In article <134 at homostudy.win-uk.net>, gord at homostudy.win-uk.net says...
>Seeing ourselves as "Top Rung" in what may be an infinite universe
>is a logical evolutionary outgrowth of a flat earth hypothesis. In
>free-space which way is UP? The most we can claim for ourselves is
>that at this moment we are the latest development in a specific
>evolutionary trend. Big Deal? Only to ourselves can we be "tops"
>because the attitude has helped *our* genes to survive. Viruses and
>Prokaryotes survive very nicely without this or possibly *any*
>perception.
For those who deny either the application of a phylogenetic "ladder" or
of pheromones to species survival:
It is interesting to note that a mating factor in single celled yeasts
(makes them stick together for the exchange of genetic material) is so
similar to mammalian gonadotropin-releasing hormone, that when injected
into mice it elicits a neuroendocrine response similar to that elicited
by exposure to the pheromones of the opposite sex. Whether or not single
celled organisms or humans consciously perceive the effects of
pheromones, chemical communication is ubiqutous in the animal kingdom.
Jim Kohl
http://www.pheromones.com
