Evolution Sucks

So we're talking about genetics in biology right now. Naturally, we discussed Thomas Morgan's experiments with fruit flies and his contribution to Mendelian genetics that the chromosome has a role in heredity .

Thomas Morgan

Teachers always talk about Morgan crossing homozygous red-eyed flies with homozygous white-eyed flies and how this led to his ultimate discovery. My question is, how on earth did Morgan make sure the right flies mated with each other? I imagine it looked a bit like this...

Studying genetics becomes an incredibly personal thing, because we all start to think about our own genetic makeup. This continues when we examine genetic disorders, and I can see the wheels start to turn in everyone's head. We were talking about one disease in particular, and the stats of its occurrence. We realized that in all probability that one of us in the class had it, and started to glance around nervously.

Learning genetics is one of the things that makes me want to avoid reproducing like the plague. Besides the whole career thing and trying not to conform to the expectation that I will have kids. Genetics is like a game of Russian roulette. You throw together some sperm and an egg and just hope for the best. Once you consider all the different mutations possible it begins to look bleak.

But it just may be that mutation that leads to the next step in evolution, that gives the human race an advantage in the times ahead. Who knows? We could end up with gills, but for the toxic pollution permeating our atmosphere.

Evolution sucks. I mean, we could have developed wings and laser eyes, but instead we ended up with a bigger frontal lobe and posable thumbs. Pssh. The whole superior intelligence thing is overrated.

Our teacher was explaining that evolution does not go for convenience. Well, Duh! If evolution was based on convenience we would not have evolved periods as an integral part of the placentals' reproductive systems.