pratt@vanhalen.rutgers.edu.UUCP (09/24/87)
Hmm...Just now on my way past our "Stern Physics Laboratory" here at Rutgers, within the space of 30 seconds I found one 4- and two 5-leaved clovers. This got me to thinking about how once somebody told me that such mutations (?) were evidence of impurities in the environment, perhaps radiation. Is this true? I know that we can conclude a lot about the environment from studying animal populations. Is there any evidence that a layman can recognize (like these clovers perhaps) for environmental disturbances? Musingly, Lorien Pratt pratt@paul.rutgers.edu
brothers@who.rutgers.edu.UUCP (09/24/87)
Mutations might be caused by mutagens or other chemicals which would
damage a cell's genetic information. But things like cosmic rays,
background radiation, etc. could have the same effect, as could some
random fluke of chemical bonding during mitosis.
Some scientists have some pretty weird sounding theories about
"evolutionary leaps", etc. which I don't really subscribe to.
On the other hand, I think it probably has something to do with
Reaganomics, or maybe Albanian Maoism/Stalinism is to blame.
--
Laurence R. Brothers
brothers@paul.rutgers.edu
{anywhere}!rutgers!paul.rutgers.edu!brothers
"One life -- one arrow."carroll@topaz.rutgers.edu.UUCP (09/24/87)
>Some scientists have some pretty weird sounding theories about >"evolutionary leaps", etc. which I don't really subscribe to. Hey, well, that settles it for me. If Laurence doesn't subscribe to it, it *must* be false. -- martin