Study: Evolution, Adaptation, and Natural Selection in Drow

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by grinner666, Nov 30, 2011.

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  1. moav

    moav Member

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    Re: Another new player question

    I played a fat wizard once in a pencil and paper campaign - not only was it fun , but it deflected the fat jokes away from me onto my character . At least I told myself they were talking about my character .
     
    moav, Dec 6, 2011
    #16
  2. GuardianAngel82

    GuardianAngel82 Senior Member

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    Re: Another new player question

    Chainmail over something.
    Renfest 4.jpg

    "Chainmail" looking.
    Renfest 2.jpg

    Realistic and more practical.
    Renfest 10.jpg

    Courtesy of the Texas Renaissance Festival.
     
    GuardianAngel82, Dec 6, 2011
    #17
  3. Sergio Morozov

    Sergio Morozov Paladin

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    Re: Another new player question

    Well, first of all, natural selection by the skin colour factor does not apply in evolved human-like society. As well as many other types of natural selection applying to animals (we now have even people with [lethal] hereditary heart deficiencies and many other severe illnesses breeding and producing deficient off-spring). And, since natural selection does not occur, it can not lead to skin colour change.

    But, even if it would occur, it does not work fast, and even if drow lived in Underdark (Any other subterranean environment) for "millenia", it is too short time, because, you see, drow are known for their longevity! So 1000 years will not be 20 generations for them, but 2. And in humans no evolutionary changes occured in the last 1000 years (afaik).
     
    Sergio Morozov, Dec 7, 2011
    #18
  4. GuardianAngel82

    GuardianAngel82 Senior Member

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    Re: Another new player question

    If a gene is present, but not "expressed" (it's not active), it takes about 30 generations (1000 years for humans) for it to become expressed again if the environment that it is an adaption to is returned to.

    Recent human "evolution" seems to include an increased incidence of overbite versus edge-to-edge in the bite profile and reduced incidence of the presence of wisdom teeth. These are the genetic adaptation rather than from dental procedures.
     
    GuardianAngel82, Dec 7, 2011
    #19
  5. Sergio Morozov

    Sergio Morozov Paladin

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    Re: Another new player question

    Umm, and to what do wrong bite and lack of teeth adapt humans?
    This is not an adaptation, this is degradation!
     
    Sergio Morozov, Dec 8, 2011
    #20
  6. GuardianAngel82

    GuardianAngel82 Senior Member

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    Re: Another new player question

    The overbite is perhaps an adaptation to agriculture. The loss of wisdom teeth is probably because of shorter jawlines.

    Since we are no longer the prey of saber-tooth tigers and what-not, the evolutionary pressure is going to be due to adaptaton to new food supplies (soft drinks and vodka), massive epidemics, air pollution, wierd new habits like smoking or sitting in chairs getting fat in front of computer monitors...
     
    GuardianAngel82, Dec 8, 2011
    #21
  7. Sergio Morozov

    Sergio Morozov Paladin

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    That is DEvolution pressure.
     
    Sergio Morozov, Dec 8, 2011
    #22
  8. Gaear

    Gaear Bastard Maestro Administrator

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    Ever seen the Mike Judge movie "Idiocracy?" In it they make a compelling case that 500 years in the future mankind will be stupid, because we have no natural predators and the breeding population trends toward dumb people having the most offspring. In their head-to-head study, 'Clevon,' a dumbass, was involved in the breeding of a tremendous number of offspring over the course of the study, having had 2 concurrent breeding partners during his own time and seeing similar behavior on the part of each of his offspring, including some degree of cross-breeding and liasons between some of Clevon's offspring with other members of his own breeding circle, while Mr. and Mrs. intelligent had zero offspring because they were waiting until such time as they were financially secure enough to properly rear a child, and even suffered a net loss of 1 because the husband died prematurely and had not yet passed on his genes.

    familytree2.jpg

    550idiocracytree.jpg

    idiocracy-tree.jpg
     
    Gaear, Dec 8, 2011
    #23
  9. WinstonShnozwick

    WinstonShnozwick Established Member

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    About chainmail; I made this picture a while ago about it :p
     

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    WinstonShnozwick, Dec 9, 2011
    #24
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