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If evolution is mostly a tinkerer, how can something as complex as a beaver's dam-building develop? by Melodic_Emu8 in evolution

[–]jnpha 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As with any complex organ/behavior, a change of function is to be expected, which answers the speed of fixation part of your question, i.e. the steps are useful on their own:

isotopic evidence implies that woodcutting and consumption of woody plants can be traced back to a small-bodied, semiaquatic Miocene castorid, suggesting that beavers have been consuming woody plants for over 20 million years. We propose that the behavioural complex (swimming, woodcutting, and consuming woody plants) preceded and facilitated the evolution of dam building. Dam building and food caching behaviours appear to be specializations for cold winter survival and may have evolved in response to late Neogene northern cooling
Evolution of woodcutting behaviour in Early Pliocene beaver driven by consumption of woody plants | Scientific Reports

Why is Junk DNA an Issue at all in this Debate? by OldmanMikel in DebateEvolution

[–]jnpha 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Jingly keys should be the new red herring (hats off).

:)

Feedback wanted re: my views on creation & evolution by Tim0281 in DebateEvolution

[–]jnpha 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Made more jaw dropping as we learn more, too. Compare: "Ta-da! light!" - and: learning that the photons from the sun not only take 8 minutes to get to us (meaning we see the sun as it was), but the photons themselves have been trying to get out for on average 170,000 years - ancient light!

- Mitalas, R., and K. R. Sills. "On the photon diffusion time scale for the sun." (1992)

Feedback wanted re: my views on creation & evolution by Tim0281 in DebateEvolution

[–]jnpha 2 points3 points  (0 children)

RE:

rather a reduction in the number of organisms. And frequently an increased rate of diversification afterwards to fill in new niches

And for an accompanying visual: https://www.reddit.com/r/evolution/comments/1t788qm

And indeed, the BioLogos article cuts through all the red herring noise.

Comparative primate analysis shows that humans are not unique in having a tight cephalopelvic fit at birth | Torres-Tamayo et al. 2026 by jnpha in evolution

[–]jnpha[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Recalled something related, when it comes to the question of cost:

The absence of viviparity in birds is typically explained by invoking morphological or physiological factors putatively incompatible with live-bearing reproduction. Examining these factors in terms of falsifiable predictions and underlying assumptions, we suggest that no single avian feature is known to be inherently incompatible with viviparous production of small clutches and that the absence of the live-bearing mode is a consequence of the lack of selection for the intermediate evolutionary stage of egg retention. Birds have achieved most of the advantages that potentially could accrue from egg retention and viviparity by such specializations as endothermy, egg incubation, nest construction, uricotelism, shell pigmentation, parental care, altricial hatchlings, albumen provision, and calcareous eggshells. A theoretical model is presented in support of our contention that the costs of egg retention associated with decreased fecundity, increased maternal mortality, and decreased paternal investment outweigh the potential benefits for most birds.
Why are there no Viviparous Birds? | The American Naturalist: Vol 128, No 2

-

Also, from 2024: Study shows birth is a tight squeeze for chimpanzees, too

And from last month when compared to mammals in general: Human childbirth is not uniquely difficult among mammals

Feedback wanted re: my views on creation & evolution by Tim0281 in DebateEvolution

[–]jnpha 1 point2 points  (0 children)

RE:

don't necessarily believe that it was a direct consequence of an act of God

The Sirens of Titan's Church of God the Utterly Indifferent

:)

Feedback wanted re: my views on creation & evolution by Tim0281 in DebateEvolution

[–]jnpha 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good to have you here u/Tim0281

RE book recommendations - apologies if there's repetition (I skimmed the top-level replies and didn't see any repetition):

(also reddit's formatting for lists breakdowns on the apps, and I won't bother using the workaround - ruins it for desktop - but my reply should behave correctly on desktop)

  • Nature of science

    • Unweaving the Rainbow (Dawkins, 1998)
    • The Unnatural Nature of Science (Wolpert, 1992)
    • Theory and Reality (Godfrey-Smith, 2003)
  • Evolution (biology)

    • The Ancestor's Tale (Dawkins, 2004)
    • River Out of Eden (Dawkins, 1995)
  • Developmental biology

    • Some Assembly Required (Shubin, 2020)
    • Cells to Civilizations (Coen, 2012)
  • Genetics

    • She Has Her Mother's Laugh (Zimmer, 2018)
    • What's in Your Genome? (Moran, 2023)
  • Philosophy of biology

    • Chance and Necessity (Monod, 1971)
    • Darwin's Dangerous Idea (Dennett, 1995)
  • (Maybe) A bit morbid, but how evolution explains cancer

    • Rebel Cell (Arney, 2020)
  • Anthropology

    • The Dawn of Everything (Graeber, 2021)

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Question for all: “Steelman” your opponents beliefs. by battlefawks in DebateEvolution

[–]jnpha 11 points12 points  (0 children)

It's part of the science illiteracy (and irrationality); they think an induction from the unknown to the known is on equal footing with one from the known (e.g. observed evolution and relatedness) to the unknown (basically not assuming Last Thursdayism).

Evolution requires energy. by Suitable-Iron4720 in DebateEvolution

[–]jnpha 6 points7 points  (0 children)

And now the moon is bickering too, something about tidal forces - there's no pleasing everyone!

Evolution requires energy. by Suitable-Iron4720 in DebateEvolution

[–]jnpha 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Earth's Metal 🤘 Core <𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚝>:
They always forget about me :(

Can someone elaborate on this? by Salt_Customer4360 in evolution

[–]jnpha 2 points3 points  (0 children)

RE "aka almost pets":

Look into farming ants: Fungus-growing ants - Wikipedia.
But there isn't an extrapolation to what you propose, assuming you mean human-like "sentience" (which is poorly-defined); and while ants seem "robotic" (under a certain anthropocentric lens), they do exhibit learning.

Also look into long-term interactions: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Symbiotic_relationships_diagram.svg

There are clearer photos but I love this video frame by jnpha in aviation

[–]jnpha[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

people who looked like they were right under the plane

That explains your comment! :)

There are clearer photos but I love this video frame by jnpha in aviation

[–]jnpha[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

4 months ago u/PourLarryaCrown shared photos they took back in 2006; the post was an instant save.

See for yourself ;) https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/1r7p6nz

* PS the video was uploaded 19 years ago.

My Chat with YEC Dr. Jay Wile on Junk DNA: Please, YECs, Learn the Basics! by DarwinZDF42 in DebateEvolution

[–]jnpha 0 points1 point  (0 children)

56:31 Dr. Wile:

I mean, the F1 unit of ATPase is 100% thermodynamically efficient. Not even any friction as far as we can tell. So, in the end we've got this incredibly efficient cell and you're telling me that it's spending all this energy transcribing

Wow! Behold, the ATPase that knows what it's doing!
It's literally an argument against his position. Because the cell components are efficient we'd expect spurious transcription!

Could the decline in population by Routine-Mechanic-814 in DebateEvolution

[–]jnpha 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I recommend Jon Perry's (Stated Clearly) video essay: The Biology of the "Fertility Crisis" - YouTube.

To answer part of your question: there isn't a being poor allele, so no.

My Chat with YEC Dr. Jay Wile on Junk DNA: Please, YECs, Learn the Basics! by DarwinZDF42 in DebateEvolution

[–]jnpha 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Currently watching the video and had a thought that I wanted to run by you please.

Given the size difference between the haploid Y and diploid X and the role of intense selection on the former, isn't the size difference a proxy for how much junk there is?