4- and 5- leaved clovers: evidence for environmental disturbance?

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3 total messages Started by pratt Thu, 24 Sep 1987 19:05

Author: pratt
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1987 19:05

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Hmm...Just now on my way past our "Stern Physics Laboratory" here at
Rutgers, within the space of 30 seconds I found one 4- and two 5-leaved
clovers.  This got me to thinking about how once somebody told me that
such mutations (?) were evidence of impurities in the environment,
perhaps radiation.  Is this true?  I know that we can conclude a lot
about the environment from studying animal populations.  Is there any
evidence that a layman can recognize (like these clovers perhaps)
for environmental disturbances?

Musingly,

   Lorien Pratt
   pratt@paul.rutgers.edu

Re: 4- and 5- leaved clovers: evidence for environmental disturbance?

Author: brothers
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1987 19:27

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Mutations might be caused by mutagens or other chemicals which would
damage a cell's genetic information. But things like cosmic rays,
background radiation, etc. could have the same effect, as could some
random fluke of chemical bonding during mitosis. 

Some scientists have some pretty weird sounding theories about
"evolutionary leaps", etc. which I don't really subscribe to.

On the other hand, I think it probably has something to do with
Reaganomics, or maybe Albanian Maoism/Stalinism is to blame.
-- 
			 Laurence R. Brothers
		      brothers@paul.rutgers.edu
            {anywhere}!rutgers!paul.rutgers.edu!brothers
		       "One life -- one arrow."

Re: 4- and 5- leaved clovers: evidence for environmental disturbance?

Author: carroll
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1987 19:46

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>Some scientists have some pretty weird sounding theories about
>"evolutionary leaps", etc. which I don't really subscribe to.

Hey, well, that settles it for me.  If Laurence doesn't subscribe to
it, it *must* be false.


--
martin

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