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What Birds See [evolution of the eye]
Scientific American ^ | July 2006 | Timothy H. Goldsmith

Posted on 07/03/2006 10:05:56 AM PDT by doc30

We humans customarily assume that our visual system sits atop a pinnacle of evolutionary success. It enables us to appreciate space in three dimensions, to detect objects from a distance and to move about safely. We are exquisitely able to recognize other individuals and to read their emotions from mere glimpses of their faces. In fact, we are such visual animals that we have difficulty imagining the sensory worlds of creatures whose capacities extend to other realms--a night-hunting bat, for example, that finds small insects by listening to the echoes of its own high-pitched call. Our knowledge of color vision is, quite naturally, based primarily on what humans see: researchers can easily perform experiments on cooperative human subjects to discover, say, what mixtures of colors look the same or different. Although scientists have obtained supporting information from a variety of other species by recording the firing of neurons, we remained unaware until the early 1970s that many vertebrates, mostly animals other than mammals, see colors in a part of the spectrum that is invisible to humans: the near ultraviolet. ...

(Excerpt) Read more at sciam.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: bird; creationism; evolution; eye; ignoranttheocrats; kindastupid; ludditefundies; lyingforthelord; paganjunk; pavlovian; roadtohorseshitpaved; saganscience; youngearthcultists
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To: Sentis
The person I was addressing implied that this forum was only for Christians and that to be a Conservative you had to be a Christian.

Bald face lie.

I was the person you were addressing and I never even remotely implied what you say. Not even close.

141 posted on 07/03/2006 3:03:28 PM PDT by Skooz (Chastity prays for me, piety sings...Modesty hides my thighs in her wings...)
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To: Skooz

We asked the question why was someone posting a nonchristian/pro-evolution cartoon on a conservative board.

I said he implied that only christians can be conservatives. Thats exactly what he did. You then attacked me when I said Christians who believe that only Christians can be conservatives should join their ignorant brethern on the left. You then proceeded to twist and turn what I said to imply I said all Christian which i did not say and haven't said yet.

The only liar here is you because this is I believe the third time zi have had to repeat exactly what I said in this thread because you seek to twist the words everytime you post.

You obviously believe that only Christians can be conservatives or you would have shut your mouth about this as I have clarified a statement that has needed no clarification all these times.


Tell me you dont believe that and we can all just go our own way or admit the truth and out yourself as one of the morons I have been ranting about.


142 posted on 07/03/2006 3:10:13 PM PDT by Sentis (You said the world doesn't need salvation so why do I hear it calling out for a Savior.)
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To: Tall_Texan

I find birds fascinating, especially the more intelligent species like parrots and crows. They are so like us yet so different-- intelligent, visually and verbally oriented creatures like ourselves, but in every other way they're different.


143 posted on 07/03/2006 3:10:49 PM PDT by stands2reason (ANAGRAM for the day: Socialist twaddle == Tact is disallowed)
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To: Sentis

In the last post that should start HE not We


144 posted on 07/03/2006 3:10:50 PM PDT by Sentis (You said the world doesn't need salvation so why do I hear it calling out for a Savior.)
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To: stands2reason

No, he said specifically that he wanted white Christians who believed in Creation to join the Democrats. When I called him on it, he accused me of being a Nazi.

I cannot conceive of anyone so ignorant as to deny your place as a conservative because of your religion. But, if you say someone has, I believe you.


145 posted on 07/03/2006 3:10:56 PM PDT by Skooz (Chastity prays for me, piety sings...Modesty hides my thighs in her wings...)
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To: Skooz

Perhaps you aren't the person to whom the comment was intended.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1659759/reply?c=11

Even if the post was addrssed to you, it may have been a slip.


146 posted on 07/03/2006 3:11:13 PM PDT by js1138 (Well I say there are some things we don't want to know! Important things!")
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To: Skooz

Sorry, I slipped.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1659759/posts?page=11#11


147 posted on 07/03/2006 3:12:07 PM PDT by js1138 (Well I say there are some things we don't want to know! Important things!")
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To: js1138
Getting back to the topic of the thread, I find the topic of color vision rather interesting. I have a number of color blind members of my family, including a nephew with total color blindness -- no color receptors at all.

Even though this article doesn't mention it, it seems red-green color blindness would be very similar, if not identical to the dichromatic vision of other mammals. So your family members may have color perception similar to a dog or cat.

148 posted on 07/03/2006 3:12:55 PM PDT by doc30 (Democrats are to morals what and Etch-A-Sketch is to Art.)
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To: Skooz

<aybe you need a course in remedial reading. I never said white Christian who believe in creation needed to join the libs. I said white cristians who believe only Christians can be conservatives and I have said that ten times already read it read it now.


149 posted on 07/03/2006 3:13:27 PM PDT by Sentis (You said the world doesn't need salvation so why do I hear it calling out for a Savior.)
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To: onedoug

Do you think the structure of the eye disproves evolution?


150 posted on 07/03/2006 3:14:34 PM PDT by stands2reason (ANAGRAM for the day: Socialist twaddle == Tact is disallowed)
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To: Sentis

I'm sorry i am posting frustrated and I am not spell checking or rereading these posts. I can't stand to be accussed of things I didnt say.


151 posted on 07/03/2006 3:14:38 PM PDT by Sentis (You said the world doesn't need salvation so why do I hear it calling out for a Savior.)
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To: Sentis

Please find the post where I even remotely implied that only Christians can be conservative. Go ahead. Back up your lunatic attacks. Go ahead.

And I twisted and turned nothing. Your posts are still there, as are mine. Yours contain lies about me, mine contain no lies about you or anyone else.

And, no. I do not think that only Christians can be conservatives. That is ignorant. Almost as ignorant as your inane rantings.

The only moron on this thread is you, bud.


152 posted on 07/03/2006 3:16:01 PM PDT by Skooz (Chastity prays for me, piety sings...Modesty hides my thighs in her wings...)
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To: newguy357
Huh? I don't follow your progression in this sentence. If someone doesn't believe the eye evolved, what does the second part of your sentence do to convince him otherwise?

My point is that evolution can produce what we would call forward and backward changes. If adaptation to a simpler form is beneficial, it can be selected naturally. In other words, evolution is not a one-way street. My point behind the eye discussion is that many creationists claim eye complexity discredits evolution. The example for humans shows that eye complexity can be reduced by evolution. The article did not also meantion the lack of color filtering oils in mammilian vision. These oil droplets in non-mammilian eyes actuially increases color acuity and contrast. So human eyes have lost 2 major components for color vision.

153 posted on 07/03/2006 3:19:43 PM PDT by doc30 (Democrats are to morals what and Etch-A-Sketch is to Art.)
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To: Skooz

Your not even the person I was responding to at first. You just jumped in and started defending him after I posted that his view were moronic. You posted at me first bud, and you are the one that looks like an idiot for attacking me for three pages after I have said over and over again, the same thing you are now calling ignorant.

You did the stupid "I have to defend the poor Christian" routine even if the poor Christian your defending is a mouth breathing racist idiot. Stop doing that, if you think the thing I am attacking about the person is ignorant look before you leap.

Hell, you have even had several people on this board try to explain to you what I said and it still took you this long to figure out I was right and now you're still insulting me.


154 posted on 07/03/2006 3:23:32 PM PDT by Sentis (You said the world doesn't need salvation so why do I hear it calling out for a Savior.)
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To: Tall_Texan

I'm a parrot owner, too, and was wondering about theri vision. Do you suppose it would be possible to train a bird to distinguish betwwen UV colored and non-UV colored objects? They could be UV-seeing guide birds for us UV blind humans!


155 posted on 07/03/2006 3:24:31 PM PDT by doc30 (Democrats are to morals what and Etch-A-Sketch is to Art.)
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To: Sentis

God, people like this make me so angry.


156 posted on 07/03/2006 3:24:39 PM PDT by Sentis (You said the world doesn't need salvation so why do I hear it calling out for a Savior.)
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To: Sentis

Me insulting you?

Hilarious. You're the one who called me a Nazi.

And, as I have stated before, I defended NO ONE. I just called you on your bigotry. Then, you went berserk.


157 posted on 07/03/2006 3:26:25 PM PDT by Skooz (Chastity prays for me, piety sings...Modesty hides my thighs in her wings...)
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To: doc30

Possibly, but there are a number of different variations on color vision among humans. The most common one may be as you describe. The interesting thng is that color deficiency varies with luminosity. Color blind people can often distinguish colors better in bright light.


158 posted on 07/03/2006 3:27:47 PM PDT by js1138 (Well I say there are some things we don't want to know! Important things!")
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To: BaBaStooey

"Its such a shock that we are at the top of the food chain despite being "de-evolved."

Try swimming off the Great Barrier Reef at night and see who's on top of the food chain.


159 posted on 07/03/2006 3:28:05 PM PDT by saleman
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To: GourmetDan
Losing existing function is not 'God making them that way'. Just the opposite. It is a 'loss of information' from a previously created state. Notice that snakes aren't said to be *growing* legs; no, they are *losing* them. Same w/ blind cave fish and other such 'examples' of evolution.

According to creationist information, there is no variation between 'kinds', but there can be within 'kinds'. So you are not saying that a change from a species with legs to one without is not a change of kind? Even your own logic is counter to prevailing creationist rationale. And it does not include the evolution of the legs first, then the subsequent loss. You have to look at the whole genetic heirarchial history and not just one form to the next.

160 posted on 07/03/2006 3:31:08 PM PDT by doc30 (Democrats are to morals what and Etch-A-Sketch is to Art.)
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