Wow - we could have been like Adam and Eve, only rubbish.

ursus arctos wrote:

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Treibeis, it's a gene, not a gender. Some people (not any in my family, as it so happens) can't smell anything.

That is a pretty handy gene for New York in summer.

Lyra wrote:

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This is like how cats can't taste sweet because they're all descended from one mutant cat. (a saltation??? surely not)

Indeed not.

Yeah I get that now.

Toro's reply isn't the whole story though. The point is, a saltation is the sudden appearance of adaptive complexity: like the hurricane blowing through the scrapheap that accidentally assembles a jumbo jet. So the loss of an adaptation can't be a saltation, even if it did occur in a single generation.

But did it? As toro's pointed out, saying all cats are descended from one mutant falls short of saying that some particulat trait in cats is the result of a single mutation. The former is always true, whereas the latter may or may not be. I don't know about cats and sweet tastes.

This is just like the books that make you feel like a thick thread. it wouldn't really occur to me to worry about the actual scientific accuracy, especially if it gets in the way of a story. I agree that this makes me the thick, though.

I don't know about genetics but one of the furry little fuckers has managed to get into my kitchen and secretly piss somewhere and I can't find where

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The coriander/soap thing is completely new to me, and reminds me of the similar genetic split as to whether one detects a strong odour when urinating after eating asparagus

I get terribly asparagus-wee, I don't like Coriander AND my piss is malodourous post-tuna as well.
I am the reaper.

Can you stick your tongue up your nose?

Is that some sort of chat up line?

If so it's not the first time I've been asked.

Well not really, because it's kind of gross, like?

Anyway, I told you, I've given up and am going to somehow hermaphroditically (?) clone myself after the apocalypse. The new master race will all be able to roll their tongues, they'll be double jointed, they'll have dreadful eyesight, they'll be fat bastards and they won't be able to do that creepy ear waggling thing.

There's nothing creepy about being able to waggle ones ears.

bored of football

thank you , that sounds exactly like the brew . next time i am in that area. me and that brew will have to get reaquainted . the question of course being was it really that nice or am i being a bit nostalgic for it