Tara ,'First Date'
A topic for the discussion of Farscape, Smallville, and Due South. Beware possible invasions of Stargate, Highlander, or pretty much any other "genre" show that captures our fancy. Expect Adult Content and discussion of the Big Gay Sex.
Whitefont all unaired in the U.S. ep discussion, identifying it as such, and including the show and ep title in blackfont.
Blackfont is allowed after the show has aired on the east coast.
This is NOT a general TV discussion thread.
In "The Millenium Ark", Soulé et al. conclude that 6 is the absolute minimum number of founders, and that with fewer, the group will lose more than 10% of its genetic diversity as soon as it reproduces. Twenty is a much safer number. Furthermore, the population size should be increased to 200-300 as quickly as possible to prevent significant loss of diversity. The necessity for increasing the population size is to prevent random loss of alleles that may be important.
BSG population is nowhere near small enough yet to worry
Well, but the population is all over the place larded into closets and cubbyholes, right? Unless they have the galaxy's coolest roommate lottery every couple of months, how are all the members of the population going to meet and mix their genes?
(That would be hilarious! Random grannies on the prison ship; that ship full of gamblers invaded by a Beadazzling housewife!)
how are all the members of the population going to meet and mix their genes
Well, there are more than 6 per ship. More than 300 too, unless I'm sizing the fleet way wrong.
They have got to have a BSG version of match.com or even an old-fashioned matchmaker, possibly working aboard Cloud 9.
They have got to have a BSG version of match.com or even an old-fashioned matchmaker, possibly working aboard Cloud 9.
Interstellar Yenta!!
Damn, now I'm trying to filk "Matchmaker," with Laura/Bill for Hodel/62-year-old man, and Ellen/Tigh for Chava/drunk, but since the drunk's also "tall, that is from side to side," that won't work.
6 is the absolute minimum number of founders
Am I missing something or is that specifically about canines?
For people, estimates seem to be between 150 and 200.
I think Baltar was lying -- his whole "Oh, I did this math months ago, so it was easy peasy to comply with your too-little-too-late request which offends me with its triviality" riff sounded to me like he was buying time enough to come up with an answer that sounded dire, but not so extreme that he was making it up in order to push Roslin into political suicide.
Am I missing something or is that specifically about canines?
Possibly. The page is about wolves, but it's citing a specific book that may or may not have extrapolated results to humans.
It's Friday and there's new SciFi on my screen right now, AIFG!