Earthworm's plight is early warning of threat to man

The Times ^ | July 29, 2008 | Mike Wade

[Soliton]

Ironically, Charles Darwin set great store by his study of earthworms, which effectively mix and make most of the soil on Earth, but his successors in evolutionary science have tended to neglect the creatures that live beneath their feet.

Instead, Professor Blaxter said, they regard the soil as a kind of test bed - or “black box” - that there is no need to understand. He added that this project would help to redress that issue.

“Until the soil collapses, and the ecosystems dies completely, we don't know what's going on. We have to start to get inside the ‘black box' and start looking at parts of it in isolation and ask very specific questions.”

Biologists regard earthworms as the great ecosystem engineers, breaking down organic particles, mixing and mashing them up as they make soil. In test conditions they were found to be vulnerable to chemicals that are typically bi-products of industry or routinely applied as herbicide.

[Soliton]

Darwin was one of the greatest thinkers of all time.

[MEGoody]

Darwin was one of the greatest thinkers of all time.

Even when he conjectured that darker skinned people were less evolved than lighter skinned humans?

[DManA]

In the northern forests earth worms are considered an invasive species and a threat to indigenous plants.

[Soliton]

Even when he conjectured that darker skinned people were less evolved than lighter skinned humans?

Are you arguing that evolution did not affect pigmentation in the skin?

[MEGoody]

Are you arguing that evolution did not affect pigmentation in the skin?

I didn't argue anything. . .I asked you a question. Do you think Darwin was a great thinker even when he conjectured that darker skinned people were less evolved than lighter skinned humans?

[Soliton]

Do you think Darwin was a great thinker even when he conjectured that darker skinned people were less evolved than lighter skinned humans?

Since current science suggests that lighter skin evolved from darker skin, yes I believe Darwin was a great thinker even when he conjectured that darker skinned people were less evolved than lighter skinned people. It looks like he was right too.

[Soliton]

There is no such thing as an invasive species, or rather, all species are invasive.

[MEGoody]

yes I believe Darwin was a great thinker even when he conjectured that darker skinned people were less evolved than lighter skinned people.

Then you are the one consistent evolutionist I've run into. Every other time I've asked that question, all I've gotten is sputtering and fuming. Often, I've been told that Darwin never put forth such a conjecture.

[Old Professer]

There are only competing species.

[Soliton]

There are only competing species.

Zactly

[Soliton]

Then you are the one consistent evolutionist I've run into. Every other time I've asked that question, all I've gotten is sputtering and fuming. Often, I've been told that Darwin never put forth such a conjecture.

The reason is that "less evolved" isn't a Darwinian concept. Nothing is more evolved or less evolved in a qualitative way. You can say more evolved quantitatively if you simply mean more evolutionary steps.

[MEGoody]

You can say more evolved quantitatively if you simply mean more evolutionary steps.

Perhaps that is what Darwin believed. I do know that this view of the evolution of man guided his view of the races. I'm not trying to use this to disparage Darwin any more than I would any other person of his time who thought blacks were less intelligent, less 'human' than whites.

[Fishrrman]

“I didn’t argue anything. . .I asked you a question. Do you think Darwin was a great thinker even when he conjectured that darker skinned people were less evolved than lighter skinned humans?”

Three words:
“The Bell Curve”

- John