Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: Edwina Lee on 28/07/2020 04:08:56
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The modern environment has lots of ways to kill microbes, including heating, boiling, UV-C, ozone, fungicides, antibiotics, anti-virals etc. So, we are basically accelerating evolution in a very fast way aren't we?
I have no doubt that there are many biologists getting very concerned.
As I remember, fungi in the ISS (Int. Space Station) evolved and populated the ISS as a result of space radiation.
So, not surprisingly, Chernobyl radiation also did the same on earth.
Chernobyl Fungi To Protect Astronoauts?
https://interestingengineering.com/fungi-from-chernobyl-reactor-could-save-astronauts-from-space-radiation
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The modern environment has lots of ways to kill microbes, including heating, boiling, UV-C, ozone, fungicides, antibiotics, anti-virals etc. So, we are basically accelerating evolution in a very fast way aren't we?
Most of the things on that list existed before humans.
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True, but it's pretty clear that antimalarials and bactericides have selected for resistant variants of their targets, whilst it is arguable that an excessively clean childhood environment has weakened overall resilience, if only by ensuring the survival of the unfittest.
The abiding rule of biology is that no species can win.
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The modern environment has lots of ways to kill microbes, including heating, boiling, UV-C, ozone, fungicides, antibiotics, anti-virals etc. So, we are basically accelerating evolution in a very fast way aren't we?
Most of the things on that list existed before humans.
It produced the Tardigrade under normal evolutionary speed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade
True, but it's pretty clear that antimalarials and bactericides have selected for resistant variants of their targets, whilst it is arguable that an excessively clean childhood environment has weakened overall resilience, if only by ensuring the survival of the unfittest.
The abiding rule of biology is that no species can win.
Under accelerated evolution such as via man made radiation, may be it will be certain that those species affected will win big to dominate the existing landscape?
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There is some evidence of radiation-resistant mice but it's a very inefficient process and AFAIK no irradiated drosophila has shown any physical or intellectual superiority. More likely that inherently resistant species like cockroaches will inherit the earth after the next world war.
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those species affected will win big to dominate the existing landscape?
The species that have won big in the recent past have been those that ride on human coat-tails:
- cows & buffalo
- sheep
- dogs and cats
- pigeons
- Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is now found around the world, far from its origin in Egypt
...and if dogs are any indication, they have lost intelligence once they teamed up with humans (compared to their wild relatives)
Basically, for species that breed slower than humans, it is a matter of "domesticate or perish"