Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 21:17:49 -0700
From: maa32 
Subject: (urth) In glory like their star subspecies

on the subspecies with tails in In glory like their star:

Monkeys?

They are more genetically similar to us than a lot of animals we lump together 
into the same species are to each other.

I don't know how Gene feels about evolution... actually, I take that back.  
He's a Lamarckian, isn't he?  And he defends it on the basis that the usual 
attacks are actually attacks on Lesenkoism or something... whatever.  And this 
means that the changes one generation makes can affect future generations ... 
in light of all the dangerous chemicals that I had to play with in lab, this 
is obviously true ... "Do Not Inhale: Mutagen - causes heritable genetic 
defects" How many times have I seen that label too late? (And radiation and 
whatnot)

An interesting statement that may influence Wolfe's ideas about evolution came 
from the pope about three years ago: "evolution might be more than a theory."
(Catholics also enjoy some freedom from strict interpretation of the first 11 
chapters of Genesis: they illustrate a truth like Jesus' parables without 
having to be literally true - their explanatory powers serves the divine will 
just as the parables instruct without having basis in "reality")

In any case, I know very little about monkeys ... do they live in the desert?  
From Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, and some other cultural 
stereotypes that might linger in the back of my mind for no substantial 
reason, I think they do.  (Remember that monkey from the movie?  It was an 
evil spy or something ...)
OK, just my two cents. 
Marc Aramini



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