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This detail intrigues me: > “...then in a few thousand years, we might encounter venomous mice.” A female mouse can give birth at the age of two and a half mo
by namenotrequired 6y ago
This detail intrigues me:
> “...then in a few thousand years, we might encounter venomous mice.”
A female mouse can give birth at the age of two and a half months. In a few thousand years, you can have some 10 000 generations.
Would it really take 10 000 generations for mice to become venomous?
- dumbfoundded 6y agoI don't think there's a good enough understanding of genetics to know how many generations. I'm guessing the estimate of a few thousand years was a complete guess. Many things impact the timing and these systems are chaotic. Even selective breeding is fairly uncertain. I don't know if geneticists could predict how many generations it would take if we selectively breed gray wolves to look like pugs.
- dheera 6y agoThis assumes mice would gain an evolutionary advantage by being venomous. Mice survive as a species by reproducing fast and hiding, not by biting other animals to teach them a lesson. In order to exploit venom's potential they would need to undo their risk-averse behavior around other animals, which may not be in their best interest as a species.
- namenotrequired 6y agoThe article explicitly states this assumption in the same sentence that I quoted a section from.