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From:
Subject: Re: [DNA] Toba bottleneck
Date: Wed, 4 Sep 2002 21:16:23 EDT


In a message dated 9/4/02 3:18:12 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
writes:

> . Who are the 5% that survived? The strongest, most fit of the species
> survived. Lest we forget, remember "The survival of the fittest" , the
> basic tenet of the process of evolution? The five % that survived were
> already evolved and conditioned to survive, or they wouldn't have done so.
> But they were such a minority of the previous population that we are (were)
> virtually unaware of their existence. So, when they are the only ones left,
> we erroneously say; "Toba caused the sudden
> spurt of evolution."

Hi John,

I don't think there is anything special about the survivors. No human can be
conditioned to survive a volcano. There was something special about the
geography. When Mt. Saint Helens blew its top the weakness on the volcano and
the air currents dictated where the ash fell. With Toba did the same thing in
a mega way the same conditions dictated who lived and who died. About 10
million years ago a mega volcano in the area that is now Yellowstone Park
dumped up to 6 feet of ash in Eastern Nebraska. It killed animals in between,
not because they had a genetic flaw, defect, or weakness, but simply because
they were in the wrong place.

I really don't know if Toba was the cause of death for humans. I understand
evolution and I know that many factors, including mass extinction, contribute
to modern human evolution.

Grant Johnston, Chico, CA

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