Inbreeding and shagging...

[User169]

Makes perfect sense...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15002277

 

[threebikesmcginty]

"exposing themselves to a larger pool of sperm"

 

[HLaB]

I thought it was going to be a link to the royal family

 

[TVC]

Well, that explains Coalville.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Well, that explains Coalville.

I was born in Coalville!!!!!!!!

 

[mangaman]

DP I know you to be an internationally respected beer specialist / geneticist. (In that order)

But it sounds logical to me.

The BBC reporting is terrible and designed to catch the eye, but reading between the lines they drove the treatment population to the point of near extinction and changed their mating choices. This was over 15 generations - is this enough to cause a significant genetic shift? I'm not sure - maybe you could shed some light here?

Interesting stuff I agree, but the real hilarity is the BBC headline

Scientists might have explained promiscuous behaviour


bringing a contrast in my head of laviscious thoughts about Welsh girls into solicitors in North Wales (possibly)

and the real article - about polyandry in a species of beetle

 

[Moodyman]

"For females, sex can be traumatic. In some insects, insemination involves wounding females and infecting them with dangerous microbes."

Could equally apply to our species.

 

[TVC]

I was born in Coalville!!!!!!!!

QED

 

[2Loose]

This kind of thing is going someway to disprove one of Darwin's major theories. That of 'survival of the fittest'.
In society today the fittest and most successful are preoccupied with careers, whereas the less successful appear to concentrate on breeding.

Survival of the most common denominator instead of fittest.

The fact that these beetles can try and rectify things by shagging another from a more distant gene pool gives me hope. After all, the way things are going the lowest common denominator in modern society will be directly comparable to the beetle in intellect within a few decades, so instinct may eventually save us.

<sigh>

 

[Cubist]

QED

 

[mangaman]

This kind of thing is going someway to disprove one of Darwin's major theories. That of 'survival of the fittest'.
In society today the fittest and most successful are preoccupied with careers, whereas the less successful appear to concentrate on breeding.

Survival of the most common denominator instead of fittest.

The fact that these beetles can try and rectify things by shagging another from a more distant gene pool gives me hope. After all, the way things are going the lowest common denominator in modern society will be directly comparable to the beetle in intellect within a few decades, so instinct may eventually save us.

<sigh>

You don't think you're confusing people in real life and beetles in a massively artificial experiment?

In what way does it go against Darwin? It seems a remarkable example of reproductive adaptation in the face of severe species stress?

(Try to forget human society here for a minute - we're talking about beetles - the full text of the article is available via the BBC link)

 

[Fnaar]

I always had my doubts about that Paul McCartney... his eyes are too close together.

 

[srw]

I was born in Coalville!!!!!!!!

Well, that explains a lot.

 

[slowmotion]

Pity the poor squid....

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/09/22/squids-are-pretty-kinky-but-not-into-foreplay-study/

 

[Cubist]

"exposing themselves to a larger pool of sperm"

Acapulco, Wednesday night, Halifax...................