A question about past evolution on earth

[gturner]

I was thinking more of Australia and New Guinea. In India or China, in contrast, I'd guess everyone is related to about a thousand major historical figures. I guess my point is that there's vastly more variation in the past rate of creation of major historical figures than there is in geneology. As an aside, isn't there some staggering number of Chinese whose DNA ties them to Genghis Khan?

Interesting fact: Even though the odds of a person successfully creating offspring are not overwhelmingly large, every single one of my ancestors succeeded at it. I'm descended entirely from people who defied the odds and stayed at the cutting edge of reproductive success. What are the odd of that?! It makes me feel special. ^_^

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

I was thinking more of Australia and New Guinea. In India or China, in contrast, I'd guess everyone is related to about a thousand major historical figures. I guess my point is that there's vastly more variation in the past rate of creation of major historical figures than there is in geneology. As an aside, isn't there some staggering number of Chinese whose DNA ties them to Genghis Khan?

Interesting fact: Even though the odds of a person successfully creating offspring are not overwhelmingly large, every single one of my ancestors succeeded at it. I'm descended entirely from people who defied the odds and stayed at the cutting edge of reproductive success. What are the odd of that?! It makes me feel special. ^_^

All the way back to the first single cell organisms...

 

[gturner]

True. And not only that, but not a single one of my ancestors died in infancy or childhood. I come from a line of extremely healthy children, which is why if I had kids I wouldn't even worry about them. What are the odds that mine would be the first in my lineage to die young and break a billion year winning streak?

 

[rhubarbodendron]

50/50, actually. Since only one half of your sturdy genes would be passed on.
And may I point out that it's kinda inevitable that none of your ancestors died in their infancy? Becoming an ancestor of someone necessitates propagation which is possible only if sexually mature (and hence not being an infant) Neither of us would be here, had one of our ancestors died as an infant.
[LOL sorry, I know you meant it differently but it was just too tempting. Isn't strict logic adorable? ]

Genealogy... the only pyramid scheme that works because everyone joins in!

Heehee, good one!

Are you telling us that you're one of the Knights of Ni?

sorry, I don't get that reference. Could you please explain? A book or movie, I presume?
Actually we had a few knights in our family. And one tutor to the king. And farmers, customs officers, policemen, butchers, scientists, philosophers, peons, teachers, clerks, writers, painters, resistance fighters, I think apart from a dentist and a midwife you can find pretty much every profession in my family

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Link

 

[rhubarbodendron]

LOL cute link! =) Haven't seen the movie yet. Monty Python isn't quite my cup of tea. When it comes to humour, I prefer the floret over the club.


Very much off-topic but somehow related to the original thread topic: a colleague caught a few freshwater shrimp today and brought them to me to get them determined (they are Mysis relicta). They are slightly smaller than a dime and are a glacial relict, so they are an comperatively old species. When the ice withdrew they kindof missed the bus and found themselves in far too warm waters. They keep to the lower layers of big rivers and lakes which are cold all year round and in winter they apparently like to travel a bit and boldly go where no shrimp has gone before.

They are not very intelligent, I think, but they are extremely curious and keep watching me through the wall of their jam jar prison. I'll set them free again, later. My office is far too warm for them.

 

[ThankQ]

Well, scientists have just discovered why dolphins haven't developed sophisticated technology. It seems they instead float about, using puffer fish to get high.

news link

"After chewing the puffer and gently passing it round, they began acting most peculiarly, hanging around with their noses at the surface as if fascinated by their own reflection."

And we thought sea turtles were bad for drug use.

They should have teamed up with the pot making dinosaurs.

I kept having a chuckle at "pot-making dinosaurs", too.

Well played!