Interfering with Darwin

[miketsp]

At the moment it's hard to go diving in SE Brazil without coming across some penguins (Pinguim de Magalhaes).

The currents are bringing them up from the south when they go out to catch fish and get lost. They often arrive here in a poor state and a lot of the dive operators and dive park staff collect them and take them to rehabilitation centers where they treat them and feed them up up for a few days (with minimal human contact) and then return them to the sea.

This year for some reason there are many arriving and the centers are full with hundreds of them.

Now there's a proposal to contract a ship to take a whole load of them back down south and this is generating some discussion about interference with the natural selection process.

After all these are the weaker ones with poor navigational instincts...

All very humanitarian but is it correct to put them back into the gene pool?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

This has probably been going on for thousands if not millions of years. It's just now there is someone around to see it. Species have been living and dying on this planet since the beginning. Let nature take it's course. Before somebody comes up with us being responsible cause of the global warming farce let me say that yes the earth is most likely warming up. As it has done for millions of years in different cycles to different degrees. When she has enough of us she'll shrug us off into space and start over again. That's the way it works. 25 species a day go extinct on this planet. And will continue to as new ones evolve. Let them come and go gracefully. We are also one of the evolving ones. The stong survive, the weak die out. For now we are at the top of the foodchain. For now.

 

[drbill]

Difficult question to answer without a better understanding of why so many are arriving well "off course" as a number of folks suggest. This could be due to a natural cycle, it could be due to anthropogenic causes. I don't think anyone knows at this point.

 

[John_B]

This has probably been going on for thousands if not millions of years. It's just now there is someone around to see it. Species have been living and dying on this planet since the beginning. Let nature take it's course. Before somebody comes up with us being responsible cause of the global warming farce let me say that yes the earth is most likely warming up. As it has done for millions of years in different cycles to different degrees. When she has enough of us she'll shrug us off into space and start over again. That's the way it works. 25 species a day go extinct on this planet. And will continue to as new ones evolve. Let them come and go gracefully. We are also one of the evolving ones. The stong survive, the weak die out. For now we are at the top of the foodchain. For now.

Rush? Is that you?

 

[Mr.X]

Before somebody comes up with us being responsible cause of the global warming farce let me say that yes the earth is most likely warming up. As it has done for millions of years in different cycles to different degrees. When she has enough of us she'll shrug us off into space and start over again. That's the way it works. 25 species a day go extinct on this planet. And will continue to as new ones evolve. Let them come and go gracefully. We are also one of the evolving ones. The stong survive, the weak die out. For now we are at the top of the foodchain. For now.

Providin' some data here for ya'. BTW - I have been to the Canadian Arctic and the people who know the ice best - say it's changing. I surely don't like seeing animals or people in distress because of excessive industrialization and waste. It's simplification to say it's survival of the fittest.

Ice sheet breaks loose off Canada - CNN.com

X

 

[mrlipis]

Providin' some data here for ya'. BTW - I have been to the Canadian Arctic and the people who know the ice best - say it's changing. I surely don't like seeing animals or people in distress because of excessive industrialization and waste. It's simplification to say it's survival of the fittest.

Your are arguing with someone who agrees that the planet is in a warming cycle. Who is anyone to say that our planet is at the perfect temperature now. For good or bad, man is part of the ecosystem and this planet and or God will deal with it appropriately. Should we be good stewards of our planet? Absolutely. But for crying out loud, I am sick of the left wing's perpetual doom and gloom outlook on every aspect of our lives.

Bruce

 

[Papa Steve]

Your are arguing with someone who agrees that the planet is in a warming cycle. Who is anyone to say that our planet is at the perfect temperature now. For good or bad, man is part of the ecosystem and this planet and or God will deal with it appropriately. Should we be good stewards of our planet? Absolutely. But for crying out loud, I am sick of the left wing's perpetual doom and gloom outlook on every aspect of our lives.

Bruce

Well said. The polar caps are also melting on Mars. I'm having trouble seeing what my SUV has to do with that.

And to the OP, you ask a great question. I've never understood groups who critisize mankind for interfering with nature for the sake of progress but don't have a problem interfering with nature in the name of compassion.

 

[Mr.X]

Your are arguing with someone who agrees that the planet is in a warming cycle. Who is anyone to say that our planet is at the perfect temperature now. For good or bad, man is part of the ecosystem and this planet and or God will deal with it appropriately. Should we be good stewards of our planet? Absolutely. But for crying out loud, I am sick of the left wing's perpetual doom and gloom outlook on every aspect of our lives.

Bruce

Did you actually read my post?

Left wing, right wing...come on'. I'm stating objective facts (DATA) with regards to Arctic sea ice. When was the last time you actually looked at an ice core, or spent some time talking to folks who actually live near/on the sea ice? They have a different POV and have a innate/direct understanding of their environment compared to folks more accustomed to talkin' off the top of their heads or absorbing tertiary bits of information.

Additionally, I cannot see how someone adds Mars to this discussion? Cute, and subsequently inane.



X

 

[Papa Steve]

Additionally, I cannot see how someone adds Mars to this discussion? Cute, and subsequently inane.



X

Not meant to be either. Only suggesting that any warming going on may be related to the cycles of the sun and not anything man made.

 

[BioLogic]

Last I've heard, Magellenic penguins are still abundant, so I'd be inclined to let natural selection take its course. If the gene pool were already pretty limited, I'd be going the other way.

It's true that extinction is far and away the most common outcome for any species, and those best adapted to current conditions will be the survivors. But conditions are changing faster than evolution can allow adaptation, raising the extinction rate *well* beyond replacement rates. Personally, I'm not excited about living in a world with far fewer species of cool organisms sharing it; even if that does constitute a natural response to massive environmental change. So I think attempts to maintain biodiversity are worth some effort.