[ivan.moony]

did you noticed a huge amount of intelligence in flora and fauna appearance? Like ant-eater has a huge nose, beasts have big canines (not all teeth, just perfect for catching pray), some bugs that run over water have miniature hair on legs, chameleon has a long tongue for catching flies (notice intelligence in instinct too, passed over generations).

Just like some God, or who knows who created the life on purpose, with all brilliant invents!

Maybe organisms are artificial intelligence of some outer species, or God (if he exists).

[squarebear]

I think it is more like survival of the fittest and evolution.

The only way the anteater can catch ants is with its long nose, so the ones with smaller noses die out.

[ivan.moony]

evolution sounds cool to me, but compare it to complete chaos at the beginning. How many combinations should be checked to create reproductive organism that improves in each generation?

And if it is only a noise at each generation? It seems to me like evolution is building something in more intelligent way, might be a noise, but very good controlled one.

I'm telling you, something fishy is going on. I suspect something very smart happen at the beginning, leaving us with an improving algorithm in our genes.

[Freddy]

When you consider the time scale over which all of this stuff we call life came to be; then really it's just too hard to imagine how it kicked off.

Doesn't evolution also require mutation ?

But I know what you mean about how clever it all is, if that's a word that does it justice. Really it's amazing, everything from the shape of a fern leaf to the shape of a snails shell. Love that.

[Art]

Yes, Evolution requires modification BUT within the species.
Monkeys did not evolve into humans and amphibians did not evolve into land walking animals.

I believe there are many modifications and mutations happening or that have happened within
each species to better adapt themselves to say a particular area, climate, environment or need.

Many did not evolve from just one. Each species was here by itself. How it got here...is another
discussion....

[Don Patrick]

For some time I considered that evolution was a form of intelligence, different from human intelligence, but apparently learning and improving upon itself. The "intelligence" could be encoded in dna. However, I've been persuaded to believe that it is random mutation (such as in our children) + survival of the fittest over an unimaginable time that caused e.g. butterflies with 'eye' patterns on their wings to outlive those without. Scientific research into dna and genetics supported this.
But any which way you turn it, it's still pretty amazing.

[claude2]

Make emotions, by the virtual. Creates a feeling of sadness to a human, or joy, or as a motivation, which involves the explanation of a virtual human, I think it's possible.
Facebook has created is very new, software, program, which Annalyse, your behavior on the internet, your habit, your taste, and your default. So for programming followed by a human genetic replica, it has come to be exploited interractive 3D virtuality.
I do not know if that answers to your topic.

[claude2]

I think I shifted the subject, the evolution of monkey, I did not make him honor, because you have in the topic of the genetic mutation. I must be an amphibian, because I have not read correctly. Okay! yes, it is true that in this area they are still many specimens, especially in impoverished economic management, we have in France a phenomenon that looks worse hurricane. 

[Art]

Good point Don and while on the eastern coast shore of the US, I've observed large seagulls finding a clam shell. They grasp it with their claws and fly to about 20 - 30 feet then drop it to the wet sand below. Sometimes they repeat this a few times until the now weakened clam inside can no longer use it's muscles to hold the shell closed. It pops open and the seagull flies down to enjoy a nice snack!

This behavior was obviously learned and taught to younger generations..and so on....

Same with Otters who will float on their backs lay a clam on their bellies then by holding a small rock between their paws like a tool, will crack open the shell. Using a stone as a tool...a learned and taught behavior.

Chimps with long sticks they wet then stick down ant hills to fetch those "tasty" ants! Use of a material as a tool.

The list goes on but I personally think a lot of behavior in the animal world is often "learned" behavior rather than "instinctive" as so many claim.

Great topic!!

[claude2]

This makes me hungry! The clam is delicious raw or cooked, naturally with parsley clove garlic, sprinkled with white wine.

[Freddy]

The list goes on but I personally think a lot of behavior in the animal world is often "learned" behavior rather than "instinctive" as so many claim.

Yes it's a mix of both. Young chicks in the nest know instinctively to open their beaks to beg for food I thought, or do they just learn that quick from having food forced on them ? Anyway yes crows, ravens and the like all learn unique tricks to get food. There was one example where a bird was dropping nuts on a road so that cars broke them open; then the bird could feed.

But Corvidae in general can figure things out within a few moments. Take a look at this Raven, there are other examples too 

[Art]

Very cool. Yes, ravens and crows are extremely intelligent and creative.

They can also recognize different people from a distance as the crows
know my wife's car when she pulls into the driveway. They "caw" at her
because she occasionally tosses some scraps of stale bread out onto
the back yard. They love her!! Hehe!!