Ep 145: Does a long life really inhibit evolution?
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Does a long life really inhibit evolution?
In episode 139 and 142, I talked about some results I’ve been getting with my experiment with artificial life and digital organisms. I had to rework the death object to make sure that one of the little critters would die and make room for others. But does an unusually long-lived creature really inhibit evolution? I found a counter example—Pando, an 80,000-year old quaking aspen clonal colony. Though it was established during the last ice age, the plant and animal life around it has definitely changed and evolved since then, suggesting that in nature, long lived creatures do not keep evolution from happening.
Here’s a link to a 4-minute and 42-second long video about Pando.
Pando, One of the Oldest and Largest Organisms
Here are links to a couple of articles about this venerable organism.
Pando, the Trembling Giant – Richfield, Utah – Atlas Obscura
And here are some links to information about the last ice age, called the “Pleistocene.”