r/interestingasfuck • u/Significant_Snow_718 • Mar 06 '25

/r/all Chick with genetic defect

Post image
74.8k Upvotes

91% Upvoted

3.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

528

u/Lou_LL_11 Mar 06 '25

Genetic defect is just another word for evolution.

271

u/StonedEnby Mar 06 '25

Not really. A genetic defect is a precursor to evolution. If the trait doesn’t benefit the animal and isn’t passed on with reproduction there is no evolutionary process, just a dead mutant.

178

u/SousVideDiaper Mar 06 '25

not really

You just gave context for what they said, tho

81

u/Caspica Mar 06 '25

I think it's more that they're trying to point out the difference between evolution and genetic mutations. Evolution is what occurs on a macroscopic level over a long period of time to organisms. Genetic mutations are what happens on the microscopic level that could play part in the evolution of an organism. That doesn't mean that a genetic mutation implies that the animal has evolved. 

5

u/KJEveryday Mar 06 '25

Regarding you saying *could *, evolution doesn’t happen without genetic mutations though.

9

u/AlternateSatan Mar 06 '25 edited Mar 06 '25

And painting a portrait doesn't happen unless you hold a paint brush, that doesn't mean that just holding a paint brush with paint on it is the same as painting the Mona Lisa, you're missing a lot of steps still.

13

u/Kevl17 Mar 06 '25

But not all mutations cause a species to evolve. That's what they were saying.

So any given mutation could play a part in evolution, but many won't.

1

u/Atomik141 Mar 06 '25

In fact, the vast majority of mutations do not contribute to evolution

1

u/Reagalan Mar 06 '25

yeah like what happens if favorable mutations are all recessive?

like uh....boids get stuck on termite island; long beaks are favored, but this species always has short beaks cause their genes are dominant

do mutations for long beaks just get buried despite an advantage?