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PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
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When I wrote this program, I never thought that it would evolve anything more than a variety of treelike shapes. I had hoped for weeping willows, cedars of Lebanon, Lombardy poplars, seaweeds, perhaps deer antlers. Nothing in my biologist's intuition, nothing in my 20 years experience of programming computers, and nothing in my wildest dreams prepared me for what actually emerged on screen. I can't remember exactly when in the sequence it first began to dawn on me that an evolved resemblance to something like an insect was possible. With a wild surmise, I began to breed, generation after generation, from whichever child looked most like an insect. My incredulity grew in parallel with the evolving resemblance…. I still cannot conceal from you my feeling of exultation as I first watched these exquisite creatures emerging before my eyes. I distinctly heard the triumphal opening chords of 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' (the 2001 theme) in my mind. I couldn't eat, and that night 'my' insects swarmed behind my eyelids as I tried to sleep."
My prize would be for a visually appealing world in which the life-forms have a visible, and preferably 3-D, morphology on the computer screen. They must evolve adaptations not just to 'inanimate' factors like the weather (which would produce essentially predictable, not emergent evolution) but to other evolving life forms (which is a recipe for emergent properties).
Richard Dawkins
« There is a difference | Main | Laws of correlation and the derivation of evolutionary patterns from developmental rules »
Category: Cephalopods
Posted on: October 6, 2007 11:33 AM, by PZ Myers
Oh, no! I just found out that Monday, the 8th of October, the tenth month, will be International Cephalopod Awareness Day, as also discussed on TONMO. I have so little time to prepare! Everyone else get kraken, too, and remember to send me links to your cephalopodic celebrations in cyberspace on Monday.
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Comments
Posted by: John McKay | October 6, 2007 12:14 PM
I suppose I get to be the pedantic history guy who points out that in the old Roman Julian calendar, the year began in March. New Year's was moved back two months early in the modern era (England, in 1688, was one of the last to do so). Thus, it's the eighth day of the eighth month. That's the explanation behind that odd sequence of sept- (seven), oct- (eight), nov- (nine), and dec- (ten) at the wrong place in our month names.
Posted by: Chet | October 6, 2007 12:48 PM
I've got my eight-ended purple ribbon all picked out.
Posted by: Blake Stacey | October 6, 2007 1:15 PM
John McKay:
And that, of course, is the reason why we can say the following. Note that 31 in octal is 3*8 + 1, or 25 in decimal. Id est, 31 Oct(al) = 25 Dec(imal), or in other words, Halloween equals Christmas.
Posted by: Katrina | October 6, 2007 1:50 PM
The move to the Gregorian calendar was actually because the Julian calendar (named for Caesar) had been "creeping" over time and the month we call January was occurring around the spring equinox. As I understand it, the original Julian calendar had 365 days in it, with a leap day every three years instead of four.
The naming of the months did, however, come from the Roman calendar, which started the new year in what we now call "March."
Posted by: ABR | October 6, 2007 1:51 PM
Celebrating on October 8th is fine for the Octopodiformes crowd, but doesn't it discriminate against the Decapodiformes? Perhaps this celebration should be held over a three day period from October 8th to 10th.
Posted by: John McKay | October 6, 2007 2:22 PM
Katrina,
The change to the Gregorian calendar shifted the date less than two weeks (it's currently 13 days out of sync with the Gregorian). The Julian calendar also used a four year leap correction, but dealt with the century year differently than the Gregorian. The Gregorian only has a leap day on the century year if the year is divisible by 400. So 2000 was a leap year but 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not. That means the Julian calendar creeps ahead three days every 400 years.
Moving New Year's from March to January was a separate adjustment from fixing the leap year calculation. For some reason, it was decided to be better to begin the year near the Winter Solstice instead of near the Spring Equinox. Why they didn't start the year right on the solstice is yet another mystery. In England, both moves were made at the same time, but in other countries the two were made separately.
Posted by: Mike from Ottawa | October 6, 2007 3:32 PM
Monday is Thanksgiving Day here in Canada. In honour of International Cephalopod Awareness Day, maybe instead of turkey I'll serve octopus - everyone gets a drumstick!
Posted by: Damon B. | October 6, 2007 4:17 PM
Everyone else get kraken...
Thematic... pun meter... overloading!
Posted by: SEF | October 6, 2007 4:20 PM
Everyone had better watch out for those aware cephalopods then. ;-) They could be anywhere - taking over the world, or just the internet.
Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | October 6, 2007 4:37 PM
When Charlemagne was crowned, the year started at Christmas. That's right, within the month of December.
BTW, originally the Roman calendar didn't have any months between December and April. After all, what for? Why keep track of details of time when there's nothing to do in the fields?
Posted by: Alice Shortcake | October 6, 2007 4:47 PM
Good God, I can't believe that International Cephalopod Awareness Day is so little-known. Surely we should all be campaigning to make it a public holiday?
Posted by: Numad | October 6, 2007 5:00 PM
"I can't believe that International Cephalopod Awareness Day is so little-known."
Maybe we need an International Cephalopod Awareness Day Awareness Day?
Posted by: Bert Chadick | October 6, 2007 5:37 PM
Eek! Only two shopping days left!
Posted by: craig | October 6, 2007 5:46 PM
"elebrating on October 8th is fine for the Octopodiformes crowd, but doesn't it discriminate against the Decapodiformes? Perhaps this celebration should be held over a three day period from October 8th to 10th."
8th day, 10th month. everyone's covered.
Posted by: JohnnieCanuck, FCD | October 6, 2007 5:48 PM
Why haven't the stores been full of cephalopodic goodness, these past months. It must be a conspiracy!
Posted by: John McKay | October 6, 2007 6:52 PM
Why haven't the stores been full of cephalopodic goodness, these past months. It must be a conspiracy!
Has anyone notified Bill O'Reilly about the War on International Cephalopod Awareness Day?
Posted by: Pete | October 6, 2007 9:22 PM
Good call, craig.
Plus there would be that very awkward Oct. 9th...what would you do then?
Posted by: ABR | October 6, 2007 9:53 PM
"8th day, 10th month. everyone's covered"
You're right, of course. I was originally thinking of a three day celebration. If this ever becomes a federal holiday, it could be three days off instead of one, though...
Posted by: Don Smith, FCD | October 7, 2007 12:35 AM
Another Holiday... I just finished celebrating international comb jelly day on Thursday.