Wonders/freaks of evolution

GLaDOS

Thought we could get a thread going for some of the more interesting things in our world

Stumbled upon this video of the leopard slug mating and thought it was amazing, if somewhat disgusting

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdxbx_david-attenborough-slugs-mating

Somnus

No here is a freak of evolution

Horrible Freak

Capt'n Midnight

For me it's gotta be the slime moulds.

When times are good it's every microscopic amoeba for itself.

When times are bad then they all come together form a slug like creature a few mm long that crawls to a suitable place and releases spores. It's your standard SciFi shape shifter, it's like Terminator II where the liquid metal comes together to become Robert Patrick , except it's real.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dicty_Life_Cycle_H01.svg
Note the sizes


http://thinkorthwim.com/2007/05/01/slime-mold-the-plant-that-can-solve-a-maze/
not the best video of their movement, but remember these things don't have a central nervous system, or a circulatory system , it's just a mob of single celled organisms !

Though in fairness most of the videos of them are speeded up, they aren't that fast.

Azelfafage

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

For me it's gotta be the slime moulds.
.

Naw.

The most freaky and weird products of evolution go by the name of.........

"Human Beings".

(Slime moulds don't launch Space Shuttles.)


Human Beings are the strangest objects in the known universe.

.


.

Capt'n Midnight

Azelfafage wrote: »

Human Beings are the strangest objects in the known universe.

Often you'll see stuff about how weak and puny humans are, yes it's true we are a bit of a bodge and lots of bits could be more efficient.

There is the old adage about us being the only animal that can walk 20 miles run a mile , swim across a river and climb a tree. Compared to most other land animals we have many adaptions that are useful for swiming , briaciation, higher body fat, less hair amongst others.

But when it comes to running, forget the bit about one mile, we are some of the best long-distance chase predators on the planet. The numbers who do the marathon each year show that when fit and regularly exercised most of us could run long distances. It's just that most of us don't spend that much time outdoors. Today the bushmen of southern Africa and the Aborigines of Australia are able to chase down Kangaroos and gazelles for hours till they are exhausted.


Oh yeah bears are pretty awesome too and they have claws and teeth and can tolerate levels of vitamin A that would kill us.

Capt'n Midnight

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Oh yeah bears are pretty awesome too.

Water bears are tough little things too.

Kevster

For their abundance and sheer diversity in species, one could argue that bacteria are by far the most successful and 'freakish' lifeforms on Earth. it has been estimated that the mass of all bacteria on Earth is greater than that of the animal kingdom. Also, they occupy virtually every habitat on Earth and there are such freaks-of-nature species that feed on Gold, Silver, faeces, Platinum, and just about everything else. Plus, there's Deinococcus radiodurans (or 'Conan the Bacterium'), which could theoretically survive the harsh radiation on Mars.

Azelfafage

Humans can:

1 Think.
2. Contemplate their own origins.
3. Contemplate their own end.
4. Contemplate the origins of the universe.
5. Invent a god to make the universe.
6. Contemplate the end of the universe.
7. Search for other thinking beings in the universe.
8. Invent Science.
9. Invent Mathematics.
10.Create Computers.
11. Know that they are self replicating chemical DNA mechanisms.
12. Fling spacecraft clean out of the solar system to the stars.
13. Examine the ends of the universe with Hubble Space Telescopes.
14. Walk on the moon.
15. Know they will die.
16. Write posts on Boards.ie.
17+...........etc............etc......


No Contest.

The Human is the strangest known product of nature.

Find me a stranger place than the inside of the Human head.

.

Somnus

Azelfafage wrote: »

Humans can:

1 Think.
2. Contemplate their own origins.
3. Contemplate their own end.
4. Contemplate the origins of the universe.
5. Invent a god to make the universe.
6. Contemplate the end of the universe.
7. Search for other thinking beings in the universe.
8. Invent Science.
9. Invent Mathematics.
10.Create Computers.
11. Know that they are self replicating chemical DNA mechanisms.
12. Fling spacecraft clean out of the solar system to the stars.
13. Examine the ends of the universe with Hubble Space Telescopes.
14. Walk on the moon.
15. Know they will die.
16. Write posts on Boards.ie.
17+...........etc............etc......


No Contest.

The Human is the strangest known product of nature.

Find me a stranger place than the inside of the Human head.

.

You see humans would definitely fit the wonders of evolution. What about the freaks of evolution :P
And I know you're thinking we could be considered that too but all the stuff you mentioned just shows that we aren't freaks but extremely diverse and relatively precise organisms.

Kevster

I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned the duck-billed platypus yet. It is certainly a freak of evolution, but cute too. The Sloth is a bit of a strange fellow too. They spend most of their lives asleep and/or sitting around allow their food to digest.

What else... ...the sea-cow is dreadfully ugly

Azelfafage

Dr.Poca wrote: »

What about the freaks of evolution :P

That is what I was saying Dr. Poca.

Humans are freaks.

.

YFlyer

Freak of a bird

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1HLgdm04ig&feature=related

GLaDOS

Kevster wrote: »

I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned the duck-billed platypus yet.

I actually thought of them after posting the thread, only mammal with venom I believe?

Somnus

Azelfafage wrote: »

That is what I was saying Dr. Poca.

Humans are freaks.

.

I know that's what you were thinking :P Which is why I was sayin that the very things you mention really just show how we're wonders of evolution. Because we've evolved to become so diverse. We have advanced, problem solving minds that allow us to do nearly anything. I mean all the things you mentioned. The way we understand so much about the world and university.
I mean if that's not a wonder of evolution I don't know what is! There's no other organism in the world at our level of development.

Different organisms may be stronger and faster but our intelligence allows us to come through.

Although I don't think this is the angle the OP was going for :P

Tree

Kevster wrote: »

I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned the duck-billed platypus yet. It is certainly a freak of evolution, but cute too. The Sloth is a bit of a strange fellow too. They spend most of their lives asleep and/or sitting around allow their food to digest.

What else... ...the sea-cow is dreadfully ugly

you go say that to the sea cows face! ( i quite like manatees...)

Spiders are pretty awesome wonders of evolution, the various webs and methods of hunting they have are brilliant

Azelfafage

There are several theories about how evolution occured.

Evolution is the most freakish thing that ever happened around this part of this galaxy.

Why ?

Either:

1. The self replicating DNA molecule fell together automatically.
.............Unlikely to the point of being miraculous.

2. DNA evolved from RNA........more believeable.
....................................Butwhere did RNA come from?

4. Two theories about RNA:
............. A. RNA Fell together miraculously....as unlikely as that happening to DNA.
. ........... B. RNA Evolved.

5. Taking B, how could RNA have "evolved"?

Two theories.

Either:

6. Complicated molecular interactions in a "soup" in the seas.
7. Chance.

Methinks it was the complicated molecular interactions in the soup.

But............nobody really knows.

Grist for Science.

.


.

Kevster

ScienceNerd wrote: »

I actually thought of them after posting the thread, only mammal with venom I believe?

I had no idea that they produced venom, but you're right [they do]. Apparently, some other mammals do too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venomous_mammals

Capt'n Midnight

It's a little freaky that you can make enzymes out of RNA


Or that the magnetic sensors of pigeons are wired into the eye or optic nerve, so they sorta see magnetic fields or somesuch. Then again some people see sounds because of how their brains are wired up.


As for venomous there used to be giant lizards in Oz only 50,000 years ago related to Komodo dragons. But these things were the size of salt water crocs !


One of my favorites has to be the trilobites with the calcite eyes - a mineral, or the other with the strange lens that generated a pattern that meant all ranges were in focus at the same time


slightly freaky that our retinas are inside out. Squid got that one right.

Kevster

I think that a lot of the youths today are trying to mirror their venomous ancestors by spitting all over the pavement and stuff... ...don't you think?

:rolleyes: