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Re:Your body wasn’t built to last: a lesson from human morta... by eevilspock on Tuesday April 21, 2015 @06:53PM (#9417704)
First, r/K selection is a theory, a controversial one at that (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R/K_selection_theory#Status).

Second, there is no contradiction between the two theories. According to r/K selection, long life-span is a typical characteristic of K-selected species, while short lifespan is typical for the r-selected. The theory I espouse would simple add that the continuum between K-selected and r-selected species would tend to correspond to a continuum of evolutionary rates.

If you still disagree, please follow the link and point out flaws in the argument.

Re:Your body wasn’t built to last: a lesson from human morta... by trhway on Tuesday April 21, 2015 @07:21PM (#9417829)
>The theory I espouse would simple add that the continuum between K-selected and r-selected species would tend to correspond to a continuum of evolutionary rates.

Looking at the last 2B years who has shown higher "global" evolutionary rate - the line of living matter leading to humans or the line leading to fish?

While of course it is obvious that the "local" evolutionary rate - rate of producing and churning through minor changes - is higher for shorter lived.

In short - giving the result the human rate of evolution

Re:Your body wasn’t built to last: a lesson from human morta... by eevilspock on Tuesday April 21, 2015 @09:42PM (#9418229)
You have fallen for the false assumption that evolution is teleological and that humans are the farthest along that teleological path.

From some quick googling (if I had time I'd come up with better):

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolphil/teleology.html

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/04/not-as-evolved...

http://spacetimechronicles.blogspot.com/2009/03/are-we-pinna...

Re:Your body wasn’t built to last: a lesson from human morta... by trhway on Wednesday April 22, 2015 @01:43AM (#9418811)
>You have fallen for the false assumption that evolution is teleological

it isn't false, it is true - the evolution leads to exponentially more complex systems. There is a very simple mathematical reason for that - evolution changes are small continuous deltas and a delta-changes to a more complex system cover more volume in the parameter space. Very rough - an organism with 2 times more types of cells, limbs, other morphological and behavioral features, etc.. will produce 2 times more of survivable variations.

>humans are the farthest along that teleological path.

mammals are farthest down the complexity path and humans just a bit further as it seems that we have a bit more complex brain.

Your Harward link is wrong on at least 2 metrics of biological systems both of which shows clear [exponential] increase as result of evolution - complexity and entropy increase integrated over given biological system's life-path in the space-time (that ability to maximize entropy beyond what can be achieved by following local gradient is the main differentiator between live and regular matter)