So we think right now. It seems reasonable to think so. The sillent codes are interesting. Do they promote helpful mutation? The fact we encode so much in binary is amasing. Do we do better than nature?
http://io9.gizmodo.com/5988401/why-survival-of-the-fittest-is-wrong
http://io9.gizmodo.com/5988401/why-survival-of-the-fittest-is-wrong
'Survival of the fittest' is correct if viewed from the point of view of species. Seen from the point of view of individuals within a species, 'reproduction of the fittest' might indeed be a better term.
Natural selection does in fact work because of the selective reproduction by individuals. You can survive until you are 200 years of age, but if you don't reproduce your fantastic genes fall by the wayside.
Jan
Being timely, Pano do you have a link to the strange maths that the FE's use to predict the paths of an eclipse. As you know the rest of us get it right to probably better than a few feet and microseconds these days.
We see just a snapshot of an extremely long timeline. Who knows what it will look like in another few dozen millions of years?
Jan
Dinosaurs may diserve this tittle better than us! Sharks for sure! Or dolfins, or even squids...
Have you considered the unbroken, untold numbers of generations of forms of life that have culminated in you, if at any point over the millions of years that chain had been severed you wouldn't be here
Yes, but this is also true for any other modern living being. What I mean is that we are not the most complex and durable in time form of life.
Of course, still a thought though! Was initially directed at Jan but doesn't matter. I think we are the most complex, particularly the human brain, it is probably the most complex thing that has ever existed
Sorry for interference! Before I leave out of the way just to comment that I was deliberately refered to squids...
That's ok, you aren't interfering. How do you mean, squids are complex and durable? I believe they are very intelligent ( the big ones!)
Complexity, in general, or even if it has to be evaluated in terms of "inteligence", is not just mathematics and literature... Squids' brains -and dolfins too- can do things we consider science fiction!
Yes, the most complex organisation known in the universe. But observe: some earlier Neanderthals had bigger brains than we had, just missing a specific mutation that prevented them to 'win' from us. Sapiens and Neanderthals co-existed for many centuries and even interbred for a long period until the differences became so large that first, their mixed offspring became sterile and next, they could no longer produce mixed offspring. At that point they became officially a different species.
Neanderthal disappeared, we are still here, and doing well, thank you. But it is a precarious balance, and the inter-species arms race continues unabated. What we have going for us is that we are at the point that we can manipulate our own environment, and soon our own genetic evolution. We will be the first species that will be able to direct our own evolution and it is believed that that means we will never be challenged anymore.
Until, of course, these tripeds from Alpha Centaury come calling ;-)
Jan
I think you'd enjoy this Jan if you don't know it A Review of Maya by Jostein Gaarder – Compulsive Reader
The book, not the review....
The book, not the review....
Homosapiens has the frontal lobes, and we are still evolving to accommodate them. Many other species have advanced cognition,though; some dolphins and whales, some crows, gorillas and chimps (of course). All these species (and a few I can't remember) can recognize themselves in a mirror, which some study inferred that this indicated self awareness (sentience).
Many species have talents and senses that we don't have. We can realize some of these talents with technology. Some animals are capable of incredible navigation feats with zero technology. Birds and insects engage in astounding seasonal navigational feats - and I don't think that a butterfly is really that smart. Hummingbirds visit the same gardens every year on their migration (they have to eat a lot and often) and teach subsequent generations where the flowers are. Hummingbirds aren't sentient but the accomplish all this with just their wits. Mantis shrimp have compound lens eyes and can see seven colors. They're not very smart either but they can figure out how to crack open a mussel.
So what is the pinnacle of evolution anyway? What is the standard?
Climate change is another Flat Earth Problem. It may well be true. Myself, I would believe it. However I feel some sympathy with people who say the Earth can do this without help from us.
Much of what we are doing to combat it seems a good idea regardless. If nothing else new thinking and new engineering.
If you look at Svalbard sea temperature graphs and then look at St Paul and Amsterdam Islands in the South. Svalbard is about the same ( ish, French Antarctic Lands more so, South of Maurisius ). Then look again. St Paul is not far off of England's position from the pole. Should enough polar ice melt and we no longer have the Gulf Stream we would have a new Ice Age. OK Svalbard is getting warmer, it has always been warmer than seems likely. Ironically coal was why people went there. Sometimes it has mini heat waves. They go sun bathing to celebrate, 20 C has been known and 9 is not uncommon ( like England often, not today ). People fly in from the North lands to mark these days.
No one ever says that humans are a very late addition to Earth. I would speculate that nothing has arrived after us and I suspect there is a 10 million year gap back to anything else of note. I have no idea what a human is on the time line. 200 000 years is my guess. Perhaps only 30 000 years for ones that could learn to use an iPhone quickly. Africa has had a revolution due to mobile phones. Work found quickly when both employer and employee get together. It is changing that world in a way nothing else has. Cheap enough to be possible. Texting was a test mode for engineers that was retained.
One Climate Change protester I heard claims we have only avoided an Ice Age due to the industries use of coal. Could be.
Much of what we are doing to combat it seems a good idea regardless. If nothing else new thinking and new engineering.
If you look at Svalbard sea temperature graphs and then look at St Paul and Amsterdam Islands in the South. Svalbard is about the same ( ish, French Antarctic Lands more so, South of Maurisius ). Then look again. St Paul is not far off of England's position from the pole. Should enough polar ice melt and we no longer have the Gulf Stream we would have a new Ice Age. OK Svalbard is getting warmer, it has always been warmer than seems likely. Ironically coal was why people went there. Sometimes it has mini heat waves. They go sun bathing to celebrate, 20 C has been known and 9 is not uncommon ( like England often, not today ). People fly in from the North lands to mark these days.
No one ever says that humans are a very late addition to Earth. I would speculate that nothing has arrived after us and I suspect there is a 10 million year gap back to anything else of note. I have no idea what a human is on the time line. 200 000 years is my guess. Perhaps only 30 000 years for ones that could learn to use an iPhone quickly. Africa has had a revolution due to mobile phones. Work found quickly when both employer and employee get together. It is changing that world in a way nothing else has. Cheap enough to be possible. Texting was a test mode for engineers that was retained.
One Climate Change protester I heard claims we have only avoided an Ice Age due to the industries use of coal. Could be.
Well you could argue whether self-awareness is all that much it is thought to be. As you noted, lots of smart beings do very well without it.
There is a nice theory why it actually does bring a lot of extra capability but I don't feel like going into that now.
Jan
Parrots are interesting. They are the MP3 versions of brain use. Some think this gives them similar abilities as dogs.
Octopus etc also. Like the good book stories I can only say what I didn't see. Fish were missing from a lab. It turns out the Octopus walked across the lab and eat them at night. This would not be a big deal except it went back to it's tank. If you stop to think this would be like going to the Moon for us. Doubtless this is an urban myth, however I think it's not. For this reason I don't like eating them.
Octopus etc also. Like the good book stories I can only say what I didn't see. Fish were missing from a lab. It turns out the Octopus walked across the lab and eat them at night. This would not be a big deal except it went back to it's tank. If you stop to think this would be like going to the Moon for us. Doubtless this is an urban myth, however I think it's not. For this reason I don't like eating them.
Sorry, I do not. I don't even remember seeing them. To find them, I'd have to search, just like anyone else.
You might be thinking of the Pierson's Puppeteer. And those we DO need to worry about.
I am currently reading a book about Octopus conciseness, and this story is quoted. Likely true.
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