Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Cry me a Big Question
Still reading the Hix book. HIx delighted in debunking Shared Lies, but occasionally he missed the point.
The writer of the original saying knew that crocodiles don't shed tears. That's exactly why they're used as an example of human false tears. Like "scarce as hen's teeth".
But it turns out to be a lot more complicated. In fact crocodiles do have tear glands. Crocodiles are mainly land dwellers. Fish don't have tear glands. Amphibians have tear glands in their land-based adult forms but not in their fish-like larval forms.
Obviously the purpose of the tear gland, like every other necessary purpose, is present in the genes of all vertebrates. The glands are expressed and implemented exactly when needed.
Big Question: If animals started in water, why was the gene for tear glands present in fish? How did evolution KNOW that fish would later evolve into semi-terrestrial critters who would need tear glands only in their land forms, and then evolve into land-only critters with full-time tear glands?
Contrarily, if the gene wasn't present from the start, how did land-crawlers survive for millions of years until "random mutation" happened to figure out the correct and complicated form of a tear gland? Did they stay near water and dunk their heads when their vision started to blur? If so, how did they know that dunking their heads would clear their vision? Was this an instinct? If so, when did the gene for the instinct evolve?
= = = = =
10 minutes after posting the above, Google fed me this ad:
The writer of the original saying knew that crocodiles don't shed tears. That's exactly why they're used as an example of human false tears. Like "scarce as hen's teeth".
But it turns out to be a lot more complicated. In fact crocodiles do have tear glands. Crocodiles are mainly land dwellers. Fish don't have tear glands. Amphibians have tear glands in their land-based adult forms but not in their fish-like larval forms.
Obviously the purpose of the tear gland, like every other necessary purpose, is present in the genes of all vertebrates. The glands are expressed and implemented exactly when needed.
Big Question: If animals started in water, why was the gene for tear glands present in fish? How did evolution KNOW that fish would later evolve into semi-terrestrial critters who would need tear glands only in their land forms, and then evolve into land-only critters with full-time tear glands?
Contrarily, if the gene wasn't present from the start, how did land-crawlers survive for millions of years until "random mutation" happened to figure out the correct and complicated form of a tear gland? Did they stay near water and dunk their heads when their vision started to blur? If so, how did they know that dunking their heads would clear their vision? Was this an instinct? If so, when did the gene for the instinct evolve?
= = = = =
10 minutes after posting the above, Google fed me this ad:
Labels: Grand Blueprint
¶ 2:40 PM
