Archive for the ‘Science’ Category
Game over for Human Evolution?
I’ve just read a news on Times online that reports a talk given by Steve Jones at the University College of London (UCL). Quoting the news:
Speaking today at a UCL lecture entitled “Human evolution is over” Professor Jones will argue that there were three components to evolution – natural selection, mutation and random change. “Quite unexpectedly, we have dropped the human mutation rate because of a change in reproductive patterns,” Professor Jones told The Times.
The rest of the news gives some more details, however, I don’t completely agree with the reasoning exposed. I would be more favourable to a slowing of the process, a change of direction or something like that. Evolution is a dynamic process and stating it is on halt or simply over is very reductive. Different variables come into play in different times and stages. Anyway, it’s an interesting news and topic for thought.
The “Tyranny of the Power Law” essay
Just came across the following blog post/essay which I found very nice to read:
Tyranny of the Power Law (and Why We Should Become Eclectic)
“(…) However, as a normative or prescriptive approach to how things shouldwork, I believe that the gaining popularity of the power law holds some dangers as well as benefits. After all, should we find it acceptable — even if it is an accurate description of how things really are — that the top 20% of people control 80% of the wealth in a society? Is it really a good idea that a few ‘hits’ (often ginned up to be that way rather than by popular demand) swamp out more meritorious ‘misses’? Is it really ultimately beneficial, efficient, or rational for a society to have a few people at the top of the power law — at least those who got there by inherited privilege and/or genetic accident — hold sway over the lives of the many who live down along the ‘long tail’ of the power law? (…)”
This post raises some interesting questions and valid points. However, we should not forget they can be useful tools. And well, I think some more work relating Power Law and EC can/should be done! ;-)
