• Mothra@mander.xyz
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    2 months ago

    According to the article the females don’t fare any better either.

    I didn’t know this about octopi, what’s the point, evolutionarily, to self destruct after reproducing?

    • cm0002@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      what’s the point, evolutionarily, to self destruct after reproducing?

      There is no point, evolution is about successful reproduction and everything else is just random chance.

      If a evolutionary tweak happens that gives your off spring better chances, but your arms fall off after sex then it’ll probably perpetuate.

      • KeenFlame@feddit.nu
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        2 months ago

        No that’s absolutely not true, every part of evolution happens for a reason and those we don’t know, we research until we find out why

        • JayDee@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          I think the point the other guy is pointing out, is that good and bad evolutionary traits are often connected - or more helpfully stated, evolutionary traits can have both benefits and drawbacks which don’t immediately seem related to the same trait.

          It’s quite possible that octopi sex dementia is just a drawback to another trait which is very beneficial, so the dementia was just a bad aspect of a good trait that propagated forward. This happens all the time in different animal biologies.

            • JayDee@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              That is not how your comment reads. It reads like you think every trait exists as an advantage and propagates because it is a benefit. Plenty of traits propagate as side effects, which is how their comment read to me.

              • KeenFlame@feddit.nu
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                2 months ago

                Not really, and I think it’s because any unnecessary trait is an extra cost. But you can have your belief or even think we were magiced by an all powerful entity