Semi-OT: We will go to Stars.

Ruatha · #1 July 21st, 2004, 07:36 AM

Tunneling is an interesting phenomenon, that I'll have to read further into before I say anything, read along with me:

FTL Experiments
FTL PHysics

[ July 21, 2004, 06:45: Message edited by: Ruatha ]

dumbluck · #2 July 21st, 2004, 10:03 PM

I see only one problem with the whole concept of establishing remote colonies that will never exchange population (ala remote seeding ships). That problem is called Evolution. When a population of critters is cut off from the main population of critters, the two populations evolve along different path. Eventually, the splinter critters aren't critters anymore, they're creepy crawleys, or what have you.

So if HUMANS establish remote colonies in other starsystems WITHOUT the ability to travel back and forth fairly regularly, those remote colonies will eventually not even be human colonies anymore. They'd be aliens!

[ July 21, 2004, 21:09: Message edited by: dumbluck ]

Slick · #3 July 21st, 2004, 10:13 PM

Logically, if we could get there to establish the colony in the first place, it shouldn't take much longer until we could make a round trip. But, yeah, that's why places like Austrailia have so many unique creatures.

The non-humans are different too. j/k

Slick.

oleg · #4 July 21st, 2004, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dumbluck:
I see only one problem with the whole concept of establishing remote colonies that will never exchange population (ala remote seeding ships). That problem is called Evolution. When a population of critters is cut off from the main population of critters, the two populations evolve along different path. Eventually, the splinter critters aren't critters anymore, they're creepy crawleys, or what have you.

So if HUMANS establish remote colonies in other starsystems WITHOUT the ability to travel back and forth fairly regularly, those remote colonies will eventually not even be human colonies anymore. They'd be aliens!

Evolution requires the driving external pressure for the survival of the fittest. Progress in technology excused humans from the general natural order. Even primitive Stone age technology freezed our evolution for 400K years now - there were no changes in our nature since

DarkHorse · #5 July 22nd, 2004, 02:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by oleg:
QUOTE]Evolution requires the driving external pressure for the survival of the fittest. Progress in technology excused humans from the general natural order. Even primitive Stone age technology freezed our evolution for 400K years now - there were no changes in our nature since

Evolution still happens; as a small example, we are slowly doing away with wisdom teeth. It just happens a little more randomly without the natural selection pressures.

DarkHorse · #6 July 22nd, 2004, 02:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by oleg:
Screw FTL, genetic engeeeniring is our bright and shiny future

You might want to tell that to these people.

Phoenix-D · #7 July 22nd, 2004, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DarkHorse:
Evolution still happens; as a small example, we are slowly doing away with wisdom teeth. It just happens a little more randomly without the natural selection pressures.

Actually without natural selection (which we DO still have) it happens completely randomly. Especially if you get populations small enough for genetic drift to be a factor.