3 ms·

Sounds like he is confusing individual organism adaptation with species evolution. Both exist.

• astazangasta 11y ago
  Exactly this. Why would humans have a stress response that generates somatic mutation? It makes no sense. Also strategies that apply to organisms with large effective population sizes that expand clonally (bacteria) won't apply to humans. Also also, while mutator phenotypes might be useful under stress, once the stress is gone they quickly become disadvantageous and disappear. Deleterious mutation load has to go somewhere: the usual avenue is death in asexual organisms.
  • Someone 11y ago
    Like you I agree with the grandfather post, but "Why would humans have a stress response that generates somatic mutation?" could easily be answered with "because it tends to work" because that is what drives evolution. I can make up a (at least at first sight) plausible explanation, too. Assume a constant energy budget and increased demand when under stress. Then, when running out of reserves, some other energy consumer must be cut down on. Things that only have real value in the long term such as protections against mutations may be prime candidates for this (just as your intestines shut down during exhaustive exercise such as when running a marathon, not because you can do without them, but because they aren't priority one _now_)
    • astazangasta 11y ago
      The problem with any scenario involving somatic mutation is it cannot improve fitness, by definition. All this could mean is stress gives you cancer.