We never know?!

Gagana B R
Nov 3 · 2 min read

Evolution is a gradual process. But we do not know how exactly an organism gets evolved. Evolution is recognized only after the evolved organism is apparently thriving in the nature. Of course we know the means of evolution — MUTATION.

Caterpillars of the Monarch butterfly feed only on milkweed (cardiac glycosides) and develop into a flying toxin. How could they evolve to feed on such a toxic plant when the other insect species avoid even going near the plant? Why did other butterfly species could not acquire this privilege?

Image: Monarch butterflies feeding on marsh milkweed.

Image source: https://monarchbutterflyfilm.com/2017/08/15/monarch-film-fundraising-screening-party/

Noah Whiteman, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, demonstrated in Drosophila that the Monarch butterflies could achieve such an adaption with just three mutations. They used Crispr technology to gene edit the fruit flies. Even few doses of cardiac glycosides is deadly to the Drosophila. But they showed that it became completely resistant to cardiac glycosides after the third mutation.

A wild thought that struck me was — how would other fruit flies react to this mutated fruit fly?

Other fruit flies — “Why is this crazy fellow feeding on the toxic milkweed?”

After observing the mutated fly, other fruit flies — “How is he/she SURVIVING?”

Being a highly social organism, how would human beings treat a mutated human? What if humans are undergoing such mutations that has not attained a survival advantage yet?

Neurodegenerative disorders are proved to be genetic. Mutations in the neurodegenerative disorders are trial and error mechanism undertaken by nature to create an evolved brain?

It is absurd to ask the same question for any detrimental genetic mutation in human body parts other than brain. But this question should be considered for neuro-disorders because the next evolutionary strategy adapted by humans would be at the level of brain. Atleast that’s what I believe. With accelerating neuro-disorders, it might be a strategy to either control the population or create a more evolved being.

It is surprising that just three mutations could lead to an evolutionary adaptation. Similarly, its necessary to be open to bizarre questions like the above because our future is definitely going to be bizarre.

We never know!

    Gagana B R

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