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From: beede@hubcap.UUCP
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Why are Humans as Smart as They Are?
Message-ID: <376@hubcap.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Aug-87 08:07:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: hubcap.376
Posted: Tue Aug 11 08:07:50 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Aug-87 01:20:54 EDT
References: <243@etn-rad.UUCP>
Organization: Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Lines: 33

in article <243@etn-rad.UUCP>, jru@etn-rad.UUCP (John Unekis) says:
] 
]   What if the the real advantage of sexual versus asexual reproduction
]   was that it allowed the genes of the species to contain some kind of
]   checkpoint sequence. The mechanism would essentially function to check
]   how often gene sequences were 'seen together'. In a large population,
]   one would expect that in-breeding would be kept to a minimum, and the
]   mechanism would remain dormant. If external pressures began to reduce
]   the population, the checkpoint sequences would begin to recognize each 
]   other more often, and would trigger changes to the genetic sequence when
]   they did. Most of these changes would be self-destructive, but some might
]   produce succesful adaptations for dealing with the forces which were
]   threatening the population.
] 
This is a very interesting idea.  I believe that many species typically
interbreed to a large extent, and certainly there are strains of lab
animals that are inbred to a degree where someone would have noticed a
huge mutation rate.  But then again . . .

But, what do I know about it?  At any rate, keep in mind that not too many
changes are needed to produce a new species over an instant of geologic
time (say 10,000 years . . .).  What little I do know suggests that a tiny
change to some regulator (or meta-regulator, or meta-meta- . . .) sequence
can have a huge impact on an organism.  An accelerated production of
variation may not be needed.

Still a great idea -- stranger things exist.  What does evolutionary theory
suggest about it?  How 'bout it all you biology dudes?
-- 
Mike Beede                      
Computer Science Dept.          UUCP: . . . !hubcap!beede
Clemson University              INET: beede@hubcap.clemson.edu
Clemson SC 29634-1906           YOUR DIME: (803)656-{2845,3444}