How could human beings move out of Africa with so many large, fierce animals?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

And, of course, the Chernobyl earthworms are an average of 17% larger than before the accident.

 

[DaveC426913]

And, of course, the Chernobyl earthworms are an average of 17% larger than before the accident.

Well, they're not being hunted by anglers, are they?

 

[Write4U]

And while we're at it, modern humans are also quite capable of coexisting creatures a hundred times - nay - two thousand times - the size of a human.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_whale#Size

In fact it was humans who drove them to near extinction, until they became an "protected species".
The same is happening now to Elephants and Rhinos.

Humans are the ultimate predator. We can kill things from miles away.

 

[Write4U]

Well, they're not being hunted by anglers, are they?

Right, humans were forbidden to enter the danger zone. Lots of insects seem to be immune to radiation also.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Well, they're not being hunted by anglers, are they?

Nope, just some guy named "Tatapoulis".

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Right, humans were forbidden to enter the danger zone. Lots of insects seem to be immune to radiation also.

The mutation rate of the alpha predator, wolves, is twice the normal rate.

Now we get to the hard numbers. Chernobyl wolves have mutations at the rate of 0.04% vice 0.02% for wolves outside the area. Wildlife is enjoying the human-free zone.

 

[Write4U]

The mutation rate of the alpha predator, wolves, is twice the normal rate.

Now we get to the hard numbers. Chernobyl wolves have mutations at the rate of 0.04% vice 0.02% for wolves outside the area. Wildlife is enjoying the human-free zone.

Interesting, and might have some possible implication on the evolution of human brain. An exposure to radiation causing a mutation in human DNA.
Apparently at a certain time there was a fusion of two hominid chromosomes into one large human chromosome.
This is why humans are distinct from other hominids by having one less chromosome .

All great apes apart from man have 24 pairs of chromosomes. There is therefore a hypothesis that the common ancestor of all great apes had 24 pairs of chromosomes and that the fusion of two of the ancestor's chromosomes created chromosome 2 in humans. The evidence for this hypothesis is very strong

http://www.evolutionpages.com/chromosome_2.htm

 

[iceaura]

Right, humans were forbidden to enter the danger zone. Lots of insects seem to be immune to radiation also.

Nothing is immune to the radiation, or undamaged by it.

What we see demonstrated is that the effect of human settlement on the ecology of a region is worse than a nuclear explosion.

 

[Write4U]

Nothing is immune to the radiation, or undamaged by it.

I agree in general that radiation breaks down or damages molecular structures. But at nano scales radiation may also be responsible for the creation of bio-chemical structures such as polymers. According to Robert Hazen, this may even occur in cosmic clouds. See ;

ROBERT HAZEN - CHANCE, NECESSITY, AND THE ORIGINS OF LIFE.

For the formation of these type of these pre-biotic chemical reactions start the clip at 28:40 for the possible origins of polymers through radiation in cosmic clouds.

And then I ran across this remarkable article about Fruit flies.
Fruit flies are often used in radiation experiments, and even as they display genetic alterations they don't necesarily die, but become grotesquely distorted. But also

The results of the study confirmed the theory of the scientists; if radiation can increase the life expectancy in the larvae, it must be able to do the same in adult fruit flies. The results showed that there was a 7.6 percent increase of life expectancy in the female fruit flies, and a 3.4 percent increase in their male counterparts. Given that an adult fruit fly usually lives for about two months, the radiation increased their life span by a whole week on average.

https://www.belmarrahealth.com/radiation-increases-life-expectancy-of-fruit-flies-are-humans-next/

If true, this hints at some remarkable properties of simple insects and of tardigrades.

Tardigrades Have the Right Stuff to Resist Radiation

But now Japanese researchers have

found a unique protein in tardigrade cells that confers an ability to tolerate doses of radiation that would kill most other animals.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/science/tardigrades-water-bears-survival.html

What we see demonstrated is that the effect of human settlement on the ecology of a region is worse than a nuclear explosion.

I totally agree, at least in the short term (relative to millenia)

 

[exchemist]

I agree in general that radiation breaks down or damages molecular structures. But at nano scales radiation may also be responsible for the creation of bio-chemical structures such as polymers. According to Robert Hazen, this may even occur in cosmic clouds. See ;
For the formation of these type of these pre-biotic chemical reactions start the clip at 28:40 for the possible origins of polymers through radiation in cosmic clouds.

And then I ran across this remarkable article about Fruit flies.
Fruit flies are often used in radiation experiments, and even as they display genetic alterations they don't necesarily die, but become grotesquely distorted. But also
https://www.belmarrahealth.com/radiation-increases-life-expectancy-of-fruit-flies-are-humans-next/

If true, this hints at some remarkable properties of simple insects and of tardigrades.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/science/tardigrades-water-bears-survival.html

I totally agree, at least in the short term (relative to millenia)

I'd be very sceptical indeed about the fruit fly radiation findings being applicable to long-lived creatures. A long-lived organism seems to me far more likely than a short-lived one to be prone to illness caused by genetic damage, e.g. cancer.

I don't imagine cancer is a significant cause of death in fruit flies.

 

[Write4U]

I don't imagine cancer is a significant cause of death in fruit flies

Nor of tardigrades, those are tough little creatures. And then there are the extremophiles.
Though it seems that sufficient cell damage can lead to cancer in those micro organisms.

Extremophiles are organisms able to thrive in extreme environmental conditions. Microorganisms with the ability to survive high doses of radiation are known as radioresistant or radiation-resistant extremophiles. Excessive or intense exposure to radiation (i.e., gamma rays, X-rays, and particularly UV radiation) can induce a variety of mutagenic and cytotoxic DNA lesions, which can lead to different forms of cancer. However, some populations of microorganisms thrive under different types of radiation due to defensive mechanisms provided by primary and secondary metabolic products, i.e.,

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00253-012-4642-7

 

[Write4U]

The variety of life just boggles the mind. I can well understand the propensity for people to attach mystical properties to life and living creatures.

This is why I found the Hazen lecture so fascinating. The concept of probabilities of all kinds from the combinatory richness of time and space really expanded my view of the universe and its inherent potentials.

 

[sweetpea]

Talking of things surviving radiation... reading about the Ginkgo trees that survived the nuclear blast of Hiroshima made me wonder, would they have survived a ''Neutron Bomb''?
The tree in the picture was just under a mile away from the ''hypocenter'' of the blast.

This Ginkgo situated near a temple about 1130 m away from the hypocenter appeared to bud after the blast

https://kwanten.home.xs4all.nl/hiroshima.htm

Hiroshima ginkgo tree seeds take root in Manchester

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-29920359
----
And, talking of tardigrades... they have been exposed to space:

In 2007, a little known creature called a tardigrade became the first animal to survive exposure to space.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/12855775

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14690-water-bears-are-first-animal-to-survive-space-vacuum/

And, ahem... http://www.sciforums.com/threads/bug-in-space.159673/

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The OP's question is a little odd, given that hominids have survived in "lion country" for seven million years or so.

 

[spidergoat]

The OP's question is a little odd, given that hominids have survived in "lion country" for seven million years or so.

And hunted them.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

And hunted them.

Yep, but didn't extinct them. Enough of each branch of hominid lived long enough to pass along their genes to successors. OP seems to think that large predators preferred hominids over all other critters. Most of those "competitors" couldn't climb trees.

 

[Write4U]

The OP's question is a little odd, given that hominids have survived in "lion country" for seven million years or so.

Cause they're smarter than the average lion.

 

[spidergoat]

Yep, but didn't extinct them. Enough of each branch of hominid lived long enough to pass along their genes to successors. OP seems to think that large predators preferred hominids over all other critters. Most of those "competitors" couldn't climb trees.

What I meant was that humans hunted lions. Humans were an apex predator, in spite of their relative weakness and lack of tooth and claw.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

What I meant was that humans hunted lions. Humans were an apex predator, in spite of their relative weakness and lack of tooth and claw.

When did humans hunt lions. I've seen lions avoid Masai, but they had spears and the lions were conditioned to avoid them. How recent that kind of thing is is open to speculation.

 

[Xelasnave.1947]

The OP's question is a little odd, given that hominids have survived in "lion country" for seven million years or so.

I think they left to get away from the lions.
Alex