Test your understanding of Evolution

[fromderinside]

With respect to evolution entropy suggests bias in outcomes favoring optimization of energy conservation. If there are choices and beaks are being driven long beaks are favored for recovering things in holes. duh. Now you can go out and build your little self fulfilling prophesy about birds actually not needing such as recovering whatever is found in holes since other bugs are also available so the historical drive is no longer biasing beak length selection .....

 

[Peez]

With respect to evolution entropy suggests bias in outcomes favoring optimization of energy conservation. If there are choices and beaks are being driven long beaks are favored for recovering things in holes. duh. Now you can go out and build your little self fulfilling prophesy about birds actually not needing such as recovering whatever is found in holes since other bugs are also available so the historical drive is no longer biasing beak length selection .....

untermensche is an ass who does not know as much about evolution as he/she thinks, but it is true that we have no a priori reason to assume that one outcome is more likely from any given mutation. Without knowing exactly how beak length is determined, and the possible effects of all mutations, it is safest to say that a mutation might result in a beak that is longer, the same length, or shorter.

Peez

 

[fromderinside]

I didn't say that. First there are always a priori conditions that need be taken account when making predictions. I said given there is a drive due to specialization in embedded food sources all things being equal a successful mutation, one that exists in a being survives and reproduces, will, all things being equal, any successful changes, given beak length favored, in beaks will be in the direction of beak length. Yes there are mutations resulting in beaks getting thicker, shorter, larger, and, of course, getting longer. Since birds with those adaptations probably won't be favored for such as mating, etc. What needs to be remembered is drive and history. The history of long beaked birds is toward longer beaks in this example. Just statistics using relevant data to make predictions.


Kind of a repetitive and pedantic justification sandwich.

 

[untermensche]

With respect to evolution entropy suggests bias in outcomes favoring optimization of energy conservation. If there are choices and beaks are being driven long beaks are favored for recovering things in holes. duh. Now you can go out and build your little self fulfilling prophesy about birds actually not needing such as recovering whatever is found in holes since other bugs are also available so the historical drive is no longer biasing beak length selection .....

The long beak takes more energy to build and it takes just as much energy to use.

What it may give is more success at getting food.

Energy use has little to do with it.

Energy acquisition is the most significant factor.

 

[fromderinside]

Picky picky picky ......

The point is drive. You correctly identify it as efficiency of energy acquisition. I call it drive. Next.

See how easy that was?

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Why is there such a big focus on length? What about width? and hardness?

 

[fromderinside]

Archaeologist and anthropologists are just as lazy as the rest of us. When was the last time you measured your wideness?

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

also curvature.