HISTORY 2720 Lecture 12: Lesson 12 - Complexity of Life
26 Mar 2018
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Evolution proceeds from causes, not toward goals - driven from behind and not pulled. Evolution is directed by chance mutations and events - there is no plan. Adaptations emerge from random mutations - no design. Benefits particular genes, not life as a whole. So how does evolution appear to produce greater complexity: size of the largest organisms. Increase of extremes over time: intelligence of smartest organisms. Human brain a new level of complexity, as measured by power density - the amount of energy we need to produce to keep our brain going: increasing biodiversity, cooperation. From one or a few to million upon millions of species. Big history project: life in all its forms. Life exists in the biosphere, like skin on balloon. Random turns leads to this diversity and divergence. The top half represents the plant/animal evolution; the bottom are the less developed/intelligent. Rather than trending toward complexity, the spread is more complex.
