Post by auntym on Apr 29, 2016 14:27:28 GMT -6
www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2016/04/intelligence-as-a-constant-in-the-universe-a-flawed-notion-of-evolution-a-galaxy-insight.html
Intelligence as a Constant in the Universe --"A Flawed Notion of Evolution" (A 'Galaxy' Insight)
by The Daily Galaxy via Astrobio.net and spacedaily.com
April 27, 2016
"Only one species of the billions of species that have existed on Earth has shown an aptitude for radios and even we failed to build one during the first 99% of our 7 million year history," observed Charles Lineweaver a noted astrobiologist at the Australian National University.
Lineweaver believes that the "Planet of the Apes Hypothesis" -a theory subscribed to by Carl Sagan and scientists involved with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), that human-like intelligence is a convergent feature of evolution -that there is an intelligence niche, into which other species will evolve if the human species goes extinct is based on a flawed notion of evolution, a notion that could have serious implications for our search for intelligent life elsewhere in the Milky Way Galax
Let's take a quick look at the plot of the 1968 movie, "Planet of the Apes," with Charlton Heston playing the role of Taylor, an astronaut on an interstellar journey. After traveling for over two thousand years at nearly the speed of light (during which the astronaut crew ages only 18 months due to time dilation), the spacecraft crash lands on a planet that has oxygen comprising 20 percent of the atmosphere, and a 23 hour 56 minute sidereal period.
Unsure of where in the galaxy they are, they soon discover that on this strange new world, chimpanzees and other primates have evolved to become human-like both physically and in the development of their society. Human beings, mute beasts that are captured and used for scientific experimentation, occupy a lower rung in this intelligence hierarchy.
This planet has corn, horses, and gorillas who use rifles and chimpanzees who use photographic equipment. It never occurs to them that this is, in fact, the Earth. Charlton Heston falls in love with a mute Homo sapien, and they ride away and discover the remnants of the Statue of Liberty. Only then do they realize this is planet Earth, there's no going home. They're there; as a subordinate species.
In a 2008 interview with Astrobiology, Lineweaver emphasizes that the "Planet of the Apes" hypothesis is that "such a niche exists - that human beings developed a big brain because there was selection pressure to move into this evolutionary niche. Another way of saying it is that smart organisms are better off and more fit than stupider organisms in all kinds of environments, and therefore we should expect any type of critters anywhere in the universe to get smarter like we consider ourselves to be.
CONTINUE READING: www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2016/04/intelligence-as-a-constant-in-the-universe-a-flawed-notion-of-evolution-a-galaxy-insight.html
Intelligence as a Constant in the Universe --"A Flawed Notion of Evolution" (A 'Galaxy' Insight)
by The Daily Galaxy via Astrobio.net and spacedaily.com
April 27, 2016
"Only one species of the billions of species that have existed on Earth has shown an aptitude for radios and even we failed to build one during the first 99% of our 7 million year history," observed Charles Lineweaver a noted astrobiologist at the Australian National University.
Lineweaver believes that the "Planet of the Apes Hypothesis" -a theory subscribed to by Carl Sagan and scientists involved with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), that human-like intelligence is a convergent feature of evolution -that there is an intelligence niche, into which other species will evolve if the human species goes extinct is based on a flawed notion of evolution, a notion that could have serious implications for our search for intelligent life elsewhere in the Milky Way Galax
Let's take a quick look at the plot of the 1968 movie, "Planet of the Apes," with Charlton Heston playing the role of Taylor, an astronaut on an interstellar journey. After traveling for over two thousand years at nearly the speed of light (during which the astronaut crew ages only 18 months due to time dilation), the spacecraft crash lands on a planet that has oxygen comprising 20 percent of the atmosphere, and a 23 hour 56 minute sidereal period.
Unsure of where in the galaxy they are, they soon discover that on this strange new world, chimpanzees and other primates have evolved to become human-like both physically and in the development of their society. Human beings, mute beasts that are captured and used for scientific experimentation, occupy a lower rung in this intelligence hierarchy.
This planet has corn, horses, and gorillas who use rifles and chimpanzees who use photographic equipment. It never occurs to them that this is, in fact, the Earth. Charlton Heston falls in love with a mute Homo sapien, and they ride away and discover the remnants of the Statue of Liberty. Only then do they realize this is planet Earth, there's no going home. They're there; as a subordinate species.
In a 2008 interview with Astrobiology, Lineweaver emphasizes that the "Planet of the Apes" hypothesis is that "such a niche exists - that human beings developed a big brain because there was selection pressure to move into this evolutionary niche. Another way of saying it is that smart organisms are better off and more fit than stupider organisms in all kinds of environments, and therefore we should expect any type of critters anywhere in the universe to get smarter like we consider ourselves to be.
CONTINUE READING: www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2016/04/intelligence-as-a-constant-in-the-universe-a-flawed-notion-of-evolution-a-galaxy-insight.html