Posted on 07/15/2008 11:28:05 AM PDT by george76
Australia's iconic Tasmanian devils have started having sex at a younger age since the advent of a deadly disease which threatens to wipe out the species.
Data collected before and after the cancer-causing disease appeared showed a 16-fold increase in early sexual behaviour.
Scientists fear the disease, which causes facial tumours, could lead to the marsupial carnivore's extinction within 20 to 25 years.
"We have found that devils are compensating for the disease by breeding early -- there is a 16-fold increase in the number breeding at the age of one year,"
The Tasmanian devil is restricted to the island state of Tasmania after competition from the dingo led to its extinction on mainland Australia.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Why those little devils....
Can we apply this to humans? If you look at how teen age sex activity has gotten to younger ages, and some groups such as ghetto people, who live in tough circumstances, have many babies at young ages, maybe mother nature gives us instincts that we’re not aware of. Maybe mother nature gives instincts towards reproduction to people in difficult situations, so that the species will survive.
It's not rocket surgery.
Bush’s fault!
It would be interesting to see if this correlates with the increase in abortions in the USA.
“and some groups such as ghetto people, who live in tough circumstances, have many babies at young ages, maybe mother nature gives us instincts”
In the case you mention, I’d say it’s the government giving instincts in the form of WIC and welfare payments.
Flipping Devils don’t know they are going extinct.. They are just horny.
What they really need to do is pull their teeth and take gardisil.
Who told them that they face extinction?
Nobody seems to be able to keep a secret any more.
I have no doubt that the writer of this piece will be reprimanded. The article didn’t connect the disease to Global Warming.
PING!
Face biting..that is some mighty rough foreplay.
Have you looked in the mirror today?
Just asking...
It possible, I suppose. But its not working in Europe among “caucasian” folks whose birth rates are declining precipitously nor in Japan, a more closed society.
Europe might be explained that there are simply a lot of humans there and race doesn’t matter. Japan might also be the same thing: too many folk crammed into a small place.
Absent the social environment, your theory might have validity. Certainly here in our history, the age of birth mothers has risen as we moved away from isolated, rural living[eg Appalachia]: the tough circumstances you posit.
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