Why do we pee?

[shkrobius]

The textbook answer is that animals need to urinate in order to excrete extra salts and nitrogen metabolites from their blood. The ammonia in aquatic animals, insoluble uric acid in birds, diapsid reptiles, and insects, and soluble urea in amphibians and mammals are the means of disposing the N generated by transdeamination of unwanted amino acids

Comments

Re: ot

[shkrobius]

If you liked the Red Queen, "The Origin of Virtue" is a better book and it has a broader scope. BTW, I do not see why is it totally impossible to explain morality, altruism, unselfshness, cooperation, conformism, etc. using the existing evolutionary theories. Your own body is "a society in which individuals cooperate generously and unselfishly towards a common good." If it troubles you that these individuals are genetic clones, consider Myxomycete slime molds. Genetically varied individuals get together on their own accord, form a slug, move out, form a fruiting body, and multiply. Ca. 10-30% of these individuals selflessly die in the process. Why isn't this "a society in which individuals cooperate generously and unselfishly towards a common good?" Dawkins may believe that morality cannot emerge in a Darwinian world; he is entitled to his opinion. If morality does not emerge in his version of the Darwinian world, this only means that we do not live in such a world, and better theories of evolutionary transitions are required. Claiming that no such theories are possible is arrogant nonsense.