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We're all "slowly dying" from the time we are born, aren't we? I guess some manners of death are more pleasant than others. Ted & Carole ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joe Ryan" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:29 PM Subject: Scientific Method etc > Hi Mary Ann > > > > I don't know what to think about the term "survival of the fittest". My > first impression was like yours, that it had to do with strength, but then > what about the survival of the swiftest or smartest or smallest or > hundreds of other 'survival mechanisms"? Does it mean those who fit their > particular environment the best survive the best? > > I certainly see your point that the older you are the closer you are to > dying, but I also would add that Nature has plenty of ways to knock us > off just because it can be so chaotic no matter our age. I forget the > details but I remember reading that well over 90+% of the species that > have ever existed on this planet are extinct. Earth quakes, climate change > (including when the blue green algae poisoned the entire atmosphere with > oxygen) and asteroid strikes can account for large numbers of random > deaths. Add in deaths from warfare, accidents and getting eaten and it's a > wonder any of us get a chance to reproduce much less draw Social Security. > Just plain bad luck can put you on a continent like one of the Americas > when the Europeans arrived with diseases for which you have no immunity no > matter how fit you are. I'm not discounting Natural Selection or the idea > that the older you are the more likely you will be sick but I don't think > Nature acts to deliberately weed out the old in order to make room for > offspring, indeed one theory is that having older members of a tribe > around, especially grandmothers, leads to higher survival rates for the > children because the grandmothers shared in the work of raising the kids. > The more offspring you have that survive, the better chance you have of > passing on some of your genes. > > Disease can have terrible impacts on whole populations and not be the > result of anything more than bad luck. > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > Joe > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn