A Theory that Explains Everything

The Urge to Speciate

Why is there…?

• War

• Terrorism

• Crime

• Dictatorships

• Poverty

• Racism

• Sexism

• Ethnic Discrimination

Urge to Speciate

• We’ve been one species for too long.

• A new species will allow our offspring to survive in the environments of the future.

• Evidence for the trend to speciate is obvious!

We speak different languages

We speak the same language differently

• “A lorry of nappies overtook your saloon.”

• petit-déjeuner vs. déjeuner;

• déjeuner vs. dîner;

• dîner vs. souper; souper.

• Ice cream bar = ice cream pop = iced lolly

We speak different languages in the same country

• Canada: English, French

• Belgium: French, Dutch, German

• Switzerland: German, French, Italian, Romanche (and Yodel?)

• Pakistan: Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto, others.

• China: Mandarin, Cantonese

• Spain: Castilian, Catalan, Galician, Euskera (Basque), and others.

We label bodies of water differently

• Sea of Japan – East Sea

• English Channel – La Manche

• Persian Gulf – Arabian Gulf

• Gulf of Mexico – Gulf of Texas (proposed by red states?)

We have different religions

Different nations

We eat differently

We are different races

We have different “isms?”

• Little Endians and Big Endians Jonathan Swift- Gulliver’s Travels

– Parody on minute differences that divide us

Would you change?

Would a UU likely consider marriage with:

• A member of the Christian right?

• A conservative Republican?

• An Islamic fundamentalist?

• A male/female chauvinist?

• A person who would not learn English?

• A homeless or poverty stricken person?

• An uneducated person or a “redneck”?

• A person who will always wear non-western native clothing?

• A person who prefers: (% of world population)

– Sleeping on mats (50+)

– Using a squat toilet (90)

• And live in a dictatorship, theocracy, nudist colony, or Texas

We’re different! Why?

Definitions & Basic Concepts

• Species

• Population

• Evolution

• Role of Competition

• Changing Environments

• Isolation

Species is the Basic Unit

Similar and able to reproduce fertile offspring.

Population

A group of the same species living in the same area.

Evolution operates at the population level.

Evolution

• Controversy results from a gross misunderstanding of the theory

• One species does not morph into another

• Natural Selection (Charles Darwin,1859)

Young of any species must survive long enough to produce young of their own and pass on the good-survival genes to subsequent generations.

Competition

• Urge to compete for available resources

• Sometimes intense and even violent

• Urge is inherited– gene driven

Population of a Species

Diversity of a Species

No Camouflage

Protective Camouflage

Dark Trees

Light Trees

Humans

Responsive Reading

• Please read the italics in yellow and alternate with my reading of the non-italics in white.

Humans Are Animals

• Humans are animals, not plants.

– Plants can create food from water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight. Animals must consume other plants and animals.

• We are not plants (e.g., trees, algae, or ferns).

– Although we are animals (as are elephants, shrimp, and monkeys), we cannot interbreed with other non-human animal species.

• We are a separate species.

Humans are Mammals

• Humans are mammals, not reptiles.

– Reptiles hatch from external eggs and must immediately search for food after emerging from the eggshell. Instead, mammals produce live young and suckle their young.

• We are not reptiles, as are alligators, lizards, and snakes.

– Although we share similar characteristics with other mammals like dogs, skunks, and baboons, we are not any of these either.

– Although we are mammals, we cannot interbreed and produce fertile offspring with other non-human mammals.

• We are a separate species.

Humans Are Primates

• Humans are primates, not ungulates (hoofs).

– Ungulates have hoofs and are mostly plant eaters. Primates have grasping hands and feet and eat both plants and animals.

• We are not ungulates, as are pigs, cows, and sheep.

– Although we share similar characteristics with other primates like lemurs, monkeys, and apes, we are not any of these either.

– Although we are primates, we cannot interbreed and produce fertile offspring with other non-human primates.

• We are a separate species.

In summary, our species consists of humanoid, primate mammalian animals

Environments Vary and Shift

• Borders change

• The Earth is dynamic.

Environmental Changes

• Bad

– Habitats destroyed.

– Species become extinct.

• Good

– New species survive and flourish.

– Change can bring needed water, mineral-rich soils, milder climates

Human Isolation

• Most humans tend to live in or return to the area of their families.

– Race, ethnicity, language, national identity, and religion help to maintain this isolation.

• Development of races may have been a precursor to early attempts at speciation.

• But working against isolation is…

Globalization

• Migrate to distant lands:

– Job, overseas assignments

– Retirement, better climate

– better standard of living

– more freedom

– lower taxes.

• Globalization, diversity, and tolerance have increased worldwide

• If there were….

Complete Isolation

• E.g., emigration to distant planets or moons on distant solar systems

• Gene pool not shared with others on Earth

• Nearest stars (may have habitable planets).

– Proxima Centauri (V645 Cen) 4.2 l.y. (100,000,000,000,000 miles)

– Rigal Kentaurus (Alpha Cen A and B) 4.3 l.y.

– Barnard’s Star Wolf 356 (CN Leo) 7.7 l.y.

– Barnard’s Staff Wolf (BD+36 2147) 8.2 l.y.

• Isolated enough that evolution can proceed without influences from other human populations on Earth.

Getting there?

• At 35,000 mph (~ Voyager 1 and 2 space probes)

– Minimum travel time Proxima Centauri is 350,000 years (~10,000 generations)

– If the nearest is not habitable, go 300,000 years longer to the next system.

– May travel in cryogenic hibernation, or

• Time-warp (approaching the speed of light)—cutting travel time to 10 years.

Speciation

• Evolution +

• Changing environments +

• Isolation =

1. Evolution

• At first, species is well adapted and multiplies

• Diversity produces some offspring that would do better in different environments

– They are less abundant or become extinct.

2. Environmental Change

• The Earth is dynamic- changes occur in:

– Solar radiation, ocean currents, climate, soil, food and water sources, predator/prey relationships.

• Change may give diverse individuals a better chance for survival, others become extinct.

3. Isolation

• Diverse parts of populations are divided from mainstream parts by:

– Geographic barriers: valleys, sea rise, ice and ice free areas, loss of land bridges, mountains

– Environmental deterrents: restriction of habitat, introduction of predators along migration routes, sparse populations

– Cultural differences: finding and attracting mates; nations, languages, religions, isms.

Speciation

• New species is produced

• Cannot interbreed and produce fertile offspring with original species

• Intra-species competition abates

Speciation Aborted

• No new species is produced

• Continuous interbreeding

• Intra-species competition intensifies- war, crime, terrorism, etc.

So…

• We can’t speciate

• But…we can tame the competitive gene.

• How?

Taming

• (Evolution + Diversity) + Isolation

Taming (evolution + diversity)

• = genetic engineering

• Find gene and fix (too far?).

• Who make the decisions?

Taming (Isolation)

• Fighting isolation

– Communication.

– International TV

– Overseas vacations.

– Student exchanges.

– Language education.

– Exotic foods

– Intermarriage

– International agreements/free trade based on social democracy.

– World health and family planning.

– Objectivity in politics

– Civic pride, vote, write to elected officials.

– Join open clubs, be friendly, and smile.