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What does Darwinism do faced with intelligent/vindictive creatures (humans)

I live in peace with the nettles in my garden… until one of them stings me. Then I obliterate the entire species (as far as I am capable). Why have the nettles not evolved a better (i.e. stingless) strategy? There are no large herbivores in my garden, so they are under no pressure to remain "armed".

The same can be said for thistles, brambles and all sorts of other, painful encounters.
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  • Asked by Swiftie
  • on 2009-08-30 16:57:17
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Categories: Plants.

Tags: evolution.

 

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 jdurston says:

When you hack them down in a stinging rage, you are actually sending millions of nettle spores into the air, spreading the species rather than obliterating it.

Nature is cleverer than us ;-)

(PS this is just a guess!)

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Tags: evolution.

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posted on 2009-09-02 06:57:47 | Report abuse

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 MikeAdams#367 says:

Evolving a loss of stinging is not going to happen after just one event. If you were to constantly destroy all of the plants that stung you (and were careful to leave any that did not, or least were less painful) then, in time, a 'stingless' variety might appear. 

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posted on 2009-11-30 20:05:56 | Report abuse

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