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Population growth/decline is one thing, and genetic evolution is quite another. I do not know the correct time span, but I imagine it would take thousands of years for even a minor genetic change to be implemented. We are talking about a genetic change the occurs due to environmental factors rather than a mere increase or decrease in births or deaths. When I was visiting the Galapagos Islands years ago, I recall reading that a certain type of cormorant made it there, and due to the lack of predators it eventually lost its ability to fly. Today, they are known as flightless cormorants. It's understandable that these animals would have lost wing muscles over time, and over generations perhaps lost the features needed to bring about flight. This is the kind of genetic evolution that takes place in nature, but I would question whether it would ever occur within a few generations. For elephant genes to cause elephants to stop producing tusks because of poachers would, I surmise, be an even more gradual process because the elephants would have to be able to "sense" there are poachers out there who want to kill them precisely for their tusks. I'm not even sure if this could happen barring some pseudo-scientific explanation.
I wanted to reply but each time I'm trying to post, it's cancelled ....update : my reply in several shorter parts ...
Sorry about that; I have experienced it as well on here. I think that the forum software automatically prevents people from making posts with more than a few links in it. I am not sure how to change this, and in the past I've done what you did - post in multiple replies.
Hmmm….that sounds pretty much like what I said in Reply #4, doesn't it?I read the article you linked to (the story was published in 2005, I see). I don't quite understand this part:
However, Zhang's assertion about the tusklessness gene among the Asian elephants due to poaching remains in doubt among some international academicians."This is, of course, a possibility, but till now there is no clear genetic proof that it can occur," said Vivek Menon, executive director of the Wildlife Trust of India, a non-profit conservation organization that fights to prevent the destruction of India's wildlife.
Is the issue whether or not there exists a "tusklessness gene"? It seems like simple quantitative data would indicate whether tuskless elephant numbers are increasing relative to the number or elephants with tusks.
Yeah, ok so I kind of figured that it was referring to the geneticist Bernard Kettlewell and not the town. Still not sure about the connection, though.
I was able to put up 325 a few weeks ago, a record for me. I normally don't max out that much since I have to ask someone else at the gym to spot me when I go high, and people aren't always easily available. A lot of times I would just bench 275 three times, without a spotter. You know, if you lived in my area, I could have a reliable spotter. 😉
From Google:Kettlewell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/KettlewellWikipediaKettlewell is a village in Upper Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England. It lies 6 miles (10 km) north of Grassington, at the point where Wharfedale is joined by a ...
That's around where I have been benching in terms relative strength (benching 160% of bodyweight). I bet you could max out around 260 or 270?
Scout, that could be true in some instances. Phidias cast golden clothing for the giant statue of Zeus at Olympus (one of the ancient seven wonders). I believe this was a kind of clothing that could be removed, but I could be wrong. But for most cases – especially in Roman sculpture – I'm pretty sure that nude statues were intended to be viewed as nude figures.Aeth, the outcry over the "dressed" Riace Warrior was because a) the Warriors are undoubtedly the prize and honor of Reggio Calabria, and putting a thong/boa on it (not shown in that article) is pretty shocking, and b) so much effort has been put into them that it's hardly a great idea for someone to sneakily dress them up for a photo stunt - especially without permission. I know I was pretty shocked when I first saw the story. I wondered how in the world the photographer ever got the guards to agree/look the other way while it was taking place.
Ah, a basic piece of info I wish I would have known a few replies ago. Call me elephant ignorant.
I suppose my point could still hold true - that tuskless males are mating with more females who carry the regular tusked gene. However, I'm guessing this still ain't true!Well, I'm out of ideas. If the increase in tuskless elephants is not because of a relative size increase, or because of mating practices, I'm not sure what it could be.Perhaps the tuskless males are mating with more tusked females, perhaps due do the lack of tusked males?
Oh, duh. Based on what Ski said, the entire elephant pool is smaller. Since more tusked elephants are being killed off than tuskless, the proportion of the latter has increased. Now, assuming this is the answer, the part about “A study found the tuskless phenomenon is spreading in the wild” is a bit of a scam statement.
Well my 13-month gym membership that I paid for last year is just about up. I’ve worked out more over the past year than any other time in my life. I’ve increased my physical strength quite a bit, even though certain muscles seem to have plateaued a while ago.
But….how do I feel on the inside? Here are some psychological benefits I’ve discovered:
- Forcing you to challenge your limits. Even though there are physical limits (i.e. lifting X lbs. of weight), your will controls whether you will actually touch these limits, or quit early.
- Accomplishing goals. If you set a health/fitness goal and reach it with your body, it’s a nice feat.
- Bettering your younger you. I became stronger now than I was in college (and I wasn’t exactly weak back then). It’s good to know that even if you think you’re waning, there’s more in you than you think.
- Giving you discipline in your diet. I have found that the more you work out in the gym, the more you want to eat healthy to fuel and repair your body. Ergo, I’ve eaten better foods over the past year than probably any other time.
- Valuing rest. Not only do you appreciate a good-night’s sleep, but you also come to appreciate days off. Your body actually becomes stronger as it heals during off days, so you recognize the value in these.
Intense weight training probably isn’t for everyone, but for those who have an inclination for it, it becomes a fun activity the more you get involved.
Well, the obvious answer would be that the tuskless elephants are not being killed and are therefore reproducing at a faster rate than tusked elephants.At first I was gravitating toward evolution in the face of ivory poachers, until I realized that that would take, oh, probably thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years!
I suppose my point could still hold true - that tuskless males are mating with more females who carry the regular tusked gene. However, I'm guessing this still ain't true!Well, I'm out of ideas. If the increase in tuskless elephants is not because of a relative size increase, or because of mating practices, I'm not sure what it could be.
