Upright monkey

[zakur]

Story

BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhuanet) -- A young monkey at an Israeli zoo has started walking on its hind legs only, like humans, after a near death experience.

[...]

Her veterinarian says the only possible explanation is that the monkey suffered brain damage from the illness.

 

[Z]

Would you kindly stop raiding my family photos?

 

[Uh_Clem]

I wonder how much farther he'll be able to fling poo now?

 

[CFLarsen]

It is a very interesting story.

I am just throwing out a wild idea here, but could this have triggered the determining moment, when primates made the switch from walking on fours to walking on twos - thereby benefitting by having two limbs, liberated to do other things, as well as gaining a (slight) advantage by being able to spot enemies and prey from (just a bit) further away?

I think that walking upright probably took a lot of generations to develop. On the other hand, Eldredge/Gould have argued punctuated equilibria pretty well.

It's a contendah, ain't it?

 

[roger]

I wonder how much farther he'll be able to fling poo now?

It's always about flinging poo with you, isn't it?

 

[Uh_Clem]

It was either a poo-flinging joke or something about Charlton Heston.

I read an article about this on CNN but they weren't terribly clear on the sickness/walking connection. Is the brain damage supposed to have caused a psychological change or was there motor skills damage and now the monkey is compensating?

CFlarsen,

"...being able to spot enemies and prey from (just a bit) further away?"

That aspect of being taller never even occurred to me. That's why I spend more time reading this board than posting to it.

 

[Rolfe]

Is there any way we can hack the board to make that picture Badly Shaved Monkey's avatar?

Rolfe.

 

[Donks]

It is a very interesting story.

I am just throwing out a wild idea here, but could this have triggered the determining moment, when primates made the switch from walking on fours to walking on twos - thereby benefitting by having two limbs, liberated to do other things, as well as gaining a (slight) advantage by being able to spot enemies and prey from (just a bit) further away?

I think that walking upright probably took a lot of generations to develop. On the other hand, Eldredge/Gould have argued punctuated equilibria pretty well.

It's a contendah, ain't it?

The same thought occurred to me, but I see one problem with it. If the vet is right and the explanation is brain damage, then that will not be passed to any future generations. On the other hand, if there is a genetic mutation that causes a similar change in the brain, that would sound more likely to me.

 

[DangerousBeliefs]

Somebody tell Oliver that he's got a potential new girlfriend.

 

[Corwyn]

Aren't creationists ALWAYS going on about how evolution
can't be real because we never see things change from one thing to another?


Well HERE you are! Monkey evolved from monkey walk to Human walk. Can we now FINALLY end the debate

 

[roger]

I, for one, welcome our new monkey overlords.

 

[chance]

Monkey Singing – “I wanna walk like you, talk like you………”

 

[Segnosaur]

I am just throwing out a wild idea here, but could this have triggered the determining moment, when primates made the switch from walking on fours to walking on twos - thereby benefitting by having two limbs, liberated to do other things, as well as gaining a (slight) advantage by being able to spot enemies and prey from (just a bit) further away?

Although walking on 2 limbs does give an advantage in freeing up limbs and giving a height advantage, the main advantage to our upright stance (and the reason it evolved) is because it is more efficient to be able to walk on 2 legs than 4 (compared to other "knuckle walkers".) Our ancestors needed to get from place to place on a relatively sparce african landscape, and walking upright was the best way to do it.

Now, even though this monkey does 'walk upright', it may not have the correct body structures to do so efficiently. So, this likely isn't the way our human ancestors evolved.

I think that walking upright probably took a lot of generations to develop. On the other hand, Eldredge/Gould have argued punctuated equilibria pretty well.

I don't thnk Gould woudl have tried using this to argu punc. equilibria. Even punc ec takes many generations, just not quite as many (and without the gradualness) of classical darwinianism.

 

[Mercutio]

Is there any way we can hack the board to make that picture Badly Shaved Monkey's avatar?

Rolfe.

Technically, I could do it. But it would be a terribly abuse of my powers...


...so it would take a lot of money...




for those born without a sense of humour, the above is a joke.

 

[zakur]

I, for one, welcome our new monkey overlords.

Funniest response ever. Thanks for the laugh.

 

[BPSCG]

Technically, I could do it. But it would be a terribly abuse of my powers...


...so it would take a lot of money...

How much do you need? I could start taking up a collection.

for those born without a sense of humour, the above is a joke.

Oh. Rats...

 

[Benguin]

Is there any way we can hack the board to make that picture Badly Shaved Monkey's avatar?

Rolfe.

Can't we just suggest it to him?

 

[pgwenthold]

The same thought occurred to me, but I see one problem with it. If the vet is right and the explanation is brain damage, then that will not be passed to any future generations. On the other hand, if there is a genetic mutation that causes a similar change in the brain, that would sound more likely to me.

But we could note that, look, it doesn't take much of a change to lead to that improvement, and, more importantly, a mutation that made that change will not kill you.

 

[Benguin]

But we could note that, look, it doesn't take much of a change to lead to that improvement, and, more importantly, a mutation that made that change will not kill you.

Unless this animal is capable of teaching its offspring to walk this way, or others mimic him when they see he's got an advantage.

Maybe we'll witness this in this zoo?

 

[pgwenthold]

Unless this animal is capable of teaching its offspring to walk this way, or others mimic him when they see he's got an advantage.

Maybe we'll witness this in this zoo?

A spectacular experiment that could be run. I wonder if he is still fertile?