Maccie
Well-Known Member
Having read through this thread carefully, it seems to me that there is a lot of ignorance over just how long species have been evolving. We are talking about thousands of millions of years. Naturally no one person can see a mutation "happening" nor its survival as a pointer to an altered species. Some scientists working with very short lived insects, say fruit flies, may be able to "see" evolution happening, but no-one will be able to see it happening with other species, especially mammals including humans.
In fact, mutations are happening all the time, which is how genetic diseases can arise. Some mutations are lethal, and the foetus does not survive. Others may be of little importance to the individual. But trouble can arise where two individuals with the mutation (which would have been regressive in any one individual) mate and the resulting progeny has only that mutation from both parents.
Eugenics has absolutely nothing to do with evolution. Where animals are concerned, it is usually termed "Breeding programme", as someone else has explained. Cows may be bred for milk production, sheep for especially fine wool. But where humans are concerned it generally refers to a notion of the "superiority" of a race or peoples, such as happened in Nazi Germany in the 1930's, where blacks, Jews, gipsies and anyone showing homosexual "traits" (as defined by the Nazis) were exterminated in order to keep the so-called Aryan race, i.e. the Germans with fair hair, "pure".
Today, eugenics has turned into the "designer baby" problem. Some parents want a "perfect" baby, some scientists are willing to accommodate them, for money of course. But it is a very dodgy, and a very unethical thing to do.
In fact, mutations are happening all the time, which is how genetic diseases can arise. Some mutations are lethal, and the foetus does not survive. Others may be of little importance to the individual. But trouble can arise where two individuals with the mutation (which would have been regressive in any one individual) mate and the resulting progeny has only that mutation from both parents.
Eugenics has absolutely nothing to do with evolution. Where animals are concerned, it is usually termed "Breeding programme", as someone else has explained. Cows may be bred for milk production, sheep for especially fine wool. But where humans are concerned it generally refers to a notion of the "superiority" of a race or peoples, such as happened in Nazi Germany in the 1930's, where blacks, Jews, gipsies and anyone showing homosexual "traits" (as defined by the Nazis) were exterminated in order to keep the so-called Aryan race, i.e. the Germans with fair hair, "pure".
Today, eugenics has turned into the "designer baby" problem. Some parents want a "perfect" baby, some scientists are willing to accommodate them, for money of course. But it is a very dodgy, and a very unethical thing to do.
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