{"id":30324,"date":"2010-10-22T09:19:34","date_gmt":"2010-10-22T17:19:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.discovermagazine.com\/gnxp\/?p=7347"},"modified":"2010-10-24T00:46:01","modified_gmt":"2010-10-24T08:46:01","slug":"friday-fluff-%e2%80%93-october-22nd-2010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.razib.com\/wordpress\/2010\/10\/22\/friday-fluff-%e2%80%93-october-22nd-2010\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday Fluff \u2013 October 22nd, 2010"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FF3\"
\n1. First, a post from the past<\/strong>: The Round-Eyed Buddha<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Weird search query of the week<\/strong>: “straight jacket sex.”<\/p>\n

3. Comment of the week<\/strong>, in response to Glenn Beck, Evolution, Global Warming & Tea Parties<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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People who don\u2019t believe in evolution don\u2019t comprehend evolution. Evolution is a struggle to survive as a species. How else can you explain Neanderthal man and the dead end they came to? They existed, despite the Bible\u2019s not bothering to mention them. The traits that ensured modern man\u2019s survival were passed on genetically. That\u2019s what evolution is; the passing on of traits that are more suited for the survival of the species.<\/p>\n

This is all self evident. It doesn\u2019t threaten religious orthodoxy except in the most simple-minded way. You have to wonder if the people who dismiss evolution because it somehow conflicts with their religious beliefs have ever taken the trouble to actually read Darwin\u2019s \u201cOrigin Of The Species\u201d? I\u2019m gonna go out on a limb here and guess no.<\/p>\n

Evolution is not only a fact, it\u2019s a necessity. It\u2019s all about a species being able to adapt to it\u2019s environment in order to survive. Many species in the history of this planet have gone extinct. How do you account for it? Was it God\u2019s will, or something more plausible? How about this? They ceased to exist as a species because of their failure to adapt to their environment. In other words, their failure to evolve.<\/p>\n

Homo-sapiens didn\u2019t become the dominant species on this planet because we had so much spirituality and trust in the Lord. How did we do it? Here\u2019s a clue, our eyes are located in the front of our heads like any natural predator, we stand upright and have opposable thumbs. The homo-sapiens with eyes in the front, who grasped weapons and stood on their hind legs to hunt, survived and passed these traits along. The traits most suitable for survival were passed along. Get it? It\u2019s called natural selection.<\/p>\n

As to how evolution gacked up a human hairball like GLenn Beck is another matter entirely. I think he must be some kind of double agent planted by the left in order to make conservatives look like a bunch of clueless, bloviating demagogues. Mission accomplished.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Often people who believe in evolution don’t comprehend evolution<\/p>\n

4) From last week: “Genomic sequencing will be able to predict offspring I.Q. as well as looking at parental values + regression in….”. Here were the outcomes:<\/p>\n

Never\t – 26%
\nMore than 30 years – 14%
\n16-30 year – 34%
\n11-15 years – 10%
\n5-10 years\t– 14%
\nLess than 5 years\t – 2%\t<\/p>\n