Answer and explanation:
In the statement “It is painfully clear this slaughter was perpetrated by a force that holds zero regard for the value of life”, the force in question is Natural Selection. The paper from where the statement comes states that natural selection is killing about 38 Quadrillion of organism daily, including plants, fungi, animals, protozoa, bacteria, and all other living entities on the planet. Both the article and the statement made an ironic commentary on the intimate relationship between death and life. In other words, they seem to make a pun on the fact that there is no life without death. Below I will explain why.
Natural selection is the force that drives evolution, it implies the best adaptations are carried out to the next generation of a species, so it can survive and even thrive in a given ecosystem. When an organism lacks the best adaptations it will perish, preventing it to reproduce their genes. On the contrary, the best adaptions survive and therefore have the opportunity to reproduce their genes.
For instance, a lynx that is unable to catch a prey would more likely to die young and therefore have least chances to pass its genes to the next generation. Likewise, a snowshoe hare that is able to escape the lynx is more prone to pass on its genes that one that is killed by the lynx.
Natural selection is like the engine of evolution, and therefore it gives a lot of value to life. That is the irony of the statement, why it is important for The Onion’s article titled “Natural Selection Kills 38 Quadrillion Organisms In Bloodiest Day Yet”.
