War of the Worlds and The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.

[Magnetic]

Okay, when someone asks for evidence of early feathers, they're just being lying assholes. You'd have your head shoved miles up your ass not have heard of even ONE of the numerous birdlike small dromaeosaurids. Sinornithosaurus, Buitreraptor, Archaeopteryx, Microraptor...hell, that's off the top of my head.

No, they aren't lying. They just aren't perhaps as knowledgable as to what may be in the fossil records. Having said that, there would still have to be some catalyst to bring about the rise of such creatures. But it still doesn't mean that these came from, say, the veloceraptor, which (to me) seems like one of the apex preditors. They would have had little reason to need a change. But some try to link it with the specimens that you mentioned above and up to modern birds.

[wolveraptor]

Then they're woefully, pathetically ignorant.

On velociraptor: it was not an apex predator. Hell, it was getting it's raggedy ass bitch-slapped by larger tyrannosaurids, which became the dominant predators and ousted the raptors. Ever wonder why dromaeosaurids became progressively smaller as the Cretaceous went on? It went from nearly a metric ton (Utahraptor) to the size of a wolf or smaller (Dromaeosaurus).

[starfury]

On velociraptor: it was not an apex predator. Hell, it was getting it's raggedy ass bitch-slapped by larger tyrannosaurids, which became the dominant predators and ousted the raptors. Ever wonder why dromaeosaurids became progressively smaller as the Cretaceous went on? It went from nearly a metric ton (Utahraptor) to the size of a wolf or smaller (Dromaeosaurus).

Indeed People contiune to wank the Raptors, rather then then seeing that all the large predatorly roles were being steadily being takeover by the Tyranoasaurids, only in South American and Afracia, did the Tynraosaurids not replace the existing large predators, there the super-allosaurs contiune to rule. Indeed everywhere Tyranosaurs and it's cousins were taking the role of apex predator and driving the competition into extination or reducing them to the role of small fast runners like the raptors.

[wolveraptor]

Iirc there were geographic barriers between the tyrannosaurids and the allosaurids. Or perhaps tyrannosaurids simply couldn't stomach large sauropod prey which couldn't be overtaken by the single, crippling bites that characterized their probable hunting style.

But this is all off-topic..

[Magnetic]

Well, I'm hardly one to argue about this. I have not background in such things, but can anyone actually know what happened at that time? Probably not.