From: rokimoto557@gmail.com   
      
   On 12/23/2025 1:16 AM, MarkE wrote:   
   > 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   
      
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