Re: Help with worldbuilding


On 26 Aug 2005, Denni wrote:

>Wow, thanks for all your replies so far! I really can't remember why I
>particularly wanted a strong magnetic field, but fewer radioisotopes
>might help to explain the low mutation rates.

There's plenty of reason to expect that exposure to cosmic rays
ultraviolet light might be every bit as likely to be a source of mutation
from ionizing radiation as any other source. And neither of those is
"local".

Once organisms become sufficiently genetically complex, a much more robust
source of mutagenic changes is viral and microbial interference with cell
division. There is a lot of evidence that every so often viral DNA fails
to reproduce as expected and gets subsumed into the genome of the host
species. Once propagated as a collection of dormant "new genes" for a few
generations, the unique protiens and structures of the parasite can be a
source of hybrid vigor (and horrible disfigurement and cancer).

Natural selection only weeds out the expressed genes that are
significantly harmful *and* get activated, and the other minor changes and
dormant genes can add up after a while.

The overall process of "inclusion" has the potential to speed genetice
changes tremendously and I'm sure really irritates the "Intelligent
Design" folks by providing natural mechanisms for rapid species
differentiation. (And creeps them out still further since "God" never
meant for the species to mix.)

(**DISCLAIMER** I happen to be a Christian. I'm just not stupid/dogmatic
enough to insist God built the universe in any way other than what it
appears actually happened. I think it's kind-of cool and impressive that
God started with a lifeless mud-puddle and eventually gets to people.
Unfortunately, there's a few folks out there that I'm not convinced God's
done evolving yet.)

>Would you believe it? Steve Gillet's book arrived today, just after I
>posted this, ending 6 weeks of pain while I was waiting for the kock-up
>at Amazon.co.uk to be resolved! It arrived a full five days before the
>earliest projected delivery date and 4 weeks before the latest,
>according to Amazon.com, so Amazon.com exceeds its own expectations :)
>This means I can do my homework now (finally).

I prefer to buy my books locally whenever possible. However on the
occasions that I've had to do business with Amazon they have delivered
early every time.

Alcore

--
Alcore Nilth - The Mad Alchemist of Gevbeck
alcore@xxxxxxxxx


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