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PBS has been putting out such great content in the last 5 years. Really impressive and highly overlooked
I haven’t seen Eons. I’ve felt like the quality on Nova and Nature has slipped though. Glad other programs are picking up the slack.
In the words of dark souls (and apparently evolution): Time for crab
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There was a recent article on here about how species that looked alike were not necessarily related and is was more common to have physically dissimilar but geographically close species that were evolutionary relatives. One of the points was that convergent evolution was more common than people thought. These stories appear to support the convergent evolution assertion
I wasn't aware of that some time ago, it's a fascinating insight. I got a lightbulb (going wtf/dark actually!) when watching cartoon or something with triceratops. They looked so much like rhinos. But had eggs. I had trouble reconciling it with evolution. They were so far ancestor-wise but so close physically-looking wise. Convergent evolution is very interesting. It suggests aliens may not be that different from us…
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> It suggests aliens may not be that different from us after all, if exist. Alternatively, they are the more evolutionally convergent species and we will evolve towards something inhuman
All of this has happened before before.
> We know the process has occurred multiple times and our current grant is aimed at better understanding the drivers and implications What can they actually discover? 10 legs good? But how about 12? [1] > The crab with the longest legs is the Japanese spider crab. It’s not related to spiders, despite its name. When extended, its legs can be as long as 12 feet. Now there's a nightmare for you. [1] https://www.referenc…
If the habitat was the bottleneck, we could learn about a convergence point that tells us about possible non-Earth life. "Whatever the advantages are, they do not apply in all habitats because some groups have also lost carcinization; one modern example being the frog crab."
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“Selection” is a very easily misunderstood technical term which overlaps with concepts people often find more familiar. “Natural” is basically whatever anyone wants it to mean. Without intentional study, basic foundations of evolutionary biology are easily misinterpreted. To the extent I can give you the benefit of the doubt that you’re an outlier and understand it better… you’re an outlier. Not the people who you’re…
I mean just the basic concept of survival of the fittest, which doesn't require deep understanding of biology. The same concept also applies to lots of things besides biological evolution.[0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Darwinism
> But it still poses the question: What makes the crab shape so successful that species keep trying to emulate it? That's not how evolution works. Survival of the fittest isn't about aspiration. It's what's left when the fittest are left standing.
The question is phrased in a dumb way, but I think there's a kernel of a fair question in there. Evolution is the how and why, but it doesn't answer what about the crab shape makes crabbiness so effective.
This means also that with enough data about other planets we could even made a raw guess the shape of creatures that could live there.
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I agree. Humans reached South (and even North) America only relatively recently in the evolutionary terms - 14-16 thousand years before present. It's not enough time for evolutionary processes to start kicking-in. Another possible explanation (speculation) is that they met and mixed with yet undiscovered hominid species. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Settlement_of_the_Americas
The current view is skin color is simple evolutionary response which can easily occur on those timescales. https://www.psu.edu/impact/story/the-evolution-of-skin-color... Several things have changed as recently as 11,000 years. “Examples for adaptations related to agriculture and animal domestication include East Asian types of ADH1B associated with rice domestication,[71] and lactase persistence.” https://en.wikiped…
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All of this has happened before before.
I often wonder if we see time as linear just because we're falling through it in a forced direction. Maybe there is no before or after. Just everything possible existing all at the same time. Like, would a conscious falling star think there is only one direction in space?
Characters in the show are frequently forced to confront situations in terms of either coincidence, synchronicity or divine intervention.
The quote underlines a recurring theme in the show and how people adapt to it (though later on gets rather heavy handed).