Lecture of the Week: Why are We So Smart?

The Evolutionary Biology Lecture of the Week for September 18, 2006 is
now available at:

http://aics-research.com/lotw/

The talks center primarily around evolutionary biology, in all of its
aspects: cosmology, astronomy, planetology, geology, astrobiology,
ecology, ethology, biogeography, phylogenetics and evolutionary biology
itself, and are presented at a professional level, that of one
scientist talking to another. All of the talks were recorded live at
conferences.

=====================================

September 18, 2006

Part II: What Makes Us Human?

The Origin of Adaptability and Human Beings
Rick Potts
Smithsonian Instituition
35 min.

"Man's structural peculiarities only suffice to place him in a
monotypic zoological family, with a single living species. His mental
abilities are far more distinctive. If the zoological classification
were based on psychological instead of mainly morphological traits, man
would have to be considered a separate phylum or even kingdom."
- Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900 - 1975)

Species are often ecologically classified as adopting either an
r-selected or K-selected strategy, where "r" is the instrinic rate of
increase of the species and "K" is the carrying capacity of the
environment.

An r-selected species is at its most competitive when it is invading
disturbed habitat. It temporarily prospers because it can increase its
numbers faster than any of its competitors, but such a strategy will
eventually normally lose out to species that are more competitive once
the resource space fills, should it remain stable.

R-selected species are often called "weed species" because they depend
so heavily on disturbed habitat. Although Rick Potts never uses the
term in this talk on the evolution of humans, that is the organism he
is describing. Humans are now the sole surviving hominid species on the
planet, but that wasn't true until quite recently.* From his work in
his Turkana Basin and Olorgesailie sites in East Africa, as well as his
more recent work in southern China, Potts outlines a compelling
argument that Homo evolved to prosper best during periods of climatic
instability.

Climatic instability affects all species. Generally, only three choices
are offered a species:

o extinction in face of the changed environment
o migration to more clement environments
o adaptation to the broader range of environments

The genus Homo evolved - perhaps only by chance and not too much
should be made of the fact - during a period of dramatically
increasing climatic instability. Potts argues however that the recent
increases in climatic oscillations lie at the core of the evolution of
Homo.

While the increases in climatic variation appear in the fossil record
to have suppressed populations of the more inertial hominins,
Paranthropus and Australopithecus, the increased environmental stress
apparently acted as an "intelligence pump" in Homo, forcing the lineage
to become more inventive in its responses to a broader range of
inclement environments.

In that, Potts' argument not only goes a long way in answering the
question, "Why are we so smart?", it also recapitulates the "complexity
pump" thesis that Andrew Knoll argued in an earlier lectu evolution
on a stable planetary surface would soon come to an end without
episodic disturbances. Some degree of instability is necessary to cause
life to become increasingly more complex.

Rick Potts presented his talk at an astrobiology conference, thus the
question at the end was whether or not this level of instability is
universally requisite to the evolution of intelligence elsewhere in the
galaxy? Potts argues yes.

==================================================

Wirt Atmar wrote:
The Evolutionary Biology Lecture of the Week for September 18, 2006 is
now available at:

http://aics-research.com/lotw/

The talks center primarily around evolutionary biology, in all of its
aspects: cosmology, astronomy, planetology, geology, astrobiology,
ecology, ethology, biogeography, phylogenetics and evolutionary biology
itself, and are presented at a professional level, that of one
scientist talking to another. All of the talks were recorded live at
conferences.

=====================================

September 18, 2006

Part II: What Makes Us Human?

The Origin of Adaptability and Human Beings
Rick Potts
Smithsonian Instituition
35 min.

"Man's structural peculiarities only suffice to place him in a
monotypic zoological family, with a single living species. His mental
abilities are far more distinctive. If the zoological classification
were based on psychological instead of mainly morphological traits, man
would have to be considered a separate phylum or even kingdom."
- Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900 - 1975)

Species are often ecologically classified as adopting either an
r-selected or K-selected strategy, where "r" is the instrinic rate of
increase of the species and "K" is the carrying capacity of the
environment.

An r-selected species is at its most competitive when it is invading
disturbed habitat. It temporarily prospers because it can increase its
numbers faster than any of its competitors, but such a strategy will
eventually normally lose out to species that are more competitive once
the resource space fills, should it remain stable.

R-selected species are often called "weed species" because they depend
so heavily on disturbed habitat. Although Rick Potts never uses the
term in this talk on the evolution of humans, that is the organism he
is describing. Humans are now the sole surviving hominid species on the
planet, but that wasn't true until quite recently.* From his work in
his Turkana Basin and Olorgesailie sites in East Africa, as well as his
more recent work in southern China, Potts outlines a compelling
argument that Homo evolved to prosper best during periods of climatic
instability.

Climatic instability affects all species. Generally, only three choices
are offered a species:

o extinction in face of the changed environment
o migration to more clement environments
o adaptation to the broader range of environments

The genus Homo evolved - perhaps only by chance and not too much
should be made of the fact - during a period of dramatically
increasing climatic instability. Potts argues however that the recent
increases in climatic oscillations lie at the core of the evolution of
Homo.

While the increases in climatic variation appear in the fossil record
to have suppressed populations of the more inertial hominins,
Paranthropus and Australopithecus, the increased environmental stress
apparently acted as an "intelligence pump" in Homo, forcing the lineage
to become more inventive in its responses to a broader range of
inclement environments.

In that, Potts' argument not only goes a long way in answering the
question, "Why are we so smart?", it also recapitulates the "complexity
pump" thesis that Andrew Knoll argued in an earlier lectu evolution
on a stable planetary surface would soon come to an end without
episodic disturbances. Some degree of instability is necessary to cause
life to become increasingly more complex.

Rick Potts presented his talk at an astrobiology conference, thus the
question at the end was whether or not this level of instability is
universally requisite to the evolution of intelligence elsewhere in the
galaxy? Potts argues yes.

==================================================

If intelligence evolved, why didn't the other homonids prove fit to
survive? Certainly, they were more intelligent than other mammals in
the same ecosystem, which did survive. There should be more homonids,
if intelligence evolved as a survival feature. Since there aren't, it
is ridiculous to imply that homonid intelligence has anything to do
with evolution or survival.

Intelligence exists, but so does Athelete's Foot... no one is seriously
contending that Athelete's Foot made human's more fit to survive, but
it follows the same absence of logic, you're using for intelligence.
The truth is that intelligence must be incidental to survival,
otherwise the surviving species would be more on a par with homonids
than intelligently inferior to us.


JTG 9/18/06

wrote:
Wirt Atmar wrote:
The Evolutionary Biology Lecture of the Week for September 18, 2006 is
now available at:

http://aics-research.com/lotw/

The talks center primarily around evolutionary biology, in all of its
aspects: cosmology, astronomy, planetology, geology, astrobiology,
ecology, ethology, biogeography, phylogenetics and evolutionary biology
itself, and are presented at a professional level, that of one
scientist talking to another. All of the talks were recorded live at
conferences.

=====================================

September 18, 2006

Part II: What Makes Us Human?

The Origin of Adaptability and Human Beings
Rick Potts
Smithsonian Instituition
35 min.

"Man's structural peculiarities only suffice to place him in a
monotypic zoological family, with a single living species. His mental
abilities are far more distinctive. If the zoological classification
were based on psychological instead of mainly morphological traits, man
would have to be considered a separate phylum or even kingdom."
- Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900 - 1975)

Species are often ecologically classified as adopting either an
r-selected or K-selected strategy, where "r" is the instrinic rate of
increase of the species and "K" is the carrying capacity of the
environment.

An r-selected species is at its most competitive when it is invading
disturbed habitat. It temporarily prospers because it can increase its
numbers faster than any of its competitors, but such a strategy will
eventually normally lose out to species that are more competitive once
the resource space fills, should it remain stable.

R-selected species are often called "weed species" because they depend
so heavily on disturbed habitat. Although Rick Potts never uses the
term in this talk on the evolution of humans, that is the organism he
is describing. Humans are now the sole surviving hominid species on the
planet, but that wasn't true until quite recently.* From his work in
his Turkana Basin and Olorgesailie sites in East Africa, as well as his
more recent work in southern China, Potts outlines a compelling
argument that Homo evolved to prosper best during periods of climatic
instability.

Climatic instability affects all species. Generally, only three choices
are offered a species:

o extinction in face of the changed environment
o migration to more clement environments
o adaptation to the broader range of environments

The genus Homo evolved - perhaps only by chance and not too much
should be made of the fact - during a period of dramatically
increasing climatic instability. Potts argues however that the recent
increases in climatic oscillations lie at the core of the evolution of
Homo.

While the increases in climatic variation appear in the fossil record
to have suppressed populations of the more inertial hominins,
Paranthropus and Australopithecus, the increased environmental stress
apparently acted as an "intelligence pump" in Homo, forcing the lineage
to become more inventive in its responses to a broader range of
inclement environments.

In that, Potts' argument not only goes a long way in answering the
question, "Why are we so smart?", it also recapitulates the "complexity
pump" thesis that Andrew Knoll argued in an earlier lectu evolution
on a stable planetary surface would soon come to an end without
episodic disturbances. Some degree of instability is necessary to cause
life to become increasingly more complex.

Rick Potts presented his talk at an astrobiology conference, thus the
question at the end was whether or not this level of instability is
universally requisite to the evolution of intelligence elsewhere in the
galaxy? Potts argues yes.

==================================================

If intelligence evolved, why didn't the other homonids prove fit to
survive? Certainly, they were more intelligent than other mammals in
the same ecosystem, which did survive. There should be more homonids,
if intelligence evolved as a survival feature. Since there aren't, it
is ridiculous to imply that homonid intelligence has anything to do
with evolution or survival.

Intelligence exists, but so does Athelete's Foot...

While I feel your pain for the latter, the former seems in short
supply.

A good cure for atheletes foot is a daily washing with a sterile,
slightly acidic urea solution. Perhaps you can get your hands
on a fresh source.

What is the upper bound on intelligence, then?

"If intelligence evolved, why didn't the other homonids prove fit to
survive? Certainly, they were more intelligent than other mammals in
the same ecosystem, which did survive."

Dr. Potts seems to be argiung that we showed up during a period of
instability and out-competed them.

"There should be more homonids, if intelligence evolved as a survival
feature. Since there aren't, it is ridiculous to imply that homonid
intelligence has anything to do
with evolution or survival."

Actually, hominids were doing pretty well -- homo erectus lasted about
2 million years -- until our species began to spread out from Africa.

On 18 Sep 2006 13:43:27 -0700, "
wrote:

... it
is ridiculous to imply that homonid intelligence has anything to do
with evolution or survival.

It has nothing to do with you, as you demonstrate with every post.

CT

"Wirt Atmar" wrote in message
ups.com...
The Evolutionary Biology Lecture of the Week for September 18, 2006 is
now available at:

http://aics-research.com/lotw/

The talks center primarily around evolutionary biology, in all of its
aspects: cosmology, astronomy, planetology, geology, astrobiology,
ecology, ethology, biogeography, phylogenetics and evolutionary biology
itself, and are presented at a professional level, that of one
scientist talking to another. All of the talks were recorded live at
conferences.

=====================================

September 18, 2006

Part II: What Makes Us Human?

The Origin of Adaptability and Human Beings
Rick Potts
Smithsonian Instituition
35 min.

"Man's structural peculiarities only suffice to place him in a
monotypic zoological family, with a single living species. His mental
abilities are far more distinctive. If the zoological classification
were based on psychological instead of mainly morphological traits, man
would have to be considered a separate phylum or even kingdom."
- Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900 - 1975)

Species are often ecologically classified as adopting either an
r-selected or K-selected strategy, where "r" is the instrinic rate of
increase of the species and "K" is the carrying capacity of the
environment.

An r-selected species is at its most competitive when it is invading
disturbed habitat. It temporarily prospers because it can increase its
numbers faster than any of its competitors, but such a strategy will
eventually normally lose out to species that are more competitive once
the resource space fills, should it remain stable.

R-selected species are often called "weed species" because they depend
so heavily on disturbed habitat.

It is interesting to observe that Jews are an "r-selected" species,
whereas most All? of the rest of mankind are "K-selected" species.

In other words, Jews prosper from "disturbed habitat".
For example, Jews have prospered from many conflicts and wars.
They instigated and prospered from the Class Wars of the 1900's,
they instigated and prospered from the Urban Rebellion in the 1960's,
and they are prospering from the Religious Wars of the 2000's.

For example, Larry Silverstein, a Jew,
signed a 99-year lease for the World Trade Center
just before the Sept. 11 attacks, and
has been paying the Port Authority about $10 million a month.
($110 million per year.)
Note that a good investor would get at least
400 million per year in interest from 5 billion dollars.

It is also interesting to see that Jews are drawn to
and profit from, "disturbed habitat"
such as the Spanish Civil War, Iraq, etc.

Of course there are risks to being "r-selected".
Nicolas Berg was beheaded in Iraq,
Lori Berenson was jailed for terrorism in Peru,
the Germans killed many Jews in WWII,
Palestinians and Lebanonese are killing Jews,
many Jews who went to Spain to participate in
the Spanish Civil War were killed, etc.

Apparently, when an "r-selected" species invades an environment,
the "K-selected" species fight back,
in order to restore stability to the environment,
and allow it to progress exponentially,
rather than chaotically.

In other words,
exponential triumphs over chaos in the long run.

--
Tom Potter
http://home.earthlink.net/~tdp/
http://tdp1001.googlepages.com/home
http://no-turtles.com
http://www.frappr.com/tompotter
http://photos.yahoo.com/tdp1001
http://spaces.msn.com/tdp1001
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tom-potter/
http://tom-potter.blogspot.com




--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Tom Potter wrote:
"Wirt Atmar" wrote in message
ups.com...
The Evolutionary Biology Lecture of the Week for September 18, 2006 is
now available at:

http://aics-research.com/lotw/

The talks center primarily around evolutionary biology, in all of its
aspects: cosmology, astronomy, planetology, geology, astrobiology,
ecology, ethology, biogeography, phylogenetics and evolutionary biology
itself, and are presented at a professional level, that of one
scientist talking to another. All of the talks were recorded live at
conferences.

=====================================

September 18, 2006

Part II: What Makes Us Human?

The Origin of Adaptability and Human Beings
Rick Potts
Smithsonian Instituition
35 min.

"Man's structural peculiarities only suffice to place him in a
monotypic zoological family, with a single living species. His mental
abilities are far more distinctive. If the zoological classification
were based on psychological instead of mainly morphological traits, man
would have to be considered a separate phylum or even kingdom."
- Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900 - 1975)

Species are often ecologically classified as adopting either an
r-selected or K-selected strategy, where "r" is the instrinic rate of
increase of the species and "K" is the carrying capacity of the
environment.

An r-selected species is at its most competitive when it is invading
disturbed habitat. It temporarily prospers because it can increase its
numbers faster than any of its competitors, but such a strategy will
eventually normally lose out to species that are more competitive once
the resource space fills, should it remain stable.

R-selected species are often called "weed species" because they depend
so heavily on disturbed habitat.

It is interesting to observe that Jews are an "r-selected" species,
whereas most All? of the rest of mankind are "K-selected" species.

You are more closely related to the Jews - no matter how much that fact
may disturb them - than are any two chimps to each other.

They are hardly a different species; we went thru a recent bottleneck,
and are all brothers and sisters, more than most species.

If you were as obssessed with Chinese or Germans or any other ethnic
group you would find similar pseudo-evidence to support your racist
fantasies.

And why the hell did you add alt.gossip.celebreties to the newsgroups?

snip ignorant, mean-spirited fantasies
Tom Potter
snip

Wirt Atmar wrote:
The Evolutionary Biology Lecture of the Week for September 18, 2006 is
now available at:

http://aics-research.com/lotw/

Lecture of the Week: Why are We So Smart?

I ain't. Most of the time I'm goddamned stupid, and that appears to be
true of all of the rest of humanity. I am at a loss to understand how
some people can insist humans are smart, when the evidence that we
ain't is so very abundant and gl;aringly obvious.

However, it is far from a valid conclusion that human-type intelligence
is a positive survival trait. Maybe we can say it is in about another
10,000 years or so ---- once we have survived our own cleverness for
that much longer.

Kermit wrote:
Tom Potter wrote:
"Wirt Atmar" wrote in message
ups.com...
The Evolutionary Biology Lecture of the Week for September 18, 2006 is
now available at:

http://aics-research.com/lotw/

The talks center primarily around evolutionary biology, in all of its
aspects: cosmology, astronomy, planetology, geology, astrobiology,
ecology, ethology, biogeography, phylogenetics and evolutionary biology
itself, and are presented at a professional level, that of one
scientist talking to another. All of the talks were recorded live at
conferences.

=====================================

September 18, 2006

Part II: What Makes Us Human?

The Origin of Adaptability and Human Beings
Rick Potts
Smithsonian Instituition
35 min.

"Man's structural peculiarities only suffice to place him in a
monotypic zoological family, with a single living species. His mental
abilities are far more distinctive. If the zoological classification
were based on psychological instead of mainly morphological traits, man
would have to be considered a separate phylum or even kingdom."
- Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900 - 1975)

Species are often ecologically classified as adopting either an
r-selected or K-selected strategy, where "r" is the instrinic rate of
increase of the species and "K" is the carrying capacity of the
environment.

An r-selected species is at its most competitive when it is invading
disturbed habitat. It temporarily prospers because it can increase its
numbers faster than any of its competitors, but such a strategy will
eventually normally lose out to species that are more competitive once
the resource space fills, should it remain stable.

R-selected species are often called "weed species" because they depend
so heavily on disturbed habitat.

It is interesting to observe that Jews are an "r-selected" species,
whereas most All? of the rest of mankind are "K-selected" species.

You are more closely related to the Jews - no matter how much that fact
may disturb them - than are any two chimps to each other.

They are hardly a different species; we went thru a recent bottleneck,
and are all brothers and sisters, more than most species.

If you were as obssessed with Chinese or Germans or any other ethnic
group you would find similar pseudo-evidence to support your racist
fantasies.

It is interesting to see that Kermit
asserts that I provided pseudo-evidence when I suggested
that Jews are an "r-selected" species,
whereas most All? of the rest of mankind are "K-selected" species.

As I pointed out:

Jews prosper from "disturbed habitat".
For example, Jews have prospered from many conflicts and wars.
They instigated and prospered from the Class Wars of the 1900's,
they instigated and prospered from the Urban Rebellion in the 1960's,
and they are prospering from the Religious Wars of the 2000's.

For example, Larry Silverstein, a Jew,
signed a 99-year lease for the World Trade Center
just before the Sept. 11 attacks, and
has been paying the Port Authority about $10 million a month.
($110 million per year.)
Note that a good investor would get at least
400 million per year in interest from 5 billion dollars.

As I also pointed out, Jews are drawn to
and profit from, "disturbed habitat"
such as the Spanish Civil War, Iraq, etc.

And as I also pointed out,
there are risks to being "r-selected".
Nicolas Berg was beheaded in Iraq,
Lori Berenson was jailed for terrorism in Peru,
the Germans killed many Jews in WWII,
Palestinians and Lebanonese are killing Jews,
many Jews who went to Spain to participate in
the Spanish Civil War were killed, etc.

I will be looking forward to seeing Kermit
defend his position that Jews and non-Jews
benefit equally from "disturbed habitat".

--
Tom Potter
http://home.earthlink.net/~tdp/
http://tdp1001.googlepages.com/home
http://no-turtles.com
http://www.frappr.com/tompotter
http://photos.yahoo.com/tdp1001
http://spaces.msn.com/tdp1001
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tom-potter/
http://tom-potter.blogspot.com