ed_l1@verifone.com (06/13/91)
In article <23301@shlump.lkg.dec.com>, winalski@psw.enet.dec.com (Paul S. Winalski) writes: > In article <1991Jun8.171911.4417@ducvax.auburn.edu>, > sroberts@eng.auburn.edu (Scott T Roberts) blathers: > |> > |>Gross. But I'm all in favor of it. I think it would be a good thing to > |>reduce the persistent, popular misconception that human beings are > |>something special. Especially that myth that says we are more intelligent > |>than dolphins, et. al. I don't see dolphins killing each other off, > |>reproducing like rabbits, and destroying their environment to an extent > |>that makes the survival of their species (and others) questionable. > |>Dolphins just *seem* nicer too. Ever hear of Hatterous (sp?) Jack? > |>The Albino Dolphin that guided ships safely to port. > |> > > Apparently, the experiment asked about by the original poster (crossing > monkeys and humans) has indeed been performed. [name calling deleted for esthetic purposes] > > --PSW humans x monkeys? Not possible. the genetic differences are much too great, even different numbers of chromosomes! (in most, if not all instances) humans X apes? Still very unlikely for the same reasons. Even though a chimpanzee is only 3% different from us genetically, it is likely enough. The chimp is our closest living relative in the animal world. I don't know of anyone who has tried it, it is likely that someone, somewhere, has tried, but never spoken of it (betting on human nature). Sure dolphins (porpoises) are smart. Humans still have a larger brain size to body weight ratio, whatever that means (maybe that we are more intelligent, but not necessarily smarter....). We are both products of our years of biological and social evolution in two very different environments, what works for us may not work for them, and vice versa. So dolphins seem (in some cases) to be altruistic. Humans, in some cases seem to be altruistic, too. There's also lots of dolphins that aren't! -- just like there's lots of humans who aren't. Let's not over-romanticize dolphins, making them into watery angels -- it just ain't true. -- *************************************************************************** * Ed L'Esperance - P.O. Box 4635, Kane`ohe, Hawai`i 96744 U.S.A. * * Anthropologist, Writer, Editor - Ka`onohi`ula`okahokumiomio`ehiku * * UUCP%"Ed_L1@VeriFone.Com" * * "As the sun warms the body, so acceptance is the sunlight of the soul." * ***************************************************************************
ed_l1@verifone.com (06/13/91)
Everything deleted for brevity... humans x monkeys? Not possible. the genetic differences are much too great, even different numbers of chromosomes! (in most, if not all instances) humans X apes? Still very unlikely for the same reasons. Even though a chimpanzee is only 3% different from us genetically, it is likely enough that the 3% difference is enough to prevent crossing. Whether the sperm and egg will germinate is a question for the bio folks, whether it would live if it did, is even more remote. The chimp is our closest living relative in the animal world. I don't know of anyone who has tried it, it is likely that someone, somewhere, has tried, but never spoken of it (betting on human nature). Sure dolphins (porpoises) are smart. Humans still have a larger brain size to body weight ratio, whatever that means (maybe that we are more intelligent, but not necessarily smarter....). We are both products of our years of biological and social evolution in two very different environments, what works for us may not work for them, and vice versa. So dolphins seem (in some cases) to be altruistic. Humans, in some cases seem to be altruistic, too. There's also lots of dolphins that aren't! -- just like there's lots of humans who aren't. Let's not over-romanticize dolphins, making them into watery angels -- it just ain't true. We may be the only totally domesticated primate, but we are that only marginally, at times. -- *************************************************************************** * Ed L'Esperance - P.O. Box 4635, Kane`ohe, Hawai`i 96744 U.S.A. * * Anthropologist, Writer, Editor - Ka`onohi`ula`okahokumiomio`ehiku * * UUCP%"Ed_L1@VeriFone.Com" * * "As the sun warms the body, so acceptance is the sunlight of the soul." * ***************************************************************************