eric@batcomputer.UUCP (10/13/86)
In article <1436@burl.UUCP> geoff@burl.UUCP (geoff) writes: > >This is a good point, but there is one thing that bothers me about the whole >idea of insect eradication. Suppose we found the perfect insecticide which >kills all of the insects in the area and is totally harmless to people. > geoff sherwood I am not a biologist, but the idea of anything killing *all* of the insects anywhere seems preposterous, given their excellent ability to adapt/evolve to survive environmental changes. Their short generations and relatively simple systems mean that they can mutate and evolve quickly to adapt to formerly toxic elements much faster than higher forms of life, especially people. If/when we wipe our selves out in a nuclear war, the cockroaches and houseflies will have a grand time. ++Eric