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jml5791 t1_ivcoggp wrote

Reply to comment by Training_Ad_2086 in Insects get stuck in a spider's web, why doesn't a spider get stuck in its own web? by Koning_Health

With humans, it will be artificial selection going forward rather than natural selection.

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WeirdMemoryGuy t1_ivd03i9 wrote

The distinction between artificial and natural selection is itself artificial. We just kinda decided we didn't want to consider ourself part of nature. The selection process might be based on unique factors for us, but it isn't fundamentally different from natural selection.

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Al_Rascala t1_ivdjgaj wrote

Would the difference not be based on the mechanisms by which selection is carried out? Natural being the genome mixing via sexual reproduction that is common to most multicellular animals, artificial being direct manipulation of the genome via various tools?

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Training_Ad_2086 t1_ive7p42 wrote

The human beings (us) that are doing genome manipulation are also created by evolution , hence this genome editing is something we evolved to do.

There are aquatic animals that can change their biological sex while alive, it's the evolution taking its course.

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jqbr t1_iveidr0 wrote

No, it's not something we evolved to do ... that we can do it is a side effect of adaptations, it's not an adaptation itself.

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