Hobart

What have you set upon us!

 

Odd that there seems to be a new tasmanian thread here every other month; starting to feel like an exhibitionist here.

 

It's Tasmania. Normal fish swim near it, and just wind up mutating into walking fish, or fish with extra eyes, or shit. It's like the whole island is a little radioactive disasterpiece.

 

Or a creationist's nightmare, that is.

 

Not quite. The problem could be easily dealt with by assuming that God created everything we see as it is in the present without any sort of evolutionary, "how did this fish develop hands" theory. I'm not a creationist, mind you, but that's probably how it would pan out. I'll admit, though, that such a thought makes the possibility of free will seem moot. What would the point of choices be if everything was simply, "as God intended?"

 

I'm still waiting to see a croca-duck so I can throw it in Kirk Cameron's face.

 

Christ, why didn't you say so. I've been sowing teeth onto a duckbill for a while now... Doesn't quite look like a croc but after I nail punch the nostrils in I think it'll be passable.

 

Well there's still the possibility of making an emusaurus, what with the latent dna for scales and teeth left over in birds. All it'll take is a steady hand and a heavy dose of hubris to deform the hapless Autralian resident, and we can all laugh at evolution, saying we made dinosaurs cool again. I'd love a Yoshi.

 

I do not know if we really should mess with the DNA. In nature mutations in humans and animals were originated, when there was a big change in their natural habitat.

 

Of course we should. Mostly because we can.

 

Sure, we should make half-human and half-animals (would that be possible, some day?). As I said mutations were only useful if there was good reason to make them happen. Example: Millions of years ago the humans had thick, hairy skin. That was useful against the low temperatures. So, after the temperatures rose, the skin became like we have now.

 

You are wrong Arthgon, before we became the humans you see now, we were something much more devastating!!

 

that's not entirely true arthgon. Everyone is born with genetic mutations, however most of the mutations are in the junk DNA and completely harmless. Humans IIRC have more junk DNA than any other creature on Earth.

 

A greater amount of junk DNA per cell than any other organism on Earth - no.
A greater fraction of junk DNA than any other organism on Earth - as far as we know, yes, probably.

 

Is it mutation or evolution?

 

It's mutations. Such as having red hair is a harmless genetic mutation, though recent studies indicate the same mutation may also increase one's pain threshold.

 

Aren't they the same thing?

 

Evolution is based on natural selection, and natural selection is, among other things, based on mutations which prove to be successful.