beth@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Beth Christy) (07/10/85)
In article <356@imsvax.UUCP> ted@imsvax.UUCP (Ted Holden) writes: > Consider the honeycomb, which represents a perfect > solution to a multi-dimentional optimization problem. The hexagonal > shape gives maximum strength for minimal use of material with > no left-over pockets, and the ends dove-tail perfectly; nothing > is wasted. If the honeycomb is truly "the perfect structure", why are bees the only creatures that use it? Consider the wasps' nests which are basically made of paper. Consider flies and lady bugs and every other flying insect. Why don't they *all* make and use honeycombs? If the creator knew of and implemented such a perfect structure, why didn't s/he stick with a good thing? Why did s/he let all the rest of the bugs live in kludges? > Bees would need engineering degrees with math through > advanced calculus to build such a structure by design. ^^ ^^^^^^ Right. But bees *don't* build it "by design" - they build it by instinct. You say they got their instinct from a supernatural creator. I won't believe it until you can give me any reasonable explanation for why said creator gave different housing instincts to every different "kind" of ... everythings. (Dan, are you out there? I want to know how the creation model "predicts" that every species would build a unique structure for it's home.) > Indeed, everywhere you look on this planet, you > see craftsmanship; it is in no wise "scientific" to > ignore something so obvious. Say, for example, birds nests. Disorderly arrangements of twigs and mud and bird shit. And dung beetles - disgusting bugs that live in shit. Then there's cancer. And viruses and birth defects. I don't want to disappoint anybody, but from a reasonably large perspec- tive, things look about even. There's some good stuff and some bad stuff, there's some real neat tricky stuff and some real dull straight- forward stuff, there's some clearly good, positive stuff and some clearly evil, foul stuff. There's even stuff in between. And "it is in no wise 'scientific' to ignore something so obvious". -- --JB All we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.
ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis) (07/14/85)
>> Consider the honeycomb, which represents a perfect >> solution to a multi-dimentional optimization problem. The hexagonal >> shape gives maximum strength for minimal use of material with >If the honeycomb is truly "the perfect structure", why are bees the only >> Bees would need engineering degrees with math through This is all getting a bit baroque.. Throw any reasonably sized bag of marbles on the ground, or into a pan if you wish to see what happens in a higher dimensionality. The marbles will arrange themselves into hexagons. -michael