Instant Evolution in Whiteflies: Just Add Bacteria

ScienceDaily (Apr. 8, 2011) — In just six years, bacteria in the genus Rickettsia spread through a population of the sweet potato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), an invasive pest of global importance. Infected insects lay more eggs, develop faster and are more likely to survive to adulthood compared to their uninfected peers.
www.sciencedaily.com...

To be honest all I understand in regards to this story is that the bacteria gives beneficial characteristics to the host. I guess that can be regarded as instant evolution, after all evolution simply means change. In that sense humans installing robotic hands is also an evolutionary process, installing chips in your brain to read pictures from cameras is also evolution.

It is great that humans are not the only being which merge with their surrounding to cause evolution, but also animals.

What a beautiful life it is, the limitless, the never ending wonders.

Actually, this is exactly what I have long suspected to be one of the main drivers of progressive evolution. That and just in time DNA sequencing (DNA resequencing tht occurs in an organism as a reaction to environmental stimulus)

Good find.. interesting read.

Originally posted by rogerstigers
Actually, this is exactly what I have long suspected to be one of the main drivers of progressive evolution. That and just in time DNA sequencing (DNA resequencing tht occurs in an organism as a reaction to environmental stimulus)

Good find.. interesting read.

From what I've read, about 8% of our DNA is from viruses. Most people view evolution as the magical transition of one species into a different one. A horse magically giving birth to a camel. People don't really understand the evolutionary process or how biological and environmental factors can slowly or quickly create new species.

reply to post by sirnex


It is not just biological or environmental factors that cause evolution, but also consciousness. We have consciously evolved for centuries now. People usually forget the conscious factor.

Originally posted by P3ACE0WAR
reply to post by sirnex

 

It is not just biological or environmental factors that cause evolution, but also consciousness. We have consciously evolved for centuries now. People usually forget the conscious factor.

Consciousness is just being self aware. I think your confusing this with cultural evolution. We're no different mentally than we were 10,000 years ago. You could literally take an ancient roman baby, raise them in today's world, education and culture and you would never tell the difference.

reply to post by sirnex


Call it intelligence, conscious, what ever you want, we now have the ability to replace our eyes with a bionic eye, that is evolution to me, that might become permanent body parts one day. We now have the ability to control our own genetics and control which evolution branch humans go to.

The environment is still a factor, but conscious and intelligence is becoming a bigger factor by the decade.

Can someone help me understand how macro-evolution happens?

I came across this article, it’s on a pro-intelligent design website, so obviously it’s biased, but does it have any truth to it? If it’s completely wrong, what’s wrong about it?
www.icr.org...

Since evolution is supposed to happen by random mutations, how is it possible that we get a brand new species? Wouldn’t we just get a bunch of variations of the same basic species (like finches with different sized beaks and such)? How is it possible that an animal can evolve to have a beak if having a beak isn’t even in it’s genetic blueprint?

I’m aware that mutations in humans can cause all kinds of odd variations in our appearance, but isn’t it impossible for us to have a mutation that causes a horn, since that possibility isn’t in our DNA?

reply to post by Epiphron


I have no problem considering the idea that part of the genetic code in terrestrial life may have been engineered. That being said, it is not necessary for it to have been engineered.

First off, we are talking several billion years of life on earth. Within this window of several billion years, the earth has NOT been a very friendly place. Billions of years multiplied by trillions or more of life forms makes for a lot of opportunity for favorable mutations.

Second, I think there may be some active recoding that happens in DNA as creatures react to their environment. Thus if a lifeform is tearing it's face up to eat its food, eventually, the constant tissue damage and stimulation of the bone over a few generations will cause the bone to surface and then shape into a usefull beak like shape. This is active DNA reprogramming because the activities of a living creature are shaping its DNA and those traits are passed on to its decendants.

So in a nutshell, environmental changes coupled with culture and behaviors would bring on highly customized traits that could eventually no longer be used (such as wings on a penguin).