BRING BACK THE GREEN LANTERN

[Idaho-Hummer]

nothing but padding except the first post.

[The Green Lantern]

THE view generally entertained by naturalists is that species, when intercrossed, have been specially endowed with the quality of sterility, in order to prevent the confusion of all organic forms. This view certainly seems at first probable, for species within the same country could hardly have kept distinct had they been capable of crossing freely. The importance of the fact that hybrids are very generally sterile, has, I think, been much underrated by some late writers. On the theory of natural selection the case is especially important, inasmuch as the sterility of hybrids could not possibly be of any advantage to them, and therefore could not have been acquired by the continued preservation of successive profitable degrees of sterility. I hope, however, to be able to show that sterility is not a specially acquired or endowed quality, but is incidental on other acquired differences.

In treating this subject, two classes of facts, to a large extent fundamentally different, have generally been confounded together; namely, the sterility of two species when first crossed, and the sterility of the hybrids produced from them.

Pure species have of course their organs of reproduction in a perfect condition, yet when intercrossed they produce either few or no offspring. Hybrids, on the other hand, have their reproductive organs functionally impotent, as may be clearly seen in the state of the male element in both plants and animals; though the organs themselves are perfect in structure, as far as the microscope reveals. In the first case the two sexual elements which go to form the embryo are perfect; in the second case they are either not at all developed, or are imperfectly developed. This distinction is important, when the cause of the sterility, which is common to the two cases, has to be considered. The distinction has probably been slurred over, owing to the sterility in both cases being looked on as a special endowment, beyond the province of our reasoning powers.

[The Green Lantern]

I like biology, but as a mathematician I am drawn to the elegance of the very simplest forms of life: the subcellular life forms. They are so simple, in fact, that even calling them "alive" can be controversial. They lack many of the usual features of life. They don't have cell walls, most of them don't metabolize, and they are all parasitic, depending on other organisms for their ability to reproduce! Some of them even have no genetic code! Many of them cause diseases, but others are crucial to the well-being of their host, and many are so well integrated with their host that it becomes difficult to decide whether they are part of the host or a separate entity.

Indeed, besides my love of elegance and my morbid fascination with parasites, the main reason subcellular life forms appeal to me is that they challenge our naive notion of organisms as entities with clear, well-defined boundaries. It's clear by now that life doesn't respect this simple picture. Whenever a pattern of any sort, however abstract, is able to replicate itself, it does! Typically these patterns overlap and interact in subtle ways, so one can't easily say where one ends and the other begins.

[KenP]

Originally Posted by The Green Lantern

No wonder he got 29,000 + posts so quick.....padder!

No kidding. Only 10k characters per posts brings teh suk.

[KenP]

Don't be Interlurking.

[RubHer Yellow Ducky]

NEVER TRIED A SHEEP BEFORE ...

BUT

COWS are kinda loose !

RYD

[PARAGON]

Originally Posted by The Green Lantern

THE view generally entertained by naturalists is that species, when intercrossed, have been specially endowed with the quality of sterility, in order to prevent the confusion of all organic forms. This view certainly seems at first probable, for species within the same country could hardly have kept distinct had they been capable of crossing freely. The importance of the fact that hybrids are very generally sterile, has, I think, been much underrated by some late writers. On the theory of natural selection the case is especially important, inasmuch as the sterility of hybrids could not possibly be of any advantage to them, and therefore could not have been acquired by the continued preservation of successive profitable degrees of sterility. I hope, however, to be able to show that sterility is not a specially acquired or endowed quality, but is incidental on other acquired differences.

In treating this subject, two classes of facts, to a large extent fundamentally different, have generally been confounded together; namely, the sterility of two species when first crossed, and the sterility of the hybrids produced from them.

Pure species have of course their organs of reproduction in a perfect condition, yet when intercrossed they produce either few or no offspring. Hybrids, on the other hand, have their reproductive organs functionally impotent, as may be clearly seen in the state of the male element in both plants and animals; though the organs themselves are perfect in structure, as far as the microscope reveals. In the first case the two sexual elements which go to form the embryo are perfect; in the second case they are either not at all developed, or are imperfectly developed. This distinction is important, when the cause of the sterility, which is common to the two cases, has to be considered. The distinction has probably been slurred over, owing to the sterility in both cases being looked on as a special endowment, beyond the province of our reasoning powers.

[PARAGON]

Originally Posted by The Green Lantern

I like biology, but as a mathematician I am drawn to the elegance of the very simplest forms of life: the subcellular life forms. They are so simple, in fact, that even calling them "alive" can be controversial. They lack many of the usual features of life. They don't have cell walls, most of them don't metabolize, and they are all parasitic, depending on other organisms for their ability to reproduce! Some of them even have no genetic code! Many of them cause diseases, but others are crucial to the well-being of their host, and many are so well integrated with their host that it becomes difficult to decide whether they are part of the host or a separate entity.

Originally Posted by The Green Lantern

Indeed, besides my love of elegance and my morbid fascination with parasites, the main reason subcellular life forms appeal to me is that they challenge our naive notion of organisms as entities with clear, well-defined boundaries. It's clear by now that life doesn't respect this simple picture. Whenever a pattern of any sort, however abstract, is able to replicate itself, it does! Typically these patterns overlap and interact in subtle ways, so one can't easily say where one ends and the other begins.

you love parasites?

f'ing liberal

[RubHer Yellow Ducky]

Originally Posted by Idaho-Hummer

nothing but paddingexcept the first post.

I AGREE>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

PADPADPADPADPADPADPAD

SHOOT EM AT DAWN !!!

RYD

[Hmmm2]

This thread is really a mixed bag.

[usetosellhummer]

wtf

wtf ot

[The Green Lantern]

Originally Posted by PARAGON

you love parasites?

f'ing liberal

Thanks, ......speaking in prose .....

[PARAGON]

Originally Posted by The Green Lantern

Thanks, ......speaking in prose .....

Everything you type is as boring as prose, what's new and what's the big deal with that?

[RubHer Yellow Ducky]

How come nobody wanted to bring me back !!!

RYD

[The Green Lantern]

Originally Posted by RubHer Yellow Ducky

How come nobody wanted to bring me back !!!

RYD

Welcome back RYD!

[wannabeH3]

[The Green Lantern]

Originally Posted by wannabeH3

Is that you??....welcome!

[The Green Lantern]

[NEOCON1]

Originally Posted by The Green Lantern