Why are some mutations, like additional limbs or more than 50 chromosomes, are just not possible for humans to have?
In: Biology
They are possible. We arrived at the number of limbs we have (additional limbs) through random mutation and natural selection. They are unlikely, but all the ways we are are now are the result of very improbable events paired with lots and lots of reproduction and a very long period of time, all creating some preference for survival in the context of when and where the occurred. If we were now to randomly spawn another limb it would have to be advantageous such that the person with the extra limb was more likely to reproduce than others around them – otherwise it’s not an advantage. Evolution doesn’t have opinions or human values about what is cool or good, it only cares about what maximizes survival toward and through reproduction.
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