Using evolution's effects

One thing most people forget, on BOTH sides of the discussion, is that
we have been using the effects of evolution for over ten thousand
years.

After domesticating animals, we began toying with their internal
workings... How do I mean? Well, take cows, for instance; we started
adapting to drinking cows' milk fairly recently (compared to the
actual age of the universe). Since that time, our ancestors began
breeding cows whose milk output was high, and began to produce cows
that had the gene for high milk production as well, or bulls that
carried the gene for high milk output. Through successive breedings,
the amount of milk produced began exceeding either parents' ancestors'
milk production levels.

Humans have been forcing selection upon domesticated animals to
increase or decrease the prominence of certain attributes in them.
All Darwin, Dawkins, Gould, Eldredge, et al. were saying is that this
happens automatically, albeit very slowly, in large groups of animals,
based on how well the animal with the new attribute can survive. The
more survivable the life you have, the more children you typically
have (as an animal). Those children with that attribute have a better
chance for survival, and so more chance to have children who may
display the same characteristics, etc. The geometric sequence created
here is very powerful, and if the attribute is strong enough in the
population to make a difference in the quality of life, then it may
become the predominant trait in the species.

Again, I highly suggest reading Dawkins' "The Blind Watchmaker," it
certainly cleared up many questions I had.

--LiveWire

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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Using evolutions effects
    ... since Darwin published OoS, ... After domesticating animals, we began toying with their internal ... Well, take cows, for instance; ... breeding cows whose milk output was high, ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: Using evolutions effects
    ... We have been using the effects of evolution for about three ... Well, take cows, for instance; ... breeding cows whose milk output was high, ... Humans have been forcing selection upon domesticated animals to ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: Using evolutions effects
    ... After domesticating animals, we began toying with their internal ... Well, take cows, for instance; ... breeding cows whose milk output was high, ... or not all life evolved from a common ancestor. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: The Future of Agriculture and the Importance of Developing Our Skills and Knowledge Base
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    (rec.gardens)
  • "IT MUN BE SO"
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