How old is an amoeba?

[Daij]

Any ideas?

[jackthehat]

http://www.buzzle.com...cle-of-an-amoeba.html

[jake-the-peg]

I think the point is that when an amoeba divides the question of which is th original and which is the offspring is essentially meaningless.

So in that sense an amoeba is immortal.

Although I would rather say that the question itself is meaningless

[Graham-W]

If you take the amoeba as the beginning of life on earth it's 3.5 billion years old.

Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday dear amoeba.......................................
............................

[Jonathan-Joe]

In the question and answers so far, there seems to be an assumption that any living amoeba was formed by a succession of divisions from a very distant ancestor. However, amoebas also reproduce sexually. It could well be that reproduction by division is only viable for a limited number of generations, If so, then all living amoeba may be descended from individuals formed by sexual reproduction comparatively recently and so not terribly old.

[squarebear]

The question is meaningless. It's like asking how old is a man.

[Bbbananas]

76?

[jake-the-peg]

Why is asking how old is a man meaningless squarebear? (bearing in mind I've not had coffee yet and may be being a bit slow)

[Bbbananas]

Because - which man? There are an awful lot of men in the universe. That's how I understood it anyway.

[squarebear]

Yep. He could be anywhere between 18 and 100+, as could the amoeba.

[jake-the-peg]

Ah,

but what about this division issue I noted above?

Isn't any one amoeba the same individual from millions of years ago?

What makes an amoeba a specific individual?

[jno]

42?

[squarebear]

But surely in that case, any baby also comes from a man and a woman. It doesn't just appear, and so must also be many thousands of years old?

[Hopkirk]

Haven't you lot got something you should be doing?

[jake-the-peg]

No because a baby is a product of sexual reproduction, his own genetic make-up identifies him as a unique individual

[squarebear]

I bow to your knowledge.

[jake-the-peg]

Not so much knowledge as a question I've pondered before

It's a bit like the "startrek transporter question"


If I could duplicate each atom in your body in the right order and not distroy the original - which one is you?

[squarebear]

Hmmm... I suppose the original is the one you copied from, like photocopying a piece of paper or copying a computer file.

As an aside, I would imagine a Star Trek transporter would have to work by creating a duplicate of yourself then destroying the original! Not very pleasant for whoever is being transported.