81–90 of 91 posts
I don't quite buy that autism will be shown to be genetic. I think it's an environmental factor. The rate of increase in autism is pretty much exponential: http://www.nature.com/news/2011/111102/full/479022a/box/1.ht... Now that's a very scary chart if you start to project that curve into the future. Here's another one. Not saying this is the cause, but it is a cause for concern. We have many similar patterns of envi…
I don't think cities are a result of social behavior, it's more the result of economic behavior. Cities are clusters of box apartments, which don't really demonstrate social behavior.
I don't quite buy that autism will be shown to be genetic. I think it's an environmental factor. The rate of increase in autism is pretty much exponential: http://www.nature.com/news/2011/111102/full/479022a/box/1.ht... Now that's a very scary chart if you start to project that curve into the future. Here's another one. Not saying this is the cause, but it is a cause for concern. We have many similar patterns of envi…
That chart shows the rate of increase in autism diagnosis, which is not the same.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
When are we going to finally ditch the idea that heritable==genetic?
>>When are we going to finally ditch the idea that heritable==genetic? Well, considering the fact that "heritability" is a measure of how much of a given phenotype's expression is due to genetic variation, probably not soon. "Heritable" is not a word used to refer to environmental factors such as parental care and upbringing. In studies on heritability of specific traits, these environmental factors are used as class…
So are Asperger / ASD mutations, a step back, step forward, or a step in a different direction (evolution?)
Evolution isn't directed.
So are Asperger / ASD mutations, a step back, step forward, or a step in a different direction (evolution?)
Either genes survive or they don't. There's no forwards or backwards.
Are they aligned with natural selection processes in the environment.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Either genes survive or they don't. There's no forwards or backwards.
backward: these traits are a disadvantage to host organism. forward: they are an advantage, and thus survive. Are they aligned with natural selection processes in the environment.
I went the other way with it: high-functioning autism is a component of more-evolved humans. The autistics are more rational, often less selfish in my anecdotal experience, and cause almost no harm to others vs baseline. A world full of them would've largely eliminated famine, pollution, war, violent crime. It would be a fraction of what we see. Further, autistics and introverts are often behind many great advances t…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
backward: these traits are a disadvantage to host organism. forward: they are an advantage, and thus survive. Are they aligned with natural selection processes in the environment.
evolution doesn't care about organisms or species, only genes.
I went the other way with it: high-functioning autism is a component of more-evolved humans. The autistics are more rational, often less selfish in my anecdotal experience, and cause almost no harm to others vs baseline. A world full of them would've largely eliminated famine, pollution, war, violent crime. It would be a fraction of what we see. Further, autistics and introverts are often behind many great advances t…
Did you say "fans are slans"?