(Biophysiscs) Failures of the human body

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the perceived flaws in human anatomy as presented in an article, exploring the validity and completeness of the claims made. Participants examine the implications of evolutionary processes on these anatomical features and consider alternative perspectives on the concept of "design flaws" in the human body.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the credibility of the article, suggesting it may contain errors and is poorly translated.
  • One participant compares evolution to a Monte Carlo optimization process, suggesting that historical contingencies can lead to suboptimal anatomical features.
  • Additional examples of human anatomical flaws are referenced from other articles, indicating that the discussion is not limited to the original source.
  • There are claims that the backward layout of the retina might have advantages, as suggested by studies that propose it could enhance light channeling to photoreceptors.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the notion that nature's designs are optimal, arguing that they only need to function adequately for survival and reproduction.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express disagreement regarding the article's accuracy and completeness, with multiple competing views on the implications of evolutionary design and the nature of anatomical flaws remaining unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about the article's errors are attributed to translation issues, but the extent of inaccuracies is not fully clarified. The discussion includes references to external sources that may provide additional context but does not resolve the debate on the original article's validity.

José Ricardo
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https://translate.google.com.br/translate?sl=pt&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=pt-BR&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmisteriosdomundo.org%2Fessas-sao-as-7-falhas-que-o-corpo-humano-possui-em-sua-estrutura%2F&edit-text=&act=url

What do you guys think about this article? Is there some error? Or the article is incomplete? And which grade do you give to this article?
 
Biology news on Phys.org
An interesting, edgy concept. The citation is from an oddball site. It is probably a better fit in General Discussion, but if we had a weird news section it would be good fit there. Moved.
 
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Evolution is an imperfect process that can be limited by historical contingency. One can think of evolution like a Monte Carlo optimization method that can get stuck in a local maxima without having found the global maximum. Some of the examples in the article certainly could be due to these processes.

A few more examples are given in a 2015 piece appearing in the Nautilus magazine (from which the Misterios Do Mundo piece was derived): http://nautil.us/issue/24/error/top-10-design-flaws-in-the-human-body

A different set of "flaws" are listed in this article from Gizmodo: https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-most-unfortunate-design-flaws-in-the-human-body-1518242787

Regarding the retina being "backward," there have been some studies suggesting that this layout may allow cell bodies within the retina to act as optical waveguides to help channel light through the retinal tissue to the photoreceptors:
https://physics.aps.org/story/v25/st15
http://www.pnas.org/content/104/20/8287
 
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José Ricardo said:
https://translate.google.com.br/translate?sl=pt&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=pt-BR&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmisteriosdomundo.org%2Fessas-sao-as-7-falhas-que-o-corpo-humano-possui-em-sua-estrutura%2F&edit-text=&act=url

What do you guys think about this article? Is there some error? Or the article is incomplete? And which grade do you give to this article?
There are a lot of errors, some explainable by poor translation, some not.
 
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I think there is a myth that nature's products are the best for the situation. Natures product are not necessarily the best they only have to work and survive to be reproduced.
 
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gleem said:
I think there is a myth that nature's products are the best for the situation. Natures product are not necessarily the best they only have to work and survive to be reproduced.

What would be the best ways? [thinking]
 
russ_watters said:
There are a lot of errors, some explainable by poor translation, some not.

Thanks, Russ! Drasil explained that with one article posted on this topic.
 

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