All living organisms have a basic instinct for survival. This is either by deriving nutrition that can be turned into energy or by reproduction. This is done by instinct. But instinct is inherited knowledge or at least that is what I have been taught.
My question to evolutionists is how did the first living organism gain this instinctive knowledge? How did it “know” to divide for its survival?
2006-10-22 08:43:47 · 6 answers · asked by Robert L 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
It's not a matter of "knowledge" but of survival itself. If a cell or an organism does not express enough survival behaviors (metabolisis, phototropism, hazard avoidance, reproduction, etc.) for its environment, it will not survive and there will be no more of them. Creatures that do, will. They don't "know", they are simply the products of predecessors with the better adapted mutations.
Consider the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The bacteria didn't get smarter, they just survived and reproduced. A bacteriacide that kills 99.99% if all bacteria leaves 0.01% of the bacteria alive. Out of a billion bacteria, that's still 100,000 resistant bacteria (with less competition from the weaker ones). No intelligence required.
A cell is not just a blob in a membrane. It has structure. The first living cell incorporated chemical processes that existed before it, viruses, prions, proteins and the like, which couldn't reproduce by themselves but made it possible for the cell to do so. If it didn't, that would be it (unless there was more than one "first" cell). But the mechanism for creating a protein, RNA, presented a way for the cell to divide and recreate its genetic material. The cell was already half way to this crucial survival trait. (And, of course, there were no predators.) So it was only a matter of time before it happened.
Every "development" is the result of surviving into the next generation. The giraffes did not stretch their necks to reach the tall leaves, the ones who were already taller survived when the leaves were out of normal reach. And instincts are not "knowledge" but genetically cued advantageous behaviors that enable an organism to survive and reproduce. A non-advantageous "instinct" will die out.
Knowledge has to be taught, either by another member of the species or through trial-and-error experience. Instinct develops trial-and-error style on a cellular level, only errors tend not to survive.
2006-10-22 18:27:30 · answer #1 · answered by skepsis 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cells don't "know" how to divide for its survival. Some genetic mutation ended up coding for the ability to divide, based on signals that are received from the environment.
2006-10-22 08:47:01 · answer #2 · answered by devoutguardian 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Maybe an evolutionary biologist can give you the answer. I'm sure I don't know.
But that's why we have science, to help us answer questions that we don't know the answers to.
The thing about religion is that it claims to know all the answers based on faith alone, no evidence needed. But science requires evidence. So don't think that because we don't know something *yet* means it's unknowable or untrue.
2006-10-22 08:46:53 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good question. I think they did not have any instinct during the first cell division, but immediately after that moment they began to acquire what you are describing.
2006-10-22 08:46:35 · answer #4 · answered by Isis 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
every cell or life form has a direct instinct.Very good question!!!!!!! :)
2006-10-22 08:52:22 · answer #5 · answered by tweeterbutterfly 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It was genetically programmed to do that...
2006-10-22 08:48:14 · answer #6 · answered by McNabb 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋