Atheists, if evolution is so good how come chickens have wings but are not able to fly? [Spirituality & Religion]
Doesn't that seem a bit strange?
22-25, F
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JP1119 · 36-40, M
I’m a Baptist, but evolution isn’t always “good” and doesn’t always produce individuals that are well suited to their environments. Are you aware that the chicken is the closest surviving relative of the T-Rex? My brother explained it to me thusly: Since the dinosaurs were killed off by the air being full of dust, the T-Rexes that were most likely to survive were the smallest ones and the ones most amenable to eating vegetables instead of meat (also, in general it’s often true that small animals are better at surviving than large animals are). Flying would not be a skill it would need because if it gets too high up in the air it would get poisoned and die. My brother is my only source on this and he doesn’t really have any particular archaeological credentials, but it made sense to me.
newjaninev2 · 56-60, F
@JP1119 [quote]individuals that are well suited to their environments[/quote]
Bear in mind that ‘well-suited’ refers to advantage in replication, and that the environment is constantly changing... so the replicative advantage might not endure for long.
In the changed environment, other genes might have a replicative advantage. It’s the constantly changing interaction between genes and the environment in which they find themselves that drives evolution.
Genes march backwards into the future 😀
It should also be noted that it’s not individuals who matter... it’s their genes, and the replication of those genes. I am merely an escape pod for my parents’ genes, and my daughter is merely an escape pod for my own genes (and her father’s genes). Having built an escape pod, my genes will now happily leave me behind to die.
Bear in mind that ‘well-suited’ refers to advantage in replication, and that the environment is constantly changing... so the replicative advantage might not endure for long.
In the changed environment, other genes might have a replicative advantage. It’s the constantly changing interaction between genes and the environment in which they find themselves that drives evolution.
Genes march backwards into the future 😀
It should also be noted that it’s not individuals who matter... it’s their genes, and the replication of those genes. I am merely an escape pod for my parents’ genes, and my daughter is merely an escape pod for my own genes (and her father’s genes). Having built an escape pod, my genes will now happily leave me behind to die.