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LTbear

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Everything posted by LTbear

  1. LTbear

    65

    Yep, most people of European descent have something like 1-3% neanderthal DNA. Denisovans do have a sparse record, but truth is that's true for the vast majority of vertebrates we know from the fossil record. Odds are there are several extinct human species we'll never even know about.
  2. LTbear

    65

    Internet myths. While I was at Baylor a science professor was fired for suggesting creationism be considered as a science.
  3. LTbear

    65

    Another thing to think about: why be smart? We have a biased viewpoint in which you'd think well of course evolution would favor big brains, but that isn't so. Selection only favors what can survive and reproduce, and critters can be incredibly well-adapted for a particular niche without being super brainy. Crocodiles, cockroaches, a million other species are doing great with limited brain power. Moreover, any adaptation is a compromise in some way. Big brains give us a more complex social structure and behavior, but our brains came with disadvantages back in the day. That few pounds of jello in our heads eat up about 25% of our daily calories - that's a huge disadvantage when you're a primate evolving on the savannah with little assurance of when your next meal will come. That calorie need may be one reason (among a few others) that we are relatively weak compared to the other apes - we traded the calories needed to sustain larger musculature for the calories needed for bigger brains. And of course those huge brains, combined with our evolution towards bipedalism, combine to make our childbirth one of the most risky of all mammals; another compromise.
  4. LTbear

    65

    Good question, but the simple answer is that by chance, some genera (our genus is Homo) happen to have only one living species, and that's true for us. At other periods in Earth history, there were multiple species of humans living on the planet at the same time. As recently as 30,000 years ago (which is an absolutely tiny amount of time from the perspective of Earth history, there were three human species around: H. sapiens, H. denisova, and H. neanderthalensis. Why the others went extinct, we don't know, but it could have been competition (with us), chance events (like a disease that wiped out a then smallish population), climate change, or some combo thereof. As an aside - are we that smart? We existed pretty much like any other animal, despite being 100% anatomically modern, for the vast majority of our species' history (200,000ish years). I'd argue that really the one thing that separates us so much from other critters is the evolutionary advancements in our vocal apparatus (as compared to other primates) and the eventual creation of writing, which has allowed us to accumulate knowledge from generation to generation. If each new generation of human couldn't be born into the wealth of pre-recorded knowledge from all prior generations, I doubt we'd look nearly so advanced.
  5. LTbear

    65

    I'm a paleontologist/ evolutionary biologist. I'm totally in for all of it.
  6. LTbear

    65

  7. Absolutely hate to hear this. One of the most unique and badass personalities to ever work in this sport, and legitimately an American treasure. Hoping for a miracle, Mr. Pirate, but if not may you rest in peace.
  8. Which is why everyone is pointing out that this is a stupid take. But you're welcome to continue digging deeper into that stupidity hole.
  9. How does that idiot not even get the quote right? "Too blessed to be STRESSED." Same dude was adamant about buffs fans needing a "reality check" if they thought Prime would ever come to Colorado a few days ago.
  10. Same. Look at this horseshit. Then once I got it I wanted to punch Wordle. Wordle 523 5/6 🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
  11. Wish they'd come to Missoula last year for the game, as they toyed with for a long time. Bozeman is cool, but Missoula is the best game day experience in the FCS.
  12. Are you talking in general or did she do something new today?
  13. Momma cat with kittens nearby
  14. You've never seen the generic ol' impatience meme?
  15. Did I completely misread his post, or wasn't he clearly mocking how privileged white women would look down their nose at poorer women (often of color) who need abortions as "loose sloots", pointing out how said privileged women are full of shit, since they know that they themselves (or their daughters) could easily take a weekend trip to wherever to get an abortion if they ever actually needed it? He's saying "this is what privileged white women call other women." He's not calling women sluts. And MRS degrees - again, isn't he mocking the privilege of the many, many, many women who openly brag about that being their goal?
  16. I hate city life. Or at least "real" cities (traffic, crowding, noise, etc.). But in the Montana cities - especially Bozeman and Missoula - it's more liberal than you'd likely think. Montana has more of a purple/ libertarian vibe than a truly red one.
  17. Montana is pretty great most of the time (ignore our current governor)
  18. I did it in person today. No line, got my sticker. Took five min. (but I live in Montana)
  19. Sooner salt
  20. Aggy is the only school I've never heard a single Big XII fan regret losing. More like a collective sigh of relief.
  21. Cal being in the Big XII would not grow the research dollars of any current Big XII school (and I say this as a Cal alum).
  22. Arizona basketball would be fun in the Big XII though.
  23. Untwist your panties son
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