normdoering
Posts: 287
Joined: July 2005
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| Quote (afdave @ May 21 2006,05:40) | | You guys say there is no such thing as "upward evolution," right? |
That would be because there is no real "up" in evolution. There is no priviledged direction in search space. Define what you think "upward" means in terms of evolution?
Are we talking more complex, smarter, bigger, faster, more adaptable?
| Quote | | ... I've heard someone say that the bacteria are winning. |
That depends on what race you think is being run.
| Quote | | So presumably, a million years from now, there might be only bacteria ... no mammals, right? |
If we get hit by a comet, then we humans and most mammals and lizards and fish could go extinct, but bacteria would probably survive and evolve again into more complex creatures over another billion years.... well, if the roaches don't beat them to it.
| Quote | | ... why didn't the bacteria win before mammals appeared? Weren't they evolving just as rapidly early in earth history as they are now? |
What do you mean by "win" ?
You have a really wrong idea about how this all works. Do you think some single type of life form has to take over and beat every other?
That doesn't happen because all the different life forms live in different niches. It's all part of one ecology where things become dependent on other things. Right now there are more bacterial cells in your body than there are human cells, you couldn't live without them and they can't live without you.
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