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When evolution finds a new branch

   © The Martyr of Science.
  

   The evolution of all life on Earth is unpredictable. Nobody knows what new species of animals will appear tomorrow, what a new virus and with what new dangerous property. Annually there are reports that about the pig, then about the bird flu. They warn about the possibility of influenza transmitted through money. Perhaps a virus that suddenly destroys most of all living things, and maybe all life, may suddenly appear, after which it will die. Theoretically, this is not excluded.
   
How unexpected such evolutionary "breakthroughs" can be traced on several examples.

Photos from the Internet.

   Poisonous snakes.
   
When already reptiles with might and main "plowed" the land, one of the reptile species received a mutation, presumably, in the saliva. Their saliva was slightly poisonous to other animals, but not poisonous to themselves. And after mutual bites, during fights for survival, other animals weakened from their bites, and the ancestors of snakes (proto-snakes) remained in force. Having appeared once, such a mutation quickly established itself. In some teeth appeared (initially from the outside of the tooth) small hollows, in which toxic saliva accumulated. The number of protozomes quickly grew, there were millions, and maybe billions. Where there is a quantity, mutations grow there. All this oral toxic system quickly evolved, improved. And gradually the serpents had teeth that were close to modern, with a strong poison and poisonous ducts. The jaws were also improved, they were able to spread and swallow animals, exceeding in size the proto-serpents themselves.
   
But ... Nobody canceled the law of Lomonosov. Wherever it is taken, the same and the same in another place will be added. Since the evolutionary advantage of proto-serpents began to increase, the symptoms of degradation of their bodies began to grow. Namely, the limbs began to degrade because of uselessness. Why run fast, if you can just lie hiding, then poison venomously, then swallow a paralyzed victim?
   
So, having one advantage, the snakes lost literally the whole animal. They have become ugly, terrible and disgusting. They occupied that niche which is reserved for poisonous reptiles.
   
However, nature is cunning and diverse. One of the snake's branches acquired a coloration mutation. The coloring masked them so well that the poison gradually became unnecessary and evolutionarily atrophied. So there was a new branch of the serpent genus: snakes and other non-venomous snakes. Other species of animals have gone along the path of color evolution. So there were chameleons and numerous small toads, masquerading as green leaves or dark twigs.
   
Another branch of the serpent family took the path of building up strength. These snakes first bitten the victim, and then wrapped around the weakened victim and strangled her. And this branch became huge and strong, but also lost its poisonousness. So there were boas. What has happened is what philosophers call "spiral development." This spiral movement of evolution occurs quite often. It will also meet a person, as will be discussed below.

Photos from the Internet.

   Spiders.
   
It's possible that it all started with some small ancestor of a spider whose legs were sticky. Why, why - this is a separate issue. Something sticky stood out either in the joints or in the body. This sticky was not intended for hunting, but rather simply removed from the body is something superfluous and unnecessary. Like all animals with sweat. And about this sticky dirty paws. And suddenly it turned out that small victims effectively attached to these sticky paws, which then were sent to the mouth (or to the injection of a portion of gastric juice as a sacrifice) of the ancestors of a spider. Further, when the evolutionary advantage was identified, the number of ancestor of the spider increased and the new ability was improved. Then it was possible that this outstanding sticky mass was smeared from the body to the surrounding objects, to which the future victims also adhered. Then it turned out that from the glutinous mass were obtained strings that stretched from the object to the object. Well, further formed a real spider, weaving beautiful and diverse networks.
   
By the way, scientists have established that when receiving various substances in food, the spider changes the pattern of its web. This is especially noticeable when taking drugs with a spider. What even found application in the methodology for determining the chemical composition of narcotic substances. Marijuana corresponds to one pattern of cobwebs, and heroin to another.
   
By the way, the influence of drugs on the spider's pattern has an analogy also with people, composers, poets and writers. The reception of drugs gives birth to unique and original melodies and works by composers, to which millions of people sit down. In fact, such narcotic melodies transmit to the listeners a particle of that narcotic buzz. Drugs also indulged in Beatles, and many - many other stars of both foreign and Soviet variety. And writers who write erotic novels preliminarily take some exciting means, such as even the simplest "undevita", after which the novels turn out to be exciting, exciting readers and well-sold.

Photos from the Internet.


  
Elephants.
   
Another advantage was once the ancestors of elephants. These were the usual four-legged, without horns, such as small horses or saigas (by the similarity of the structure of the upper lip). Their upper lip, in principle, quite mobile in all herbivores, once received an additional positive mutation, became longer than usual and received a more developed muscular component. This lip made it easier to get high hanging leaves and fruits. it became easier to manipulate leaves and twigs. The lip began to evolve, parts of the nose became involved, and the trunk gradually formed. The trunk is a solid advantage in terms of nutrition. However, the trunk is extra weight, cumbersome body, problems in fleeing and rescuing from predators. Therefore, evolution pushed elephants into the niche of animals with a large body. There was simply no other way out. And with a large body and trunk - you can live well. You do not need to escape, twist the trunk and throw it to the ground. That's the whole conversation with predators. And a predator will jump on its back - it will not be difficult to sneak it off. Around and banged the lioness on the ground. Then out of her and the spirit out.

Photos from the Internet.

   Horned.
   
A similar problem has appeared in animals with horns. Large powerful horns create problems in fleeing from predators. And when defense is not easy to harness a horned head, because the eyes are located on the head itself and the orientation in space is lost. Try to shake your head, and then immediately navigate and read the book. Do not immediately realize where you are. Therefore, with all the variations in evolution, the horned ones did not receive any special advantages. Zebra and wild mustang safely survive without horns. Their main task: to drape from a predator at their first appearance and not to engage predators in any relationship. What they do successfully. Apparently, the trunk is the best adaptation for herbivores than horns. And beautiful, and more solid and effective. And what can a horned goat do against a wolf? - Nothing. Even a huge horned cow can not do anything against a small wolf. Unless the wolf turns out to be cowardly. Even a huge horned moose can not always resist the wolf.
   
True, horned sometimes saves their collectivism. When the whole herd turns its horns against the predator. And the lionesses are retreating.



Photos from the Internet.


  
Monkey.
   
Monkey's ancestors were both cold-blooded and warm-blooded. All four-footed tried to learn the ecological niche of life in the trees. What is good to live in trees? - So that you are protected from terrestrial predators. Plus a rich diet of fruits, nuts, leaves, young shoots. And what in return? - And in return you gradually lose the opportunity to run on the ground. Your limbs of the four legs gradually turn into four hands. And the tail develops almost in the fifth limb. Just on the tail has not yet appeared fingers. But in ten million years they can appear. was a suitable mutation. So, having met the free ecological niche, all living things begin to struggle to learn this niche. And how anyone will succeed is at the will of the lot, the probability of one or another determining mutation.
   
Having mastered living on trees, the monkeys were later squeezed out in the direction of increasing the size of the brain. A large brain and stereoscopic vision (and hearing) are needed for monkeys for spatial coordination when moving along branches and jumping from tree to tree. The big brain was useful to monkeys, but it turned out to be a prerequisite for ... reverse descent of monkeys to the ground. But already in a new capacity. Again, "development in a spiral."


Photos from the Internet.

   Human.
   
It is difficult to say which moment was decisive in the descent of some of the monkeys to the ground. There are several options. Perhaps overlapping each other. A defective monkey may have been born, with lower limbs poorly developed to run along the branches. Maybe a herd of monkeys fell into the conditions of forced living on the ground. Perhaps the absence of predators at this time allowed the monkeys not to wander around the trees and collect everything that can be eaten. Maybe the brain has grown so much that it allowed monkeys to control the situation when descending to the ground. Perhaps inside the monkey kingdom increased internal contradictions, internal pressure, which pushed part of the monkeys out. But one way or another, the monkeys began to slowly descend from the trees. Anyway, but for the descended monkeys the land became an absolutely new ecological niche, and they began to absorb this niche and populate it. And it would not have been an evolutionary leap if ... their liberated hands did not take a stick. Ground animals can not pick up a stick! No wolves, no tigers, no hoofed animals. Because they have no hands, all their limbs, all four are legs. With claws or hooves, they can not take a stick. And if the big monkey brain could not control this stick and control it, then evolution would not have occurred to man either. A stick in hand is a giant, absolutely new and unpredictable step in evolution. Yes, in parallel took in hand and a stone, and all that can be thrown. And birds sometimes throw stones or turtles on stones. But the stick became a favorite and compulsory subject of man's ancestors. A stick can be defended from fellow tribesmen, a stick can attack prey, a stick can drive away a wolf and a tiger. You can beat with a stick, or you can stab. The art of stick possession is preserved in the instincts of man and is used in sports such as fencing or Asian martial arts with sticks and nunchakas.
   
Well, then the unpredictable phenomena that he mastered one by one (thanks to the big monkey brain), which unpredictably guided his evolution, and which brought him to the modern level, went on in the ancestors' way.

   -
bent stick - a bow, a pointed stick - a spear
   
- mastering fire and boiled food
   
- mastering tools, making clothes
   
- Drawing, accumulation of social experience
   
- development of metals
   
- invention of gunpowder, weapons, explosives
   
- writing, printing, books
   
- the invention of the school, education from childhood, universities
   
- modern inventions and discoveries
   
But what happens in parallel? Lomonosov's law is unshakable. In parallel, there is a steady, uncontrollable degradation of a person both physically and flexibly. And this is despite the fact that the volume of the brain does not decrease. The digestive system has long been unable to digest untreated animal food and in most cases is unable to assimilate unprocessed plant foods. A man can not drink from a puddle, as dogs and birds calmly do. A person sees worse, hears worse, worse smells than his ancestors - monkeys. A person already can not do much, from the fact that his ancestor knew how, and is not able to survive in the wild. Mowgli exists only in a fairy tale.
   
And what kind of person will take, for example, in 50,000 years? Well, if he survives at all, there are doubts. If a person survives, then:
   
- he will learn to use renewable energy sources
   
- he will learn to use renewable sources of metals, plastics and chemical elements
   
- he will learn to regulate his fertility
   
- he will master the treatment of all defects at the gene level
   
- it will become less aggressive towards each other
   
- it will become not demanding, not greedy, not selfish like the current rich people
   
- he will develop all the technologies to a high level of automation and robotics
   
- The working day and work week will be reduced, free time will be more
   
- a person will (like dolphins) have more time to have sex. And sports. And where to put energy?
   
- people will become more engaged in science, creativity
   
But all this is only an extrapolation to the future of known concepts and phenomena. It is possible that there will be some new human properties, new mutations of brain genes that will create such differences that will allow these mutants to surpass all others and break into even more incomprehensible spheres of thinking, creation, invention ... Maybe these mutants have been achieved and immortality. But this is beyond the current understanding. How is everything going to work out there, who will stay there?
...

 

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