[I thunk this was] Why being Smart is Bad [Right gud]

[InaRut]

SOCIAL STUDIES
A DAILY MISCELLANY OF INFORMATION BY MICHAEL KESTERTON
MICHAEL KESTERTON; mkesterton@globeandmail.com

May 8, 2008

Why be smart?

"If it's so great to be smart, why have most animals remained dumb?" asks Tadeusz Kawecki, an evolutionary biologist at Switzerland's University of Fribourg. He and his colleagues bred a fast-learning strain of fruit flies and compared them with ordinary fruit flies to see which lived longer. On average, the fast learners had 15 per cent shorter lives. On the other hand, fruit flies that had been selected instead for long life were up to 40 per cent worse at learning than ordinary flies. "We don't know what the mechanism of this is," Dr. Kawecki told The New York Times. Forming neuron connections may cause harmful side effects. It is also possible that genes that allow learning to develop faster and last longer may cause other changes.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...//TPStory/Life



So there you have it. Damn school! I wish I never had studied at all!

[Alexander]

Wow. just, wow.

[Defraction]

I don't get why we're being compared to fruit flies... but whatever.

It took a smart peoples to get us where we are - don't let these fruit flies kill our technology!

[Lexington]

"If it's so great to be smart, why have most animals remained dumb?" Because they were too dumb to realize that being smart was better. Duh.

Lex

[Bryan90]

Originally Posted by Lexington

"If it's so great to be smart, why have most animals remained dumb?" Because they were too dumb to realize that being smart was better. Duh.

Lex

Lol.. Lex... and probably the smart flies realized that life is too boring.. which explains their short life expectancy.

[sdc91]

So in conclusion, stupid Drosophila live .083 nanoseconds longer than smart ones.

Originally Posted by sdc91

So in conclusion, stupid Drosophila live .083 nanoseconds longer than smart ones.

But think of all the things you can do within less than 1 nanosecond!

[Lexington]

I've known a couple gay guy who could probably squeeze in a couple relationships during that time...

Lex

[Nerdtendo]

How do they know the flies where smart?

...and how do they know they dont have a diffrent KIND of smart? it's kinda like the Street Smart/Book Smart relationship.

[Owen]

Originally Posted by Lexington

"If it's so great to be smart, why have most animals remained dumb?" Because they were too dumb to realize that being smart was better. Duh.

Lex

Is it though? In my experience, being smart only makes one realize the harsh realities of the world more quickly. Intelligence should make us happy, but once your surpass the age of five, anything you learn is either neutral of sad. Ignorance is bliss, indeed.

[InaRut]

Originally Posted by Nerdtendo

How do they know the flies where smart?

...and how do they know they dont have a diffrent KIND of smart? it's kinda like the Street Smart/Book Smart relationship.

Uhmm...I think they just genetically modified the flies brains to be able to preform better...

Or maybe they were fruit flies writing math problems and comming out of the closet (cause only smart people go gay?)..

next thing you know...Fruit Flies on EC hahahah

BTW Off Topic: Molly (My Dog who I signed on to EC) has been doing fine. Today she ate a squirrel..Fresh kill too...for breakfast.

Back on Topic: I thought the idea was interesting but it's got a lotta holes in it's theories. For one, this doesn't apply to the human world at all. Because Socially the richer people can afford what ever they need to survive. And also thanks to the intelligence of most Humans live a pretty long time compared to that of a stupider animal.


I think this really only applies to fruit flies. Haha

>_> Then again I probobly missed something.

[Brett]

So you're saying that the smarter you are....the faster you-
Haha! Just had to!
But seriously, that theory may apply to a fly, but like Phil said, smarter humans can afford more of what they need. And also, knowing the ignorance of a lot of modern day scientists, they probably just kept the flies in a secure environment with no predators. In the real worl, the smart flies would adapt, and survive, and be gay!
And the stupid flies would get eated..........

[InaRut]

I don't think it's in terms of smart flies being smart as in the way we see as smart. I think that they say they are smarter because they are gentically modified to have stronger brain power. But that doesn't mean a fly will know to avoid a predator.

I don't really know how a fly could be smart?

...But yah they also said the early death could be caused by the genetic modifications as well...which is alot more likely.

If you read the article...It's interesting...but I think this scientist was just looking for a quick buck.

[Brett]

Yeah, it probably had quite a bit to do w/ the modifications..........
But I don't really get what you mean by them not what we think of as smart. I mean I'm pretty sure that the only way to be smart is to have an enhanced capabilty to connect neurons in the brain.....but knowing me, I'm probably off on that one too.......

[InaRut]

Well techincally that's how they would be smart.

But that doesn't mean they would try and avoid predators any differently and such. Maybe they would...because the brain would be enchance their instincts?

Or maybe there is a race of super flies that are being gay and such. Who knows... Maybe Brett actually is a fly who's learned to use the internet.

...Brett? Your not a fly are you?

[Brett]

ZZZZZ------No......*vomit* ZZZZZZZZZ--------
O lll O
...w....

[Level N Human]

Good thing I quit Chemistry. !! (Catches a ball in a cup. Catches a ball in a cup. Misses) Aww.. It's okay, it's attached to a string so if I miss I can just catch the ball in the cup again! Ahh, life is so much easier with lower standards and no expectations.

[InaRut]

Originally Posted by Level N Human

Good thing I quit Chemistry. !! (Catches a ball in a cup. Catches a ball in a cup. Misses) Aww.. It's okay, it's attached to a string so if I miss I can just catch the ball in the cup again! Ahh, life is so much easier with lower standards and no expectations.

And I think that's what the article is trying to say ^

(and also ROFL for the Family guy joke)

So if Charles Dicken's hadn't of written Greater Expectations would he have live 15% more if he wrote Less Expectations instead? Haha!

Originally Posted by Lexington

"If it's so great to be smart, why have most animals remained dumb?" Because they were too dumb to realize that being smart was better. Duh.

Lex

LMAOO!!

maybe the clever ones were suffering from performance anxiety and thats why they clogged it quicker

[Nitro]

While I may not be a great biologist (yet!) I do have some thoughts on the matter:

Although both fruit flies and humans belong to the same kingdom (anamalia), the inferences made are not correct as they compare apples and oranges so to speak. The differences lie primarily in the life history and survivorship models on the species.

Flies are: individualistic, rapidly developing, produce numerous offspring, have very few offspring that survive to reproduce, die soon after mating as they are evolutionarily useless after mating

Humans are: slower to develop, produce less offspring - which have higher survival rates, use evolutionary altruism (meaning survival of kin is desirable to help pass down genetic info - even at your own evolutionary expense), social and due to said social nature can be useful after age of mating has passed

Humans truly are odd creatures in that they are an exaggerated case of a k-type life history (few offspring, much better chances of survival for each of those offspring). Part of this is merely external selecting factors (stupid hunters go hungry) but is also mating selecting factors as well. Recent (21 century) research indicates that human brains are largely configured to seek out monogamous relationships. Because of this and our active social nature, it would only make sense that people would want to mate with people they can get along with ... now what was one of the common themes in the soul mate thread ... oh yes - intelligence was a fairly common trait asked for.

The extent to which evolutionary altruism manifests itself is perhaps what (thinly) separates humans from other animals - it brings out the best of us, in that we strive for the survival of the entire species (as evidenced by say the UN). However it also brings out a more destructive part in our nature - humans are the only animals I know of that are willing to die, not just for family, but in the defense of ideas.