Enjoy a little happy music.
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
Enjoy a little happy music.
And I don’t want to hear you complaining that everything makes me cranky! I get especially grumpy about armchair futurists making pronouncements about biology when they don’t know a thing about it.
Chairman and CEO of Biotechonomy, Enriquez says that humanity is on the verge of becoming a new and utterly unique species, which he dubs Homo Evolutis. What makes this species so unique is that it “takes direct and deliberate control over the evolution of the species.” Calling it the “ultimate reboot,” he points to the conflux of DNA manipulation and therapy, tissue generation, and robotics as making this great leap possible.
…
The day may come when we are able to take the best biology of the known animal kingdom and make it part of our own. This isn’t just about being a bit stronger, or having perfect eyesight our whole lives. All of our organs and limbs have weaknesses that can be addressed, and there are also opportunities to go beyond basic fixes and perform more elaborate enhancements. At a private lunch on Thursday, Enriquez spoke of a young girl who, after suffering a knee injury, received tendon replacement therapy centered around tendons grown in a lab. It not only fixed her knee, but made it stronger than normal. Later in life as she pursued life as a professional skier, he coach actually asked that she have the same surgery on her other knee to increase her abilities.
Every species is new and unique. Humans have some unusual specializations, but it doesn’t warrant his misplaced enthusiasm. Every species also takes control over its own evolution, in a sense; individuals make choices of all sorts that influence what will happen in the next generation. You could rightly argue that they don’t do it with planning and intent, but I have seen nothing that suggests that our attempts to modify our species, low tech and high tech together, are any wiser or better informed about the long-term consequences than those of any rat fighting for an opportunity to mate. We do what we do; don’t pretend it’s part of a long term plan that is actually prepared for all of the unexpected eventualities.
And then, of course, what does he talk about? Phenotypic patchwork! That isn’t evolution at all. That girl’s children will have whatever tendons her genetics grant them, without regard for the surgeon’s tinkering. Then he has the gall to claim that this warrants the designation of a new species? Hah. I wear eyeglasses. I declare that I am a member of Homo oculis! I read and communicate with text, so I’m now a member of Homo literatus! I’ve had my appendix removed, therefore I am part of the bold vanguard of Homo sanscecum!
And don’t get me started on Ray Kurzweil. That guy is bonkers.
I was just sent this slightly retouched photo of Titanoboa, and it bothers me. There’s something missing.
No, not a caption, although that might help. What it really needs is…a second panel! What will happen in this scene just a few minutes later? I can picture it in my mind’s eye, no problem.
Except, perhaps, when the pet is an 18-foot long, 300 pound snake which thinks a 3 year old looks tender and tasty. The kid is alright, although he was bitten and almost crushed, but sadly the snake succumbed to 17 stab wounds inflicted by the mother.
I do have to wonder, though, about parents who keep a carnivore twice the size of an adult human being in the house with a small child. It seems rather irresponsible and cruel to me.
I’m completely confused. We’ve got a parody site parodying a law about parodies — no one will ever be able to keep them straight.
Bo’s Law relates to Atheism and the difficulty of identifying legitimate Atheists and their organizations because it is so hard to tell fake Atheism from the real thing. The law also works in reverse because as Christians, we know in actuality, there is really no such thing as “Atheism.” So in fact, “real Atheists” can also be indistinguishable from “fake Atheists” because there are people and organizations who claim to be Atheist, while we know that is quite impossible, since there is no such thing as a real Atheist. All sane and rational people believe in God, whether they deny it or not.
They have a test, a list of sites you need to score whether they are true atheist sites or fake atheist sites, and Pharyngula is on it. Fake atheist or real atheist?
(I think it’s a trick question. Since they just said there is no such thing as a real atheist, we must all be fakes.)
South Carolina has made it illegal to transmit “material containing words, language, or actions of a profane, vulgar, lewd, lascivious, or indecent nature”.
Well, darn. Dang it all to heck.
Actually, it looks like it doesn’t take effect until approved by the governor, so we have a little grace period. After that, though…they’re going to have to sweep up everyone on the internet and imprison us for 5 years.
The other day, I pointed out that tasteless web design is a hallmark of crazy web sites, and used this Overcompensating comic to illustrate it…and you all scurried over to Timecube to see one of the best examples on the web.
I got this email today.
Dear Mr. Meyers,
Putting aside any offensive criticism of our website on your web page at http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/contact.php, we found many of the comments extremely humorous, even though at our expense.
We comment on your page at http://lfnexus.com/scumbagwebsites.htm.
Thank you for the good laugh!
Oh, yes, you can share this email with anyone you wish!
PS: There is method in our madness.
Cordially,
Dr. Michael Bisconti
President
The L. F. Nexus
They got the url of my “offensive criticism” wrong: it’s at an article called “How can you tell when you’re a kook?” I think he shows all the signs.
Here’s what’s really funny. I originally laughed at a whole series of insane arguments he made against evolution, homosexuality, and women, and look at what he considers the most offensive thing I said, that warrants rating me as a “medium scumbag”:
This website incorrectly reported that we believe that Gay “activity” can be sinless. However, this was due to an editorial problem on one of our web pages, which has since been corrected.
I guess my sin was that I accurately reported on a comment that was less than damning of homosexuality.
But now, you must see this: their updated website. Behold, and tremble in fear. This is getting up there pretty darned near Time Cube territory. It may get even better, since up near the top they prominently mention that they have a new site under construction by WebPsyops, Inc.. Yeah, that’s who we all ought to turn to for our professional web design.
Aren’t letters to the editor fun? They publish some of the craziest stuff.
One of the many problems with Darwin’s theory of evolution pertaining to mankind is that neither Charles Darwin nor his worshippers take into account extra-terrestrial life.
It’s pretty hard for someone to draw conclusions on mankind when Darwin had never seen nor heard of UFOs. That’s kind of like teaching math but not understanding trigonometry.
Most of us in the Niagara Region live on a lake bed (Lake Iroquois). The Indians cannot be blamed for having an effect on this major geographical landscape change anymore than modern man can be blamed for the weather patterns we see today. There is such a thing as pole shifting, and according to people who have studied Mayan culture we are quite possibly in the midst of a pole change — which many people believe will be in 2012.
In his letter, Keith Wigzell ironically contradicts himself when he says that man as part of the animal kingdom is one of the last to appear.
Does this mean evolution stopped at man, or that God stopped creating his creatures?
I certainly believe that all life evolves consciously and spiritually; however, to suggest that man evolved from a monkey is simply silly.
John Kocsis
Beamsville
I have heard many arguments against evolution before, but to disqualify Darwin because he hadn’t seen a UFO is a new one to me. How about Bigfoot? Do you also have to score a Sasquatch sighting in order to be credible?
Jeffrey Rowland points out a great truth: there must be a conspiracy of bad web design behind all the wacky sites on the web. If he’d only more carefully read one of the victims of the conspiracy, David Icke, he’d have drawn the web design expert as a reptoid illuminatus.
Wait! Everyone knows this! Is Rowland hiding something? Is he part of the global cabal?
Burger King is running a strange promotion on Facebook: for every 10 friends you drop from your list, they’ll send you a coupon for a free hamburger, because you love the Whopper more than your friends.
Let’s see…I’ve got 3,747 friends on Facebook. That would mean I could get 374 free pieces of meat between slabs of bread, and each of you is worth what, about 30¢?
By the way, I have discovered that when you have that many facebook friends, it has some very rough spots. There are a few places where you click on something, and it asks if you want to send something to any of your friends, and it has to sit there loading all 3,747 names with pictures and links, and it takes something shy of forever. Maybe I should drop a few thousand of you…
(Nah, I wouldn’t do that.)
