Ants and leaves - the Gift

[nnmartin]

Ants are remarkable creatures that can do many things.

They are a good example of the intelligence given to the insect world.

Some basic instincts are passed down through the genetic code with the time-honoured saviour, a.k.a evolution.

But ants are a good example of what can't be genetically coded for.

Take army ants for instance - what do they do when they reach a small unpassable channel of water? - they have been known to cut down leaves and use them as rafts!

Impossible for this to have been passed down through the genetic code - how could you give a chemical signal that tells an ant that if sometime in its life it were to encounter an unpassable channel of water it is to make a raft!

This cannot be passed over as natural selection, adaptation - this is a good example of the Life Force in action.

It could even be possible for the ants to combine their mental abilities in this type of scenario to work out the best possible course of action to take.

Nature has many mysterious powers.

[Android]

How did you learn to type that on your computer? Was that knowledge passed down through your dna?

Oh yeah, it was your life force in action! lol say hi to master yoda for me

[Viker]

"Some basic instincts are passed down through the genetic code - "
"Impossible for this to have been passed down through the genetic code -"



How is it impossible and not obvious?

[Mestemia]

Originally Posted by nnmartin

Ants are remarkable creatures that can do many things.

They are a good example of the intelligence given to the insect world.

Some basic instincts are passed down through the genetic code with the time-honoured saviour, a.k.a evolution.

But ants are a good example of what can't be genetically coded for.

Take army ants for instance - what do they do when they reach a small unpassable channel of water? - they have been known to cut down leaves and use them as rafts!

Impossible for this to have been passed down through the genetic code - how could you give a chemical signal that tells an ant that if sometime in its life it were to encounter an unpassable channel of water it is to make a raft!

This cannot be passed over as natural selection, adaptation - this is a good example of the Life Force in action.

It could even be possible for the ants to combine their mental abilities in this type of scenario to work out the best possible course of action to take.

Nature has many mysterious powers.

You need to define "intelligence" and "instinct" and then explain the difference between the two.

'Cause based on my understanding of what those two words mean and the difference between them, your OP is nothing more than wishful thinking.

[Jayhawker Soule]

Originally Posted by nnmartin

Impossible for this to have been passed down through the genetic code ...
This cannot be passed over as natural selection, adaptation ...

So sayeth nnmartin:

• whose areas of expertise are?
• whose scientific credentials are?
• whose credibility is?

So many questions! But at least we can marvel at the brilliant strategy on display: fabricate facts then announce victory. On the other hand, the only "force" on display here is the force of willful ignorance.

[tumbleweed41]

Here you go nn,

Maybe you can find some copies at your local library.



Journal of Insect Behavior

[Jayhawker Soule]

Originally Posted by tumbleweed41

Here you go nn,

Maybe you can find some copies at your local library.



Journal of Insect Behavior

It ain't happening. The root of 'ignorance' is 'ignore.'

[Noaidi]

Originally Posted by nnmartin

....But ants are a good example of what can't be genetically coded for.

Take army ants for instance - what do they do when they reach a small unpassable channel of water? - they have been known to cut down leaves and use them as rafts!

Impossible for this to have been passed down through the genetic code - how could you give a chemical signal that tells an ant that if sometime in its life it were to encounter an unpassable channel of water it is to make a raft!

This cannot be passed over as natural selection, adaptation - this is a good example of the Life Force in action.

From: Animal Behavior/Behavioral Genetics - Wikibooks, open books for an open world
"Although genes may play a role in many behaviors, they never determine them. There are no genes that directly code for a behavior - genes only code for proteins. However, it is clear that a change in a single protein can cause a host of downstream effects and may even bring about a distinct phenotype.The external environment exerts a strong influence on how all genes are expressed in behavior via a development of nervous and hormonal mechanisms."

From: Genes and Behavior
"All behavior is the joint product of heredity and environment, but differences in behavior can be apportioned between hereditary and environment."


Instead of making emphatic claims...

But ants are a good example of what can't be genetically coded for.

Impossible for this to have been passed down through the genetic code.

This cannot be passed over as natural selection...

...why not frame your points as a question? It'll show that you are willing to learn, rather than making factually erroneous claims. There are many on this site who are scientifically literate - it may be worth your while learning from them rather than barging in with "impossible! Can't be done!"

Just a thought.

[nnmartin]

Originally Posted by Android

How did you learn to type that on your computer? Was that knowledge passed down through your dna?

Oh yeah, it was your life force in action! lol say hi to master yoda for me

I learnt how to type by reading a 'teach yourself touch typing' book.

I don't imagine there are too many ants around that have read 'what to do when your ant colony reaches an impassable channel of water'.

Ants can't learn , they can only do.

Originally Posted by Noaidi

...why not frame your points as a question? It'll show that you are willing to learn, rather than making factually erroneous claims.
Just a thought.

so how do they know how to make a raft?

[tumbleweed41]

Originally Posted by nnmartin

I learnt how to type by reading a 'teach yourself touch typing' book.

I don't imagine there are too many ants around that have read 'what to do when your ant colony reaches an impassable channel of water'.

Ants can't learn , they can only do.



so how do they know how to make a raft?

Psst...

Originally Posted by tumbleweed41

Here you go nn,

Maybe you can find some copies at your local library.



Journal of Insect Behavior