4 ms·

Evolution is the change of a population's phenotypes (and really, extended phenotypes), over time. This is exactly that. What you seem to want is a special kin

by 0xfeba 10y ago

Evolution is the change of a population's phenotypes (and really, extended phenotypes), over time. This is exactly that. What you seem to want is a special kind of speciation, which the article did not claim. And besides, the whole idea of a "species" is dubious at some level, because it's merely a human invented category.

Swizec 10y ago
> And besides, the whole idea of a "species" is dubious at some level, because it's merely a human invented category. I think something like K nearest neighbors algorithm[1] describes our understanding of species pretty well. You have a scatter of animals and you try to find groupings. The finer-grained the groupings, the less distinction there is between members on each side of an edge. Or to put it in more simple terms: say you're putting pebbles together. How many do you need before it stops being "1, 2, 3, 5 pebbles" and becomes "a pile of pebbles". [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-nearest_neighbors_algorithm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-nearest_neighbors_algorithm
- 0xfeba 10y ago
  Ah HN, never change.
JoeAltmaier 10y ago
I guess my kids are 'evolved' then? Different from their mother and me (and their grandparents). I'd reserve 'evolved' to describe something more dramatic.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- maxerickson 10y ago
  Typically they would literally be different. (typically may be an understatement until we really get going with the cloning)
- dragonwriter 10y ago
  > I guess my kids are 'evolved' then? Yes. So are you. Their evolutionary distance from you, as you note, is quite short, compared to, say, your evolutionary distance from your most recent single-celled ancestor. OTOH, that's just a difference of degree.
- 0xfeba 10y ago
  > I'd reserve 'evolved' to describe something more dramatic. Well, yes, but they did describe something more dramatic, changing beak sizes. More akin to your father's side having large noses, and your mother's side tiny noses. That is, consider a larger portion of the population for traits. The specific traits of individuals tend to come and go.

by 0xfeba 10y ago

Swizec 10y ago

> And besides, the whole idea of a "species" is dubious at some level, because it's merely a human invented category. I think something like K nearest neighbors algorithm[1] describes our understanding of species pretty well. You have a scatter of animals and you try to find groupings. The finer-grained the groupings, the less distinction there is between members on each side of an edge. Or to put it in more simple terms: say you're putting pebbles together. How many do you need before it stops being "1, 2, 3, 5 pebbles" and becomes "a pile of pebbles". [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-nearest_neighbors_algorithm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-nearest_neighbors_algorithm

0xfeba 10y ago
Ah HN, never change.

JoeAltmaier 10y ago

I guess my kids are 'evolved' then? Different from their mother and me (and their grandparents). I'd reserve 'evolved' to describe something more dramatic.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
maxerickson 10y ago
Typically they would literally be different. (typically may be an understatement until we really get going with the cloning)
dragonwriter 10y ago
> I guess my kids are 'evolved' then? Yes. So are you. Their evolutionary distance from you, as you note, is quite short, compared to, say, your evolutionary distance from your most recent single-celled ancestor. OTOH, that's just a difference of degree.
0xfeba 10y ago
> I'd reserve 'evolved' to describe something more dramatic. Well, yes, but they did describe something more dramatic, changing beak sizes. More akin to your father's side having large noses, and your mother's side tiny noses. That is, consider a larger portion of the population for traits. The specific traits of individuals tend to come and go.