"Saying "selection pressure" implies intent, determination, a collective mission, if you will. Evolution has none of those drivers. It has no objectives. It sets no goals. And it certainly does not operate in some collective purpose driven form within a population."
danieltillett said:
"At the moment the speed of disease progression to death is so fast that it is slowing the spread of Ebola. If the Ebola took longer to kill it would infect more people."
This seems like a true statement and in line with your own opinion; I can't quite see what you are objecting to.
The death of the infected isn't necessarily the end of the virus.
It looks like a police officer inspecting the home of the guy who just died in Texas has now contracted ebola. As I understand it he inspected the home days after the patient had been in isolation at the hospital. Apparently there was vomit, fecal matter, blood and who knows what else in there. Why he went in there without protective gear is incomprehensible to me.
The point is that death isn't the end of the virus, it's the end of the host. That's why they are cremating the guy who just died.
"Saying "selection pressure" implies intent, determination, a collective mission, if you will. Evolution has none of those drivers. It has no objectives. It sets no goals. And it certainly does not operate in some collective purpose driven form within a population."
danieltillett said:
"At the moment the speed of disease progression to death is so fast that it is slowing the spread of Ebola. If the Ebola took longer to kill it would infect more people."
This seems like a true statement and in line with your own opinion; I can't quite see what you are objecting to.