Natural Science Forum / Biology / Evolution / December 2005

One question of enormous concern, with respect to the treating of
Auto-immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is:  to what extent do our treatment
protocols preserve and promote an increase in the size of the infectious
pool.  Put another way:  How infectious are people who are being ...

[moderator's note: This is clearly based on a misunderstanding -
or several misunderstandings - and I've seen this sort of argument
from creationists, but since no mention is made here of that
banned topic, let's educate politely, shall we? -- JAH]

One of the most puzzling processes in biology - to me, at least, being a
non-biologist - is the process of reproduction and the beginning of a new
life - of a plant, a tree, a flower, or an animal.
All living organisms age over time, yet when a plant produces a seed, a

imo, one could think of a kind of a race between the evolution and the
periodic impact of major asteroids on the earth that extinct species. If a
species like the human beings doesn't manage to get to a level of
intelligence (and technology) that allows them to protect themselves ...

I came across the statement "Selection will primarily determine allele
frequencies if s > 1 / (2N), otherwise the allelic variants are nearly
neutral or effectively neutral, that is their frequencies are
determined more by genetic drift than by selection"

Evolution Theory
In these modern times when Evolution theory is being attacked by those who
would like to see a faith based model gain ascendance, it is high time that
Evolution Theory was referred to by its proper name: 'Evolution Theory'.

Folks,
We'll be taking a weekend trip to Vancouver, and as you know, there
is no internet access in Vancouver. So, there will be a brief hiatus
in processing the queue until some time Monday, when we return.

hey yall...I recently heard someone say "why do not women ever go for
the nice guys?" I didn't say this but overheard it being said...anyway
I thought I could get some interesting responses concerning this
question....even if it isn't true...any takers?

Apparently the Baldwin Effect has some efficacy in computational models
but I do not understand mathematics and I think computational modeling
by itself is insufficient to make the evolutionary point. First, I read
Baldwin's theory was intended to replace Lamarck's theory of aquired

Lovelock quote, then my comment:
(The Ages of Gaia)
Our interpretation of Darwin's  great vision is altered.
Gaia draws attention to the fallibility of the concept of

What is behavioral genetics?
What indications are there that behavior has a biological basis?
How is behavioral genetics studied?
What implications does behavioral genetics research have for society?

I was wondering how the theory of evolution accounts for love, a
feeling commonly found in all mammalian species.
For example, evolutionary psychologists believe that males are
constantly looking for new mates while females try to keep their mates

"Nonetheless, the general tendency for males to take greater risks
ties together many preventable causes of death, and is a worthy focus
for interventions."
Daniel J. Kruger

Since a very large proportion of human pregnancies are unplanned, I
would expect that the most predominant traits which are currently being
selected for in future generations are those connected with an
inability (perhaps economic) or unwillingness to use contraception

I understand that there are approximately 6 billion humans.  How does
this compare with the total number of living mammals?  Is there any
other mammalian species as numerous?
I am a little bit puzzled by our evolutionary success because we have