|
|
Re: Where are the zoologists?
loopy (lmm5@cornell.edu)
15 Dec 1994 21:00:57 GMT
In article <3co95s$1tc@phakt.usc.edu>, bharring@phakt.usc.edu (Bryce
Harrington) wrote:
> I could believe this if the feature was sometimes present, sometimes
> not, for example blue eyes, inny-belly buttons, left-handedness, etc.
> But for features which are dominant and universal throughout the
> entire species, like the nose, hairlessness, adiapose fat, bipedalism,
> etc. there needs to be an explanation.
No, that's Joel's point. NOt everything needs or has an explanation. For
instance Dawkins uses the example of the vertebrate eye. The photreceptor
cells are wired "backwards"; that is, the light-receiving part of the cell
faces the back of the eye, and the nerves come out of the cell at the end
the faces the _front_. All vertebrates are wired this way. Why? is it
because it was somehow advantageous? No, it is most likely there for what
are known as "historical" reasons. It just happened that way, for no good
reason, and since it was that way in our common ancestor, then all
vertebrates have that eye structure.
Lucie
*****************************************************************
L.Melahn, lmm5@cornell.edu MYN GLAS LOOPT RAS
*****************************************************************
|