Im a big fan of evolution and have a couple different theories running on this one, but i still just dont get it... what kind of stimuli caused the lemming to evolve into a suicidal species?
how the heck does suicide improve fitness!?
2007-01-06 07:14:34 · 4 answers · asked by squirrelman9014 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Lemmings are not suicidal. Lemmings evolved in to a pack lifestyle in which one leader decides for the group. When lemmings stampede, it is difficult for them to stop, so when the pack gets to an edge, even if the front ones wanted to stop, they couldn't. It is the same as if wild horses stampede or buffalo running off cliffs.
2007-01-06 07:28:29 · answer #1 · answered by Silas 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I dig evolution too!
Evolution doesn't work quite like that. Basically, if births occur before detrimental behaviors do, the urge for detrimental behavior survives. No darwinian impetus to weed out the behavior.
An analogy for us humans is, why was the propensity for cancer and other chronic terminal diseases not weeded out through evolution? Again, they don't preclude birth and generally don't widely affect those in the population until they are a good bit older.
That's just my take on it.
NOTE to "Adopt": A-ha! Interesting on the cancer, hadn't been aware of it in that way. Thanks.
2007-01-06 15:24:44 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sorry, I'm not responding directly to the question, because I agree whole-heartedly with the first poster, But he made a statement as to why cancer wasn't weeded out through evolution, it's because the cancer isn't in our genes, it's a mutation of a cell that causes it to grow, its pretty much completely random, and unpredictable
2007-01-06 15:27:26 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Lemming suicide is a myth.
2007-01-06 15:29:25 · answer #4 · answered by novangelis 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋