Brain complexity: essay on the complexity (Introduction)

by dhw, Saturday, March 26, 2016, 13:24 (3164 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: do you believe that evolutionary innovations may take place through divinely preprogrammed interactions between neurons and stem cells, with their ability to take on different forms and functions?-DAVID: Even though I do not know how God guided evolution, it makes sense to me that He did. I believe the overall method is saltation, not requiring natural selection to act at all. Certainly stem cells and neurons could act together, or could be made to act together as part of the jump in complexity. -I have covered your comment concerning saltation and natural selection in my response under "Explaining natural wonders". I'm glad you find it feasible that cooperation between neurons and stem cells might be the process involved in innovation (whether preprogrammed or not). I'd have thought cells that can take on different forms and functions as and when required would be essential to evolution. -Xxxxxxxx
 
dhw: ...couldn't this tie in with the notion that stem cells, with their ability to take on different forms and functions, may be the key to speciation, even within the framework of your divine preprogramming? And is it possible that the very first cells of all were stem cells? -DAVID: Stem cells are part of multicellular organisms which need different types of cells. The first cells were bacteria, all in one organisms, not stem cells. Stem cells are made and required in multicellular zygotes only. Could they be part of speciation? Definitely. But their innate programming would have to be altered by '?'.-My point is that the directives for change (innovation) - whether this was preprogrammed or autonomous - would require cells that were ABLE to change. We know that stem cells can do so. But if they can only come about through sexual reproduction, clearly my second innovative thought must suffer a rapid extinction. That's natural selection for you. Many thanks for the explanation.