"Evolution" Animal Planet

[InnerBrat]

I thought that genes mutate randomly. How can they predict what's going to happen, if its totally random? Am I wrong?

That's a creationist strawman. Evolution is driven by Natural Selection, which has nothing to do with random genetic mutations.

However, what they cannot predict is a) the selection pressures that will affect organisms in the future, and b) the ways organisms will react to these pressures.

[ArmorPierce]

Whew, looks like that I'm not the only one that thought the show was full of crap. I would have been more critical about it on the first post but no one wasn't saying anything about it so I was starting to have doubts in my knowledge of evolution so I wrote down something a bit more vague.

BTW, can a mod move this to the Science Logic and Morality forum?

[InnerBrat]

Basically, you can't predict the course evolution will take. No way. You'cve been fooled by too much Voyager

[ArmorPierce]

1. There was ice age and then 200 million years later (this show was shown over 195 million years of evolution) there was a catastrophe and 95% of life on Earth was estinguished including all land animals (well they didn't show it but I'm sure there were lots of insects that survived and if they didn't this shows just how stupid the show was) and later on squids come to populate the land actually 2 squids, one huge 16, 000 pound elephant squid that eats the smaller intalligent squids that hangs out in the trees.

2. Mammals just die out before the 100 million years before the catastrophe except for the aformentioned mouse like mammals getting
farmed by spiders and primates went extinct at 5 million years . Extinction of all mammals without a global catastrophe would be extremely unlikely and even with a global catastrophe (short of wiping out all land animals like what happened on the show, again unlikely) considering on how adaptable mammals are. They don't even say why mammals are going extinct.

3. If it was just trying to show how evolution works it shouldn't have said stuff like this is what experts predicts how animals are going to evolve in the future and is not a work of fiction.

4. Yes, man can and does affect evolution on a global scale. Yes, our mere presence (urban sprawls, pollution, chemical spills) does affect how animals evolve. Yes, we are a major X Factor in the evolution in most species' development. Yes, other animals is one of the main points that affects the evolution of other animals. Example: Prey in a plain gets faster. You can't hide in the grass so you have to be fast. The slower predators aren't as successful in spreading there genes so the faster ones of the species spread this trait down the lines and these faster ones of the species are more successful than the slower ones so the slower ones just slowly disappear.

[GREAHSIAM]

I watched it. Very interesting.
I liked the part where turtles evolve into tree-crashing bigger-than-Brontasaurus. Lets see the Crocodile Hunter take care of that sumbitch .
Remember, it's just speculation.

[ArmorPierce]

Yeah but they never said that it was just specualtion and made it look like that this is what is really going to happen if humans leave and "when" this happens.

[Enlightenment]

I thought that genes mutate randomly. How can they predict what's going to happen, if its totally random?

Enlighten yourself. http://www.talkorigins.org

Am I wrong?

Yes, and you're a worthless ignorant spammer to boot.

[Vertigo1]

--By yanking it straight out of their asses. It's yet another cash in by the tree hugger network on the ignorance of the American public. They know that the average veiwer knows exactly jack shit about evolution so it's basically a gee-whiz show disguised as something educational.--

the discovery network wasnt always about money. Back in the mid 90s they used to show almost nothing but nature and science documentaries (back when discovery channel was the only real channel in the network). Then they started showing home improvement shows and slowly thats what the entire network became. Even travel is little more then stupid ghost shows and shit like that. TLC is pretty decent, but even the higher dedicated channels like the Science Channel and Discovery: Wings are suck, often rerunning old shit and not producing new content. Oh how I yearn for those days when Wild Discovery was new and refreshing and the Answer Guys would tell us the near future of common technology.. *sigh*

Yeah, I used to watch "Wild Discovery" all the time. What pissed me off was when they cancelled "Big Cat Diary". That was actually pretty interesting. Now the only thing worth watching on Animal Planet is "The Crocodile Hunter".

[Lagmonster]

Algae aren't plants. Anyway, what you wanted were cphotsynthesising bacteria, which aren't algae either.

You are, of course, correct, but I try to dumb it down for the average reader. Despite my overexcessive broadening of what they were, the earliest forms of life were an excellent example of something basically turning its environment upside-down. Human environmental pollution has nothing on that, yet.

[Admiral Drason]

I watched part of that show but had to turn it off after my little brother freaked out after seeing the turtle thing getting killed by the octopus. It took me 15 minutes to explaine to him that this was BS.

[ArmorPierce]

I watched part of that show but had to turn it off after my little brother freaked out after seeing the turtle thing getting killed by the octopus. It took me 15 minutes to explaine to him that this was BS.

LoL

You could have watched a later one, it repeated over again a few times.

I put this topic in the wrong forum. Now if only there was a helpful mod....

[InnerBrat]

Algae aren't plants. Anyway, what you wanted were cphotsynthesising bacteria, which aren't algae either.

You are, of course, correct, but I try to dumb it down for the average reader. Despite my overexcessive broadening of what they were, the earliest forms of life were an excellent example of something basically turning its environment upside-down. Human environmental pollution has nothing on that, yet.

Dumbing down. Huh. Interesting concept. Is this why nobody ever understands me?

Human envirmonmental effects are in fact only now equalling effects producing by microorganisms, such as sulphate emissions vs naturally occuring DMS. Of course, this does serve to duble total sulphate emission, so is not irrelevent.

[Ewo]

I thought that genes mutate randomly. How can they predict what's going to happen, if its totally random? Am I wrong?

That's a creationist strawman. Evolution is driven by Natural Selection, which has nothing to do with random genetic mutations.

However, what they cannot predict is a) the selection pressures that will affect organisms in the future, and b) the ways organisms will react to these pressures.

Well, Natural selection has everything to do with random mutations. New attributes/ characteristics come about by mutations which may be caused by environmental pressures. Animals will select those characteristics which lead to higher survival. For example, the adaptation from sea to land came about by selection for those certain "mutations".

You can watch the show again if you missed it and really need to see it...
It is on animal planet
http://animal.discovery.com/schedule/se ... 9&gid=3691

Tomorrow 9pm and midnight
as well as sunday 3pm

They have good shows like the Animal precinct show. All those bastards that starve their dogs in NYC to death or close to it should be shot.

[SirNitram]

While entertaining, it's not real credible. How can it be, really? But it was interesting to see what sort of things they would suggest. It was better than I thought..

[ArmorPierce]

Well I had to much of high expectations (from an entertainment value of course) and it (the entertainment part) disappointed me. The evolution scientific part of the show didn't disappointed me much because I expected as much considering that the show was being made at all.

Now, Where the fuck is that helpful mod?!

[justifier]

I thought it was interresting from a sci-fi perspective, seeing how you can manipulate an animal and make it something new and different

[ArmorPierce]

Yeah in that way it wasn't bad but them suggesting in any way they can that that was how life on Earth was stupid.

[Rathark]

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. How the hell can they "predict" what will happen in the future, based on something that is almost by definition random?

By yanking it straight out of their asses. It's yet another cash in by the tree hugger network on the ignorance of the American public. They know that the average veiwer knows exactly jack shit about evolution so it's basically a gee-whiz show disguised as something educational.

Sounds a lot like ... er ... um ... "science fiction" to me. It would only be a problem if they pretend that it is "the REAL future". I'll certainly give it a glance when I get the opportunity.

Come to think of it, "Walking With Dinosaurs" required at least some speculation and conjecture, although not nearly as much as "Evolution".