What are your favorite examples of evolution in progress?

[No_God]

The flu... because I'm a sadistic fuck.

[I_am_not_mafia]

The flu... because I'm a sadistic fuck.

I worked with someone who used to track how the flu evolved. It was a fascinating subject because it mutates so quickly. Her eyes lit up when she talked about it.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The flu... because I'm a sadistic fuck.

I worked with someone who used to track how the flu evolved. It was a fascinating subject because it mutates so quickly. Her eyes lit up when she talked about it.

Was she a T-100?  

[shadow]

The flu... because I'm a sadistic fuck.

Yeah, I love the flu too. It's like a Christmas present each winter, but better.

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Why does it have to be just biological? If we create a species that has consciousness and self awareness, is it not equal or better than us? We then become the gods that create sentient beings. However, they may turn around and destroy us but hey, that's the cost of being a god.

I don't think that would be evolution, unless genetic mutation can occur because that is fundamentally what enables evolution. With a conscious sort of AI it would not be natural anymore, but deliberate.
Source: Terminator

[brewer]

Being the way I am, micro-evolution. Tell me that resistant TB isn't fun.

My brother and I are naturally resistant to TB

My favourite examples of non-Darwinian evolution are:

• Language
  
• Religion
  

The two of you can't be much fun at the leper colony then.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

My brother and I are naturally resistant to TB

My favourite examples of non-Darwinian evolution are:

• Language
  
• Religion
  

The two of you can't be much fun at the leper colony then.

Yeah, they'd cheat at thumb wrestling. 

[Bow Before Zeus]

Why does it have to be just biological? If we create a species that has consciousness and self awareness, is it not equal or better than us? We then become the gods that create sentient beings. However, they may turn around and destroy us but hey, that's the cost of being a god.

Then that's not evolution, that's a new brand of creation. Evolution is "change through time." The mechanism is mutation.

The evolution part comes in when the machines start to replicate themselves in an ever increasingly better way. Many of the mechanisms of biological evolution can be present in their evolutionary process but there may also be other mechanisms involved. I would guess that the goal would be to survive therefore the machines will evolve to be far more intelligent and far stronger than humans thereby being in direct competition to our biological desire to reproduce and keep our particular gene in the gene pool.

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Why does it have to be just biological? If we create a species that has consciousness and self awareness, is it not equal or better than us? We then become the gods that create sentient beings. However, they may turn around and destroy us but hey, that's the cost of being a god.

I don't think that would be evolution, unless genetic mutation can occur because that is fundamentally what enables evolution. With a conscious sort of AI it would not be natural anymore, but deliberate.
Source: Terminator

There would still be the environmental influences that would shape the next generation of machines. So if you take two populations of machines they would evolve along different paths if they are in separate and non-connected environments. This is a Darwinian evolutionary mechanism. There could well be other influences that are non-Darwinian but not sure what they could be.

[vorlon13]

Evolution in progress?

We've noted the arguments offered against evolution by the creationist people and the ID people have evolved over time.

Funny, ain't it, God did not bestow upon them a fully formed argument in Darwin's time and they've had to tweak and hammer their claims for well over a century.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Then that's not evolution, that's a new brand of creation. Evolution is "change through time." The mechanism is mutation.

The evolution part comes in when the machines start to replicate themselves in an ever increasingly better way. Many of the mechanisms of biological evolution can be present in their evolutionary process but there may also be other mechanisms involved. I would guess that the goal would be to survive therefore the machines will evolve to be far more intelligent and far stronger than humans thereby being in direct competition to our biological desire to reproduce and keep our particular gene in the gene pool.

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Still not evolution.

[Bow Before Zeus]

The evolution part comes in when the machines start to replicate themselves in an ever increasingly better way. Many of the mechanisms of biological evolution can be present in their evolutionary process but there may also be other mechanisms involved. I would guess that the goal would be to survive therefore the machines will evolve to be far more intelligent and far stronger than humans thereby being in direct competition to our biological desire to reproduce and keep our particular gene in the gene pool.

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Still not evolution.

Yes, yes, let's keep telling ourselves that. I wonder if bugs say that about us when we crush them underfoot? You damn AI machines are not evolving! Damn you!