WING HYPOTH.

[Sharyn Fernandez]

HAVING READ AN ARTICLE RECENTLY ON WHAT COULD BE A RELATED MATTER,
ULTIMATELY, QUESTIONING THE THEORY THAT 'ORGANISMS LIVE SHORTER LIVES
BECAUSE THEY HAVE A HIGHER METABOLIC RATE' ( I BELIEVE IT WAS THE JAN. 1998
ISSUE OF THE "SMITHSONIAN" , ON THE THEORY OF AGING - I READ IT IN MY
DOCTOR'S OFFICE A FEW WEEKS AGO); ANYWAY THIS VETERNARIAN QUESTIONSED WHY
PARROTS (?) WITH THE SAME METABOLIC RATE/LIFE EXPECTANY AS LAB MICE WOULD
OUT-LIVE THE THE MICE. IT CAME TO THE CONCLUSION, WITH OTHER SIMILAR ANIMAL
COMPARISONS, IE PORQUPINES VS. RACOONS, THAT "WINGS" IN THE FIRST CASE, (&
QUILLS IN THE LATER) GAVE THESE ORGANISIMS A SURVIVAL TO REPRODUCE
ADVANTANGE, AND THEREFORE WAS SHOWN BY THEM LIVING LONGER LIVES, OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT... ACTUALLY, THIS SORT OF ALL WORKS TOGETHER ON ANOTHER
LEVEL... OH, THE ARTICLE SUGGESTS GENETIC THERAPY AS A MEANS OF "TREATING"
AGING".. BUT TO ME, MAN'S HEADING OFF INTO SPACE, IS OUR VERSION OF
SPROUTING WINGS, AND THE WAY THIS PLANET IS RUNNING OUT OF RESOURCES, THIS
IS ONE WAY OF "LIFE" TRYING TO ASSURE THAT "IT ('WE')" CONTINUES... IS THIS
TOO HEADY... I, PERSONALLY AM NOT LEAVING THIS PLANET!
SORRY, BACK TO HOW TO RAISE BROADWINGS, I GUESS...
 SHARYN - CONCORD CA

 > John Grehan made the following statement

>Perhaps it seems too trivial, but I am not aware of any empirical evidence
>that it dispersal and colonization is the main purpose of butterfly wings
>(or that
>wings have any purpose at all).
>
> John Grehan

Sharyn Fernandez
Butterflies & Botany
31 David Dr., Concord CA 94518
CA permit 1795