Posted on 03/15/2006 10:07:52 AM PST by mlc9852
If the history of life on Earth could be rewound and replayed, many of the same innovations would reappear, although at different times and in slightly different forms.
This is the conclusion of Geerat Vermeij, a paleontologist at the University of California, Davis.
Vermeij's views imply that evolution is in some ways predictable and that life on other planets might not be so alien after all.
"Some traits are so advantageous under so many circumstances, or arise so relatively easily by virtue of self-organization, that you're likely to see the same things again and again," Vermeij told LiveScience.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Oh, good grief.
"Vermeij's views imply that evolution is in some ways predictable and that life on other planets might not be so alien after all."
Not surprising that God would have plan like this.
Why is this news? It's an ancient idea and might appear in the second hundred posts on an average C/E thread.
I thought they tossed the dinosaur/asteroid theory several years ago.
No doubt about it....
It didn't happen here...& it did'nt happen there...the facts are it didn't happen anywhere...
Read the bible if you want to know the truth.
where did you get that.....that is still considered the primary cause, though the final demise might have taken one scenario or another precipitated by the impact
I was thinking, "now, that's a relatively cerebral kinda thread for PA to be hanging around in..." Then I clicked and all became clear....
Then why bother to read it?
I think basic traits such as photosynthesis "might" be found elsewhere but my guess is it would not work the same way as it does on Earth. Other planets that harbor life might not have an ozone layer or a strong magnetic field. Life would evolve very differently.
I believe in evolution. But this guy is blowing smoke up our collective @sses
In the blink of an eye. Just long enough to put it into an existing category.
Still pushing the old theory, eh?
Somewhere in the universe, in a galaxy far, far away, there's a planet where the inhabitants watch "Desperate Housewives" and football games, and see Aflak commercials.
"If the history of life on Earth could be rewound and replayed, many of the same innovations would reappear, although at different times and in slightly different forms."
If you rewound & replayed a tape, it would be the exact same.
How many of you have replayed a tape and it was different? Where do these people come from?
Did you know that chlorophyll, hemoglobin, and the stuff in crabs are closely related chemical compounds, the difference being the core metal?
This is old news.
Convergent evolution has been taught since the 70's when they found organisms that are very different on the inside, look and act similar on the outside in evolving to a similar environment.
However, what is left out is the idea of an activation barrier. This is why we still use a querty keyboard, and microsoft crap software. Yes they are bad, but it costs so much to switch we just don't do it. There is a cost and a high barrier to changing.
So some evolution may take a detour and never overcome the activation barrier.
Here is where periodic mass extinction is sometimes a good thing. You get to start over with a fresh slate. It would be like all querty keyboards suddenly dying off and then we start anew.
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