The biochemistry of cell communication (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, September 05, 2016, 18:21 (3000 days ago) @ dhw

David: Not every attribute organisms carry are useful. They become useful when needed. This is what new adaptations of parts is all about. Seen in evolution regularly. The devils may have done it by copulating survivors producing more immune progeny, seen all the time in biology.
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> dhw: This would mean the Tasmanian devils already “carried” their immunity to the new form of cancer, but the immunity “attribute” only became “useful” when the new form of cancer arrived.-We carry two kinds of immunity. Generalized and specific. Specific is learned by changing the DNA in T an B cells. Generalized is carried in huge molecules called globulins, which are in the beginning of life come to babies thru their mother's first milk, colostrum. Later we continue to make them on our own. This is probably where the Tasmanian devils had some hidden partial immunity. Remember all living beings fall under a bell shaped curve of variability. The devils who are creating a new immune population were at the high end of the curve.-> dhw: I am sceptical that the zillions of adaptations (not to mention innovations and natural wonders) extant and extinct were/are already present in every organism and were/are only “useful when needed”, as that would mean that barring divine dabbling - assuming you still believe in common descent - they were all preprogrammed in the very first cells. -See explanation above to remove your flights of fancy about immunity.-> 
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> DAVID: You are confused about my beliefs. Intelligence is the product of the brain plasticity. Consciousness is not. The brain is required to receive it.
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> dhw: I certainly am confused. I can't see how natural (as opposed to artificial) intelligence at any level can exist without consciousness (not to be confused with human self-awareness).-Of course our intelligence is part of our consciousness. I was just sorting out how I think the brain handles both.