"Tim Tyler"  wrote in message
news:c213n9$1i6v$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org...
> Michael Ragland  wrote or quoted:
>
> [ http://alife.co.uk/misc/one_big_organism/ ]
>
> > Well, you're little piece comes across as just sarcasm
rather than any
> > elaborate farfetched fantasy. I would state the idea of
"one big
> > organism" is patently absurd. We are a competing species
and natural
> > selection will be around for some time. How long nobody
really knows but
> > likely for millions of years if not longer.
>
> I do think the largest organisms will continue to grow -
without much
> limit.  Maybe when they are the size of the planet they
will reach
> a bit of a natural limit for a while.
>
> All life fusing - or, equivalently, perhaps a few agents
entering into a
> cooperative cabal where the members swear not to compete
with one another
> - seems to me to be about the only way natural selection
could be ended -
> without the death of all sentient organisms.
>
> I was suprised it was remotely possible (without new
physics being
> involved).  The idea of far-future complex adaptive
systems not being
> subject to natural selection at all was not previously
familiar to me.
> -- 
> __________
>  |im |yler  http://timtyler.org/  tim{at}tt1lock.org  Remove
lock to reply.

I think if it happens, the "winner" is more likely to be
slime mold rather than something like us. :)  Climate and
general environments will continue to be one of the primary
driving force for evolution--however, if humans do manage to
survive without regressing technologicaly for a few more
kiloyears, tech will allow full control of the environment
(here, and on other planets,) and on all genomes as well. I
think it's possible that someday we'll be able to modify
genomes "on the fly" so to speak (i.e., on our living
selves,) but even if that's not possible, we'll certainly
guide our progeny to myriad genetic and morphological forms
suited to any desired environment. Curing today's genetic
disoeders is only scratching the surface of our biological
future.         ...tonyC
---------------------
see:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1894&e=3&u=/ap/20040302/ap_on_he_me/stem_cells

Support stem-cell research--vote Bush out of office!
---
þ RIMEGate(tm)/RGXPost V1.14 at BBSWORLD * Info{at}bbsworld.com

---
 * RIMEGate(tm)V10.2áÿ* RelayNet(tm) NNTP Gateway * MoonDog BBS
 * RgateImp.MoonDog.BBS at 3/3/04 3:06:49 PM