[anymouse]

I guess we'll need a shower after this thread gets going. ;)

[wallcrawlr]

What have you 2 been up to???

http://www.whysanity.net/muppets/mimages/bunsen.gif

[Redcloak]

According to this view, the random shuffling of genes through sex will sometimes have the effect of concentrating many harmful mutations into single individuals.

These individuals will be less healthy than their peers, and therefore more likely to be weeded out by natural selection, the thinking goes.

...Except that that this process doesn't weed out the bad genes. The genes are still present in the organism's siblings. Of course, not all of the siblings have all of the bad genes, but they do share quite a few and they can pass those genes along to the next generation.

[SoothingDave]

Why We Have Sex: It's Cleansing

Not if you do it right.

SD

[Marine_Uncle]

"The classic explanation for the onset of whoopee, about 1 billion years ago, is that it provides a way for organisms to swap and shuffle genes and to create offspring with new gene combinations that might survive if the environment suddenly changes."
Certain things must be adhered to at all cost.

[commish]

HOw about this hypothesis - Sex has survived for so long because it feels so damn good!!!!

[razoroccam]

Article has several flaws:
1. Sexual reprodution has no survival advantage over non-sexual reprodution. In fact, in a desert, the cactus may be the best survivor.
2. The article bases its 'coup-de-grace' (spelling?) on a computer model. A computer model is only as good as the program. And do any of us REALLY know all the variables that go into this complex phenomenon, so as to be able to put it into a program?

[SirChas]

I guess we'll need a shower after this thread gets going. ;)

Here is a shower mate for you!

[SE Mom]

"but the dirty work of evolution is to get rid of bad mutations, and that's where sex seems to play a role."

---

Now if THAT doesn't get you in the mood...

[Southack]

"The new work could help test a hypothesis first proposed nearly 20 years ago, stating that sex evolved as a way to purge harmful mutations from a population."

Sex didn't evolve; it's designed behavior. It promotes cooperation and self-sacrifice.

Cacti and starfish don't volunteer to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of their clones...but some mates in higher species will.

[Xenalyte]

I saw this thread and thought of y'all.

[duckman]

"..through sex will sometimes have the effect of concentrating many harmful mutations into single individuals."

Another reason to never have your right hand get mad at you.

[razeislam_crushthedems]

"But some scientists think this isn't enough of a justification to outweigh the many costs of getting together to make little ones. "

I would guess that this study was performed by a bunch of geek virgins.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"...is that it provides a way for organisms to swap and shuffle genes and to create offspring with new gene combinations that might survive if the environment suddenly changes."

So if I'm reading this correctly, sex was invented by EnviroWacko Organisms for the purpose of their future socialist offspring's adaptation to imaginary Global Warming? *Smirk*

[nightdriver]

"The new work could help test a hypothesis first proposed nearly 20 years ago, stating that sex evolved as a way to purge harmful mutations from a population."

"Could help?"

"Hypothesis?"

I thought evolution was declared by all the humped-up liberal judges to be the "only" science of origins.

Looks like it is really only made up of suppositions based upon other suppositions.

[amigatec]

I always thought people did it because it is fun!!!

[Khurkris]

The new work could help test a hypothesis first proposed nearly 20 years ago, stating that sex evolved as a way to purge harmful mutations from a population.

Well...it ain't workin'...

[festus]

Scientists have long wondered why organisms bother with sexual reproduction. It makes a whole lot more sense to just have a bunch of females that can clone themselves,

These must be the virgin scientists.... that or the married ones......

[LiteKeeper]

YEC INTREP