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MetaLark · Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:45 pm Post subject:

What a fisherman!

I guess this is not so extraordinary, though; here's another...

Larry_Home · Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 8:00 pm Post subject:

I just had to post this somewhere. Not sure of the origin, but it was posted at NRO by Mark Steyn with the comment: Is this the next Coakley attack ad in Mass.?

Republicans! Eww!
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The future ain't what it used to be. (Yogi Berra)

MetaLark · Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 7:48 pm Post subject:

Dolphins' Unique Hunting Technique

Larry_Home · Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:40 pm Post subject:

academie · Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:14 pm Post subject:

I don't understand the question. I'll try anyway. (I almost said "bite.") One sound survival strategy is to have a smart brain. Then you can adapt to new circumstances, and figure things out like this. Smarter dolphins would be more successful, so they'd tend to have more children, and we'd expect dumb dolphins to become less common over time.

(Caveat, that I'm not sure intelligence helps *that* much; but this indicates it would.)

But I may not have understood the question.
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You cannot tell a man that saving him and his family from torture, humiliation and death was a mistake and it should've not been done because it's illegal. -- Omar (Iraq the Model blog)

Larry_Home · Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 12:33 am Post subject:

Sorry, I didn't phrase it properly.

How would an evolutionary process result in behavior like this?

I guess one answer is: Dolphins got smarter because smarter dolphins survived better, and smart dolphins can figure stuff like this out. But that could explain anything, so it's not really an explanation. (It also begs the question: if smarter is a survival strategy, why aren't ALL animals smart? Hard to suggest that cows have high IQs.)

My question is, how would natural selection result in dolphins that "know" they can get little fish to eat if some of them slap fins on the ocean floor AND swim in declining-radious turns while others surface inside the turns and wait for the fish to jump into their mouths? This seriously happened as a result of a long series of accidents?? (That's what I meant by "evolution alone.")
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The future ain't what it used to be. (Yogi Berra)

academie · Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 1:14 am Post subject:

Oh. I think there's a standard answer to this. Evolution didn't pick *this* strategy; evolution selected for smart brains (and no, I don't know why sea dwellers need smart brains), and smart brains are capable of coming up with something like this. The evolution only resulted in the smarts -- not the particular solution.
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You cannot tell a man that saving him and his family from torture, humiliation and death was a mistake and it should've not been done because it's illegal. -- Omar (Iraq the Model blog)

plaasjaapie · Joined: 19 Sep 2006 Posts: 9182

Actually, big brains are only selected for when you have a rapidly changing environment which is how we got ours. Evolution usually speciates to give you particularly crafted animals for particular environment. Big brains are a dicey situation because of the amount of energy, in mammals at least, that it takes to run them. You may not know it but your brain accounts for fully half of your energy consumption as a human being. Its a nasty deal because your brain uses lots of energy even when it is idling, which for most people is virtually all of the time.
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Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason? Why if it prosper, none dare call it treason.
— Sir John Harrington

MetaLark · Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 10:43 pm Post subject:

Ever seen this?

Dom DeLuise and Johnny Carson...

Egg Trick

Jethro Tull · Joined: 31 Mar 2006 Posts: 421

Larry_Home · Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 12:48 am Post subject:

That 50% is far too high and leads to a false conclusion.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA):

source is here

MetaLark · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 6:40 pm Post subject:

Swimming Pool Rescue

Jethro Tull · Joined: 31 Mar 2006 Posts: 421

That clip reminded e of a Soprano's episode!

Glad the little peeps made it out of the pool OK.

Larry_Home · Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 12:09 am Post subject:

'Course, now the poor sap has to come out twice a day and put down the chair when the damned ducks come by for a swim. Very Happy

_________________
The future ain't what it used to be. (Yogi Berra)

plaasjaapie · Joined: 19 Sep 2006 Posts: 9182

Just what you need, ducks crapping in your swimming pool. Well, I guess it could be Canadian geese. Laughing

_________________
Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason? Why if it prosper, none dare call it treason.
— Sir John Harrington