Invisible wrote:
> Just about every living organism has homeostasis. I presume you mean 
> *temperature* homeostasis?

Yes.

> Right. So what you're saying is that it's unusual that 5 digits is a 
> conserved feature?

It seems like a very minor and easily-mutated feature, compared to (say) 
bilateral symmetry.

> I suspect what it boils down so is that there's no specific reason why 
> some number other than 5 would be an advantage, so it hasn't changed. 
> (This of course doesn't rule out random "neutral" changes I suppose...)

That's my point. It doesn't rule out neutral changes, yet we don't see 
neutral changes. And people investigating this have found that we don't see 
neutral changes because neutral changes in the gene for finger bones are 
also catastrophically detrimental changes to the reproductive system.

> extremely highly conserved.)

What I've read, which I found interesting, is that five fingers is highly 
conserved not because of itself, but because it's linked to other highly 
conserved genes. That's basically what I'm saying. I.e., something no 
designer would have a reason to do.

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   Serving Suggestion:
     "Don't serve this any more. It's awful."

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