Darwin-L Message Log 8:90 (April 1994)

Academic Discussion on the History and Theory of the Historical Sciences

This is one message from the Archives of Darwin-L (1993–1997), a professional discussion group on the history and theory of the historical sciences.

Note: Additional publications on evolution and the historical sciences by the Darwin-L list owner are available on SSRN.

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<8:90>From phlkcs@gsusgi2.gsu.edu  Tue Apr 26 13:38:14 1994

Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 14:34:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Kelly C. Smith" <phlkcs@gsusgi2.gsu.edu>
Subject: Re: Vitamin C
To: darwin-l@ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu

On Tue, 26 Apr 1994 sturkel@cosy.nyit.edu wrote:

> I was pleased to read that Lamarck is still alive and well.  I enjoyed
> his explanation for the lack of Vitamin C in Primates. "We didn't need
> it, so we lost it."

As I said in an earlier comment, I am a bit sceptical about explanations
of the lose of C synthesis capacity because it was (temporarily)
unnecessary.  Nevertheless, there need be nothing Lamarkian about such an
explanation - if vitamin C synthesis imposes an appreciable cost and
infers no significant benefit, it will be selected against (which may or
may not result in response to selection).

Kelly Smith
phlkcs@gsusgi2.gsu.edu

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