h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I think the evidence points to most evolutionary
'advances' being irreversible. Someone mentioned
a nerve earlier which is an example of hard-wired
evolution that occurred long before the mammalian
species began their many variations.

It runs from part of the head to another part of
the head (someone help out here; my memory is off)
but it's wrapped around some other substructure and
no allowance for any change of this connection is
possible so that in creatures which developed long
necks, like giraffes, the nerve is obliged to run
all the way down their necks and back up again.

As a design it lacks a certain elegance.


~jwf~

>> jwf: I meant a rip-off of characters such as Hugo Danner. <<

As often happens what you meant was not obvious by what
you said, but thanks to the great gods of google I can now
say I see what you mean. And agree.

I'd never heard of Danner, even though I've been a
Philip Wylie fan since reading several of his shorter
novels in the 60s. The idea that he actually tried to
sue the Superman creators does little to endear him
further to me, but it certainly proves your point. Wylie
does seem to be the grand-daddy of the modern
(better-living-thru-chemistry) Superhero.

~jwf~

Gills.

The biologist JBS Haldane reckoned they were do-able. We already have them there, in a form. Lungs are basically gills that have been turned inside out and tucked inside. I reckon you'd have to pull them out again because it would be had getting the water pumped through without massive changes to out musculature.

And webbed feet and hands, obviously.

Haldane was a keen experimenter, willing to expose himself to danger to obtain data. One experiment involving elevated levels of oxygen saturation triggered a fit which resulted in him suffering crushed vertebrae. In his decompression chamber experiments, he and his volunteers suffered perforated eardrums, but, as Haldane stated in What is Life, 'the drum generally heals up; and if a hole remains in it, although one is somewhat deaf, one can blow tobacco smoke out of the ear in question, which is a social accomplishment'.

W*k*