Darryl Collins
darryl at whittleconsulting.com.au
Sun Apr 22 21:55:39 CDT 2012
Yeah, that is the funny thing, it is happening right now, every day, just slowly though. Today the moon is still slowing drifting away from the Earth, the continents drifting around the surface of the planet, that stars galaxies are moving apart. All life is a fully dynamic system - it is changing right now. This is a bit of a weakness with the term "Climate Change" IMHO. The climate is changing away - always has, always will - the question is "Is human activity impacting that change?". But I guess in our throwaway news media we have today there is little time and space for actually asking the right question, especially if that question is complex. -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of jwcolby Sent: Monday, 23 April 2012 11:43 AM To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving Subject: Re: [AccessD] The coming in-memory database tipping point. - SQL Server Team Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs While we generally think of evolution time scales in thousands or millions of years, in fact all there is is now and evolution operates on a second by second basis. Speed of reproduction rather than time span per se is really the determining factor for the speed of evolution. IOW the number of offspring per unit of time. Rabbits, who breed like ... well.. rabbits will evolve faster (adapt to changes) that some animal that has one offspring every few years (Elephants?). Which is why insects and microorganisms adapt in the span of months or years to pesticides or house hold cleaners. And mutations do not necessarily completely displace the original, or necessarily die off. Blue eyes in humans for example are a mutation: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130170343.htm which shows no sign of dying out, nor taking over. Given that the mutation occurred a mere 10,000 years ago it could be argued that it will eventually (in a million years) prove to be a hindrance or assistance and affect survivability but that seems unlikely. Did you know that there is now a laser treatment which can turn brown eyes blue? http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-11/laser-treatment-turns-your-eyes-brown-blue http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/medical/health/medical/story/2011-11-08/Laser-treatment-may-turn-brown-eyes-blue/51126590/1 The things people will do... John W. Colby Colby Consulting Reality is what refuses to go away when you do not believe in it On 4/22/2012 7:41 PM, Darryl Collins wrote: > Excellent thread, albeit wildly OT - I am still enjoying it. > > I will also add that these changes take time usually over enormous periods of time. I always get a laugh from folks who say that evolution is not real as they cannot see it happening, or if it were real then global warming would not be a problem as life would adapt. They don't understand that the speed of the change plays a major role too - Hell if the dinosaurs could have only adapted faster to that impact, well thinks might be different around here. > > Usually when we are talking 'speed' on these sort of time scales it might be hundreds of years, rather than tens of thousands. Some folks seem to think it means next week.... > > Oh well... Can lead them to knowledge, can't make 'em think... > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com > [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Stuart > McLachlan > Sent: Monday, 23 April 2012 7:39 AM > To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving > Subject: Re: [AccessD] The coming in-memory database tipping point. - > SQL Server Team Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs > > It's even more nuanced that that. > > If a random mutation is favourable within the existing environmental conditions, those possessing the mutation will either survive to breed longer or breed more successfully that those without it. In either case they will have above average numbers of offspring, even if > only marginally. Over time that above average number of offspring will mean that more and > more of the population contain the mutation, eventually completely displacing those without it. > > The converse applied to disadvantageous mutations. > > It is also worth noting that a change in environmental conditions can turn a "bad" mutation ito a "good" one and vice versa (or turn a "good" or "bad" mutation into a neutral one). > > -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com