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Author Topic:   How long does it take to evolve?
Lamden
Junior Member (Idle past 2396 days)
Posts: 25
From: Lakewood
Joined: 09-23-2015


Message 1 of 2 (769679)
09-23-2015 10:34 PM


I am curious if anyone could help me calculate this:
Let's ignore the enigma of abiogenesis for the sake of this discussion.
Ditto for the complexity conundrum which has already been discussed at length on this forum- assume every mutation would happen exactly as needed, in perfect order.
I would like to know, approximately how many mutations would theoretically be needed to transform the most basic form of life into a human being?
I know it is not easy to count, but I am looking for an educated guess. If DNA alone is 6 ft of microscopic code, that must been quite a bit of evolving right there!
Then, let us assume a uniform mutation rate of .003 mutations per cell generation ( I lifted that number from wikipedia- please feel free to point out if I have used it incorrectly).
Next, we figure that the life span of a cell is somewhere between a week and a year - (another tidbit I picked up online at biology.about.com ; again, I welcome corrections as needed). Let us assume a uniform rate of 1 month per generation.
Once we know the number of mutations needed, the mutation rate , and lifespan, how long would a best-case-scenario human evolution have taken?
I think that this is a crucial starting point, and would much appreciate if someone could help provide a layman like myself some light on the subject.
Edited by Adminnemooseus, : Put in blank lines.

Adminnemooseus
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Joined: 09-26-2002


Message 2 of 2 (769681)
09-23-2015 10:46 PM


Thread Copied to Biological Evolution Forum
Thread copied to the How long does it take to evolve? thread in the Biological Evolution forum, this copy of the thread has been closed.

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