From: me22over7@gmail.com   
      
   On 22/12/2025 2:20 pm, John Harshman wrote:   
   > On 12/21/25 4:59 AM, MarkE wrote:   
   >> On 19/12/2025 9:26 am, John Harshman wrote:   
   >>> On 12/18/25 4:24 AM, MarkE wrote:   
   >>>> On 18/12/2025 3:26 am, John Harshman wrote:   
   >>>>> On 12/17/25 3:22 AM, MarkE wrote:   
   >>>>>> On 17/12/2025 6:47 am, John Harshman wrote:   
   >>>>>>> On 12/16/25 4:22 AM, MarkE wrote:   
   >>>>>>>> On 16/12/2025 1:23 pm, John Harshman wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>> On 12/15/25 4:53 PM, MarkE wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>> Larry Moran offers this analysis:   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> "...A small number of these neutral mutations will become   
   >>>>>>>>>> fixed in the population and it's these fixed mutations that   
   >>>>>>>>>> produce most of the changes in the genome of evolving   
   >>>>>>>>>> populations. According to the neutral theory of population   
   >>>>>>>>>> genetics, the number of fixed neutral mutations corresponds to   
   >>>>>>>>>> the mutation rate. Thus, in every evolving population there   
   >>>>>>>>>> will be 100 new fixed mutations per generation. This means   
   >>>>>>>>>> that fixation of 22 million mutations would take 220,000   
   >>>>>>>>>> generations. The average generation time of humans and chimps   
   >>>>>>>>>> is 27.5 years so this corresponds to about 6 million years.   
   >>>>>>>>>> That's close to the time that humans and chimps diverged   
   >>>>>>>>>> according to the fossil record. What this means is that   
   >>>>>>>>>> evolutionary theory is able to explain the differences in the   
   >>>>>>>>>> human genome—it has explanatory power."   
   >>>>>>>>>> https://sandwalk.blogspot.com/2025/12/how-many-regulatory-   
   >>>>>>>>>> sites- in- human.html   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> However, chimp to human evolution involves major (profound)   
   >>>>>>>>>> adaptations, including:   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> - Bipedalism and capacity for long-distance walking and   
   >>>>>>>>>> endurance running: short, broad pelvis; S-shaped spine; long   
   >>>>>>>>>> legs relative to arms; arched feet with non-opposable big toe.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> - Cognitive capacity increase: larger cranial capacity;   
   >>>>>>>>>> dramatically expanded neocortex; highly developed prefrontal   
   >>>>>>>>>> cortex; these produce: abstract reasoning; symbolic language;   
   >>>>>>>>>> long-term planning; mathematics, music, art; large cooperative   
   >>>>>>>>>> societies; etc.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> - Other physiology: extended childhood and adolescence; long   
   >>>>>>>>>> lifespan; high energy investment in brain development; reduced   
   >>>>>>>>>> muscle mass relative to body size; craniofacial morphology   
   >>>>>>>>>> supporting speech articulation and dietary flexibility;   
   >>>>>>>>>> precision hand grip and fine motor control.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> How many non-neutral adaptive mutations (in fact, highly   
   >>>>>>>>>> adaptive, complex and coordinated suites of mutations) are   
   >>>>>>>>>> required, over and above the estimated neutral/near-neutral   
   >>>>>>>>>> mutations, to produce these adaptations, and how are these   
   >>>>>>>>>> accounted for in the time available?   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> How many adaptive mutations? A few thousand, perhaps.   
   >>>>>>>>> Coordinated suites? Why would that be necessary? And how they   
   >>>>>>>>> would be accounted for is simple: you should understand that a   
   >>>>>>>>> number of mutations many orders of magnitude greater than the   
   >>>>>>>>> ones that eventually became fixed would have happened during   
   >>>>>>>>> human evolution. The ones that were advantageous were therefore   
   >>>>>>>>> a small sample of a much larger number than you are imagining   
   >>>>>>>>> here.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Here's your dilemma:   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> 1. The human brain is the most complex object in the known   
   >>>>>>>> universe*   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> I've heard that said. But is it true? Is it more complex than a   
   >>>>>>> blue whale's brain, or an elephant's? And how much more complex   
   >>>>>>> is it than a chimp's brain, by whatever measure you're using?   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> It is difficult to quantify, but even a casual observer of chimps   
   >>>>>> and humans recognises the scale of the difference. Civilisation   
   >>>>>> and spaceflight, for example.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> If you claim a functional difference of that magnitude could be   
   >>>>>> obtained with the addition of only a few thousand bits of   
   >>>>>> information, I'd say you've never designed anything. Sorry, no   
   >>>>>> free lunch.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> You could have shortened your response to "I feel that I'm right,   
   >>>>> and I'm ignoring everything you say".   
   >>>>   
   >>>> No. I'm observing that the difference between chimps and humans in   
   >>>> terms of what either can and have accomplished is self-evidently   
   >>>> profoundly greater for humans than chimps: civilisation,   
   >>>> spaceflight, surgery, symphonies, semiconductors, string theory, and   
   >>>> sandwiches.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> To be sure, human knowledge and achievement has been a cumulative,   
   >>>> cultural process, but even that relies on the innate capacity of   
   >>>> individuals.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Regardless of how we might quantify this difference, it is very   
   >>>> large and therefore needs explanation.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Would you agree?   
   >>>   
   >>> Sure. But that explanation may rely on a fairly small number of   
      
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