Animal Architects: Building and the Evolution of Intelligence

Book Description

From two of the world's most distinguished experts in animal behavior, a radical, creative, and accessible new approach to understanding animal minds through the structures they build.

Animal behavior has long been a battleground between the competing claims of nature and nurture, with the possible role of cognition in behavior as a recent addition to this debate. There is an untapped trove of behavioral data that can tell us a great deal about how the animals draw from these neural strategies: The structures animals build provide a superb window on the workings of the animal mind.

Animal Architects examines animal architecture across a range of species, from those whose blueprints are largely innate (such as spiders and their webs) to those whose challenging structures seem to require intellectual insight, planning, and even aesthetics (such as bowerbirds' nests, or beavers' dams). Beginning with instinct and the simple homes of solitary insects, James and Carol Gould move on to conditioning; the "cognitive map" and how it evolved; and the role of planning and insight. Finally, they reflect on what animal building tells us about the nature of human intelligence--showing why humans, unlike many animals, need to build castles in the air.

Customer Reviews:

An especially fine pick.......2007-07-27

As Spring approaches animals begin building summer homes - but most books pass over this construction to focus on mating behavior. ANIMAL ARCHITECTS: BUILDING AND THE EVOLUTION OF INTELLIGENCE presents two animal behavior experts who use the structures to explore animal intelligence, instinct, and cognition. Chapters focus on birds and insects and draw important connections between structures and cognitive evolutionary processes, making this an especially fine pick for any college-level collection strong in natural history.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Science writing at its best.......2007-07-26

Every now and then a science book comes along that allows science to be shared with those of us without a PhD in the field. Gould's honeybee book, and this book are wonderful - thought provoking, insightful, and expressive of the true nature of science - to determine the truth via scientific experiments.

I share some reviewers concerns that the book is hard to read. No-one ever said thinking was easy. But if you are fascinated by animals, or biology, or animal behavior I cannot think of a better book. It is simply wonderful.

Mixed review.......2007-07-02

Gould and Gould write about a fascinating subject. Unfortunately, the book is not as readable as it could have been. The authors have a bad habit of getting into new topics with a welter of detail and only then coming back to basics or making larger points or providing context. The result is that I'm often lost--what's the species they're talking about? What are the basic facts about it? I keep asking myself who their intended reader is. I think they intend to speak to a general audience, but they don't think enough about this audience's needs. The book is written in a plain textbook-like style, without much poetry, context, allusion to bigger issues, or the like. Still, I have learned quite a bit by reading it.

Even Frank Lloyd Wright had blind spots.......2007-06-19

Gould and Gould lead us through a fascinating review of animal 'intelligences,' as manifested by the increasingly complex nature of structures constructed by insects (ants, termites, spiders, bees, wasps), birds (raptors, waders, and passerines), and mammals (love those beavers!). The underlying arguments are that (1) some of the construction behaviors of specific species may be primitive, instinctive and repetitive, but other species on the 'same' phylogenetic level have clearly learned to adapt and modify their structures to account for variation in available materials; (2) the adaptability translates to more reproductive success, allowing the type animal to colonize more niches; (3) the variety of structural solutions acts as a feedback loop in brain development, which culminates in (4) an enhanced mental capacity which equips an animal to cope with variety better.

Progressing from seemingly hard-wired to adaptive examples in all sorts of animals, the authors remind us that some types of 'intelligence' are the result of habitual practices which work in habitual situations. Thus, the example of pigeons successfully building a nest by randomly dropping twigs works only because of the friction of twig surfaces in contact. Given smooth dowels, the pigeon cannot construct a usable nest.

At the same time, they remind us that the seemingly brilliant engineering behavior seen in beavers - that is, the ability to regulate streamflow year-round and create protected dwellings - is NOT matched by a corresponding ability to fell trees intelligently: They cite examples where beavers jointly gnaw on the same tree at different heights, resulting in an unsuccessful felling, or fail to take full advantage of partly felled trees.

Perhaps the biggest lesson one could take away from this comprehensive look at animal architecture is that individual species are endowed with selective abilities that permit generational survival, but the abilities themselves aren't easily transferable to a general notion of intelligence applicable to other areas of activity. Put another way: Animals are 'smart enough' to cope with their normal environment, but their 'smarts' are inevitably narrowly focused.

Alien Intelligences, and How To Evaluate Them.......2007-05-03

What do animals think? That is a pretty advanced question; after all, a lot of human thought has gone into denigrating even the possibility of thought in animals. We accept, perhaps reluctantly, that some animals can hear better than we can, for instance, and certainly some are faster or stronger or bigger. It is well accepted, too, that we do a better job of thinking and abstracting ideas than any other creature does. It is also clear that any thinking that animals do is a lot different from what we do, since our thinking is so heavily freighted with symbolic language. "Mental activity is, by its nature, private; what goes on in the brain has to be inferred. In tracing the evolution of cognitive strategies, the most tangible evidence is found among animals that build - in what they build and how they build it." So write James R. Gould and Carol Grant Gould in Animal Architects: Building and the Evolution of Intelligence (Basic Books). The book is packed with examples of animal creations and thoughtful, careful, unexaggerated attempts to understand what is going on in the minds of the builders from the insect, bird, and mammal worlds. The thinking of other animals is, by turns, quite different and quite similar to our own, and throws light upon evolution of brains and behavior in general and upon our own evolution.

The Goulds are always on the lookout for the most parsimonious explanation of behavior. For centuries, people thought that animals just acted on instinct and nothing more, and indeed there are plenty of examples here of such behavior. Many insects, the Goulds say merrily, "... lead intellectually unchallenging lives." But spiders and the social insects show that they are not acting like mere robots, but have some understanding of the larger purpose of their activites. Flexibility and understanding are surely shown by many birds, although plenty of their behavior is robotic. Nest building is often a planned activity and can be studied and experimented upon. Pigeons just toss sticks at their nest site, and the friction between the rough twigs holds them together eventually. If you give pigeons only smooth dowels to build with, the result is an unstable mess; if you give both dowels and twigs, they will preferentially use the twigs. Complex behaviors in nest building evolved from scraping sand or twigs together; once birds had learned to build a platform for a nest, they developed ways of piling sticks or mud and sticking the results together with saliva. Nest-building is an activity that cannot be completely hardwired, because in general no two nesting sites are the same; there has to be flexibility in behavioral options that can be selected, ordered, and modified to achieve the goal of a functional nest. Nests are practical structures, but bowerbirds make their elaborate creations with no purpose other than to impress other bowerbirds. They stack the bowers and decorate them with paint from berries and with shells and rocks and butterfly wings. The variety of the bowers seems to indicate that building behavior is not encoded in instinct and is also not due to rote memorization. Observations over the past 125 years show that builders go through fads of favoring one flower as a bower decoration over another. Darwin wrote that bowerbirds have a sense of beauty, and the proposal that bowerbirds have an aesthetic sense is not frivolous.

The many examples given here show that there is evidence for some degree of understanding in many of our fellow creatures. When experimenters can manipulate the circumstances of the building of structures, it is clear that some animals can compensate for unusual situations, use novel materials, and have an understanding of an end goal. (Beavers seem to do this in the highest degree, engineering their dams and lodges.) The building of structures and the manipulation of objects toward a purpose are things we ourselves probably started doing as primates, starting out with less skill than some of the animals described in this book. It is probably impossible for us to fully understand the alien intelligences of spiders or birds, but the Gould's book is a welcome reminder that intelligence does not belong to us alone.

The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence

Average customer rating:

A Great Book by Carl Sagan
A masterpiece science for the average reader
Sagan, the polimat
great book
C'mon, its Carl Sagan!

The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence
Carl Sagan
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345346297
Release Date: 1986-12-12

Book Description

Dr. Carl Sagan takes us on a great reading adventure, offering his vivid and startling insight into the brain of man and beast, the origin of human intelligence, the function of our most haunting legends--and their amazing links to recent discoveries.
"A history of the human brain from the big bang, fifteen billion years ago, to the day before yesterday...It's a delight."
THE NEW YORK TIMES

Customer Reviews:

A Great Book by Carl Sagan.......2007-07-21

The first time I read Dragons of Eden was about thirty years ago. I enjoyed the book more this time because I have a better understanding of computers and neuroanatomy. This is a great book for a student to learn the evolution of the human brain from it's reptilian origins.

A masterpiece science for the average reader.......2007-06-12

A reviewer at the "Boston Globe" asked: "How can I persuade every intellignet person to read this important and elegant book?" There are so many great lines and passages in this book that even now it is timely.

Buy the Ballantine paperback edition with the wonderful mural-like foldout showing an ape man and woman as Adam and Eve in a Garden of Eden that includes dinosaurs.

Sagan, the polimat.......2007-05-13

I really miss him. Just picture it: Carl Sagan debating the climate crisis... or the Iraqui war... Well, this book shows his caractheristic polimatic veiw of knowledge: not separated boxes and disciplines, but a way of thinking, using both, creativity and skepticism to approach nature in its most complex subject: the human self, the misteries and intricacies of our brains and the resulting mind states, wich some call "mind", Sagan and Druyan at its best.

great book.......2007-01-16

This is a fascinating read on the subject of the development of human intelligence and how our species evolved morals, etc. The book is a very good summary of information packaged for the layman but with deep and thought-provoking insights that could serve to stimulate the thinking of experts in the field. Sagan's style is very humorous and engaging.

I give this book the demotion to four stars for only one reason: it was a book very much ahead of its time, but it was published over thirty years ago and much of the research cited in it is now obsolete.

C'mon, its Carl Sagan!.......2006-11-10

I love love loved this book. Some might think its dry, but I love the way he writes, simple, but verbosive enough to make interesting. He always makes a point and backs it up, most of the book is evolution of the human brain, and proved highly insightful, and told me some stuff I never even thought of. If you love learning, defently get this book.

The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology

Average customer rating:

Fantastic insight into a possible, plauible future of humans and the universe
Look-out future here we come
hold onto your hat
Not for non geeks!
Most important book of the next 50 yrs

The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology
Ray Kurzweil
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0670033847

Book Description

The great inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil is one of the best-known and controversial advocates for the role of machines in the future of humanity. In his latest, thrilling foray into the future, he envisions an event—the “singularity”—in which technological change becomes so rapid and so profound that our bodies and brains will merge with our machines.

The Singularity Is Near portrays what life will be like after this event—a human-machine civilization where our experiences shift from real reality to virtual reality and where our intelligence becomes nonbiological and trillions of times more powerful than unaided human intelligence. In practical terms, this means that human aging and pollution will be reversed, world hunger will be solved, and our bodies and environment transformed by nanotechnology to overcome the limitations of biology, including death.

We will be able to create virtually any physical product just from information, resulting in radical wealth creation. In addition to outlining these fantastic changes, Kurzweil also considers their social and philosophical ramifications. With its radical but optimistic view of the course of human development, The Singularity Is Near is certain to be one of the most widely discussed and provocative books of 2005.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic insight into a possible, plauible future of humans and the universe.......2007-10-07

This is one the the favorite books I have ever read. It is not an easy read for a non-scientist, but absolutely rewarding. It is surprisingly accessible, despite the technical and intellectual scope. The logical and insightful nature of Kurzweil's arguments make it a compelling and inspirational read. The book has had a huge impact on my thinking and introduced me to the whole subject of futurism. It is affecting my investment and career decisions. There were numerous mind-bending, mind-expanding moments during reading this as the gravity of the concepts sank in. Garreau's book, Radical Evolution, is a great follow-up read, comparing and contrasting Kurzweil's optimism with the pessimism of others. It is a joy and luxury to be exposed to the visions such "big thinkers".

Look-out future here we come.......2007-09-10

I read this book with such optimism for our future. I only hope to live long enough to see some of the exciting events in our future on this planet. Just when you think you have seen it all, you "ain't seen nutt'n yet". Come on world let's work together and solves some of the mysteries that are tearing us apart.

hold onto your hat.......2007-08-29

the future is going to be wild.

ray kurzweil is the leading guru of the not so far off world where key technologies merge to allow us to turn ourselves into non biological humans.

no crack pot he. when kurzweil presented his thesis at MIT the arguments centered on the when, not the if of kurzweils predictions

Not for non geeks!.......2007-07-26

Although the reading is tedious for someone who is not that scientifically or computer oriented, the concepts and ideas the book presents are fascinating and a bit scary!

Most important book of the next 50 yrs.......2007-07-25

At some point I hope that people will stop paying attention to Paris Hilton and read this book. Our species is at a crossroads and we have some very important decisions to make in the next few decades. This book more than any other will prepare us to make the right choices. Read it now, or be devoured by a swarm of nanobots in 2029 when Skynet takes over.

Differential Evolution: A Practical Approach to Global Optimization (Natural Computing Series)

Average customer rating:

Good introduction book for DE

Differential Evolution: A Practical Approach to Global Optimization (Natural Computing Series)
Kenneth V. Price , Rainer M. Storn , and Jouni A. Lampinen
Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3540209506

Book Description

Problems demanding globally optimal solutions are ubiquitous, yet many are intractable when they involve constrained functions having many local optima and interacting, mixed-type variables. The differential evolution (DE) algorithm is a practical approach to global numerical optimization which is easy to understand, simple to implement, reliable, and fast. Packed with illustrations, computer code, new insights, and practical advice, this volume explores DE in both principle and practice. It is a valuable resource for professionals needing a proven optimizer and for students wanting an evolutionary perspective on global numerical optimization. A companion CD includes DE-based optimization software in several programming languages.

Customer Reviews:

Good introduction book for DE.......2006-03-01

Some one who wants to beagin with DE. This the good starting point. Book started with good conceptual backgroud and carried away with codeing details of DE. Kenneth puts enough efforts to clear concept behind DE. Only thing missing is that book demands little background with GAs, EAs and optimization theory.Other wise nice book for those who are familiarized with concept of evolutionary techniques.

Introduction to Evolutionary Computing (Natural Computing Series)

Average customer rating:

Excellent textbook
Evolution as a practical tool
Excellent introduction
An excellent textbook suitable for all levels
an excellent introduction

Introduction to Evolutionary Computing (Natural Computing Series)
A.E. Eiben , and J.E. Smith
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
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ASIN: 3540401849

Book Description

Evolutionary Computing is the collective name for a range of problem-solving techniques based on principles of biological evolution, such as natural selection and genetic inheritance. These techniques are being increasingly widely applied to a variety of problems, ranging from practical applications in industry and commerce to leading-edge scientific research.

This book presents the first complete overview of this exciting field aimed directly at lecturers and graduate and undergraduate students. It is also meant for those who wish to apply evolutionary computing to a particular problem or within a given application area. To this group the book is valuable because it presents EC as something to be used rather than just studied.

Last, but not least, this book contains quick-reference information on the current state-of-the-art in a wide range of related topics, so it is of interest not just to evolutionary computing specialists but to researchers working in other fields.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent textbook.......2006-10-31

I have used evolutionary programming in my research in the past and have read several books on the topic. This is one of the most well written books available, that can easily be read by a beginner despite its depth. The conclusions that they draw are logical and supported by the appropriate references. If you had to read only one book in evolutionary programming, consider this as a candidate.

Evolution as a practical tool.......2006-04-04

The authors emphasise from the get-go that this book is meant as a practical introduction to the application of evolutionary computing. It is not a high brow, abstruse monograph. (Which indeed Springer texts often are.)

The level of discussion can be adequately understood by someone with a good background in computing and hopefully also in some science or engineering field. Certainly, there are important abstractions that must be mastered. Like how the evolutionary search can be seen as a path across a fitness landscape or potential energy surface. But there appears to be a careful explanation of the minimum necessary maths to convey an idea. And where a chapter's references might point to more specialised texts or journal papers that give a fuller math treatment.

It may well be, as another reviewer remarked, that there is insufficient detail in some passages of this book. But perhaps the text is not meant to be a low level "user's manual" type of discussion.

If you do find this book useful, consider a more advanced text, "Foundations of Genetic Programming" by Langdon and Poli, also published by Springer. It takes you deeper into the subject.

Excellent introduction.......2005-02-02

I taught our introduction to evolutionary computation class from this book. It is a well rounded introduction to the topic covering most of the introductorty material you would expect. There is an real dearth of good introductory books for EC. This is probably the best because of its breadth. Its weakness is its lack of detail. It would not hurt if they covered the same material in about 50% more pages. As soon as they start a topic its over and on to the next topic. But if you are new to the field they give plenty of references and touch on most topics in enough detail for students to implement. All in all a good solid job.

An excellent textbook suitable for all levels.......2004-06-06

This is an excellent textbook which covers most aspects of the Evolutionary Computing. It's suitable for all levels. It's easy to follow, rich in content and has many references (439 to be precise) for further information. The table of contents from the book's web site is as follows:

1. Introduction
2. What is an Evolutionary Algorithm?
3. Genetic Algorithms
4. Evolution Strategies
5. Evolutionary Programming
6. Genetic Programming
7. Learning Classifier Systems
8. Parameter Control in Evolutionary Algorithms
9. Multi-Modal Problems and Spatial Distribution
10. Hybridisation with Other Techniques: Memetic Algorithms
11. Theory
12. Constraint Handling
13. Special Forms of Evolution
14. Working with Evolutionary Algorithms
15. Summary
16. Appendices
17. Index
18. References

Recommended to everyone interested in EC.

an excellent introduction.......2004-01-29

The book is easy and refreshing to read. Assuming only a minimum of prior knowledge, all the relevant aspects are covered. The focus is on practical applications, with numerous examples, simple equations and plenty of practical advise for the user.

As should be the costum with every scientific introduction, the authors are at great pains to clarify the relationship between the different flavours of EC and to show how they historically developed.

The book does not provide much on the mathematical level, though. Not even a basic graph theoretical analysis of mutation and recombination.

Amazon.com

If we're so smart, why are we still at the mercy of treacherous microorganisms? The Genius Within: Discovering the Intelligence of Every Living Thing asks readers to let go of brain worship and look at the incredible problem-solving skills of viruses, ants, and other lowly creatures. Neurosurgeon Frank T. Vertosick Jr. seems an unlikely candidate to write a book celebrating noncerebral intelligence, but his knowledge helps him draw comparisons that others might miss. The fast-moving genetic intelligence of bacteria and immune systems might not match the precision of digital computers, but they have devised arms races much more complex--and deadly--than our comparatively paltry efforts. Vertosick's grasp of what it means to behave intelligently comes through clearly, even if he is as stumped as anyone trying to define the I word. Exploring parallels between neural networks, insect colonies, and our own brains, he finds common ground and shows that, as far as evolution is concerned, we're not so bright. It's not all bad, though: we're very good at what we do, and Vertosick hopes that we can learn to use our intelligence more wisely. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

Can bacteria be as smart as we are? Can ants think? And fish? Yes, says Frank Vertosick, a neurosurgeon who combats our elitism about intelligence in this brilliant book.
A gifted writer and author of the widely praised Why We Hurt, Vertosick shows us that intelligence--the ability to react to the outside world, to change behavior, and survive-can be found wherever life exists. He demonstrates the keen intelligence of our immune system, how lowly bacteria mutate and outwit antibiotics, and how canny cancer cells elude our natural defenses.
A fascinating journey through worlds of unknown science and an unsettling argument against our valuing of brain intelligence above all else, The Genius Within tells a fascinating scientific story, one that could shake our ethical foundation to its core.

Customer Reviews:

An intelligent look at life.......2006-02-23

"The Genius Within" is a must read for the non-specialist interested in science. It is a thought provoking work; very speculative, but grounded in mainstream scientific fact and theory. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it...twice. It's a bit technical at times, so some familiarity with the science involved is recommended. Also, if you happen to be more interested in "intelligent" animal behavior as such, rather than in its biochemical, microbiological and systemic underpinnings, you may want to look elsewhere.

In this book, the author explores the notion the "networks" underlie the phenomenon we call life, and that life is synonymous with the information processing - intelligence - they architect. We tend to think of intelligence as a unique feature of brains, our conscious ones in particular (he calls this "brain chauvinism"), but he contends that all life is intelligent, or at least as "intelligent as it needs to be", and sets out to prove it.

In simplest terms, he defines intelligence as the ability to solve problems related to survival. This seems to run counter to mainstream evolutionary theory, where the survival of species is basically as matter of, well, "dumb luck". But the author views intelligence as a collective phenomenon firmly embedded within this framework; as an "emergent behavior" of large groups of highly interactive biological entities (Including sub-cellular enzymes) otherwise engaged in a contingency-driven, random struggle for survival. The architecture that endows such groups with "emergent properties" is called, for want of a better word, a "network" by the author.

The details of what the author means by a "network" is closely argued and beyond the scope of this review. In general, a biological "network" is a large collection of "selfish", randomly interacting entities whose components are capable of two or more relatively stable, but reversible, states (more active/less active, faster/slower, stronger/weaker), and whose components can variously enhance or impede each other's status over time, resulting in a collective "energy landscape" patterned by forces impinging on the network. The former allows for basic information storage (the biological equivalent of zeros and ones), and the latter for collective information storage (pattern recognition/memory) concerning the environment, allowing the collective to respond to environmental stimuli in, ultimately, a manner conducive to its survival. Overall, the architecture of a "network" harnesses the random, contingent interactions of its constituents into the directed or, as the author would claim, intelligent actions we associate with life at every level of biological organization.

The author spends much of the book "fleshing out" these and other abstractions, particularly with respects to interacting aggregates composed of things such as cellular enzymes, bacteria and somatic cells, what he calls "party networks" as opposed to "hard wired networks", though he does give ample attention to the latter (he is, after all, a brain surgeon). To assess intelligence from the "outside in", he employs a modified version of the Touring Test throughout these forays. Without making any assumptions about them based on what they are or how they're organized, he queries each system with a problem, and waits for a response. He queries an infectious bacterial species with a new antibiotic and, within months, it develops immunity. He queries the human immune system with the aforementioned bacteria and, within weeks, it develops an effective resistance. In these and other instances, he argues for an "intelligent" response from each based on their participation in network architecture, no more or less effective for the overall survival of its hosts than the quickened responses of "hard wired" brains.

I gave this book a five-star rating, and with good reason, but I'm not entirely in agreement with its conclusions. Although "networking" is arguably a characteristic of all living systems, it seems somewhat disingenuous to define intelligence as the ability to solve problems regardless of the time frame involved. Given enough time and numbers, "dumb luck" will achieve results that appear intelligent, and so will tempt teleological interpretations. Mainstream evolutionists have long had to contend with our compulsion to put a "forger" between the hammers of chance and the anvil of necessity. Like them, I suspect the author's hypothesis, however plausible, is just another in a series of attempts to inject Vitalism into biology, "networks" here replacing the less than scientific musings of an earlier age.

But then again, maybe I'm just a "brain chauvinist".

Good but boring at times.......2004-09-02

This is a relatively good book to read. However, the promise
that the author makes in not being technical is only partically
true. First, he concentrates too much on the medical explanations
that, at times, are not entirely relevant. Second, his analogies
are silly at times particularly when the concept is
already well understood without the analogy. One has to know
that the number of analogies given is not directly proportional
to how clear the concept will become to the reader.

But as I said, this is a good book and if you can live by
the parts of the book that are irrelevant you may learn
something new about the concept of intelligence and how
intelligence can be observed in seemingly "dumb" things.

Life is more then a Blind Algorithmic Process.......2003-11-15

Though Vertosick does not focus on the more technical and strictly academic foundations of his major thesis (life=intelligence), he does a beautiful job of using analogies and metaphors to describe how even a cell can exhibit "intelligent" behaviour. This book should be required reading for anyone who is remotely interested in biology, or anything to do with nature. Vertosick is able to successfully synthesize a completely different, yet strongly persuasive argument for the basis of life itself. He admits that his thesis may be flawed, but personally I think that most of his points are well thought out and strongly supported. This is one of the most interesting books on life and intelligence I have ever read.

Simply wonderful.......2003-11-08

As easy to read as a novel and just as enjoyable, it will forever change the way you see the world around you. It is one of those rare books that links together a number of more or less well known ideas and arrives at an extraordinary and inescapable set of conclusions. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

An Ode to Creativity (aka "emergent properties").......2003-07-18

If you want to know why Darwin might be "needlessy nihilistic" and what is at the core of Vertosick's carefully built case to explain--nothing less than--the possisble meaning of everything, then check this out. I thought the beginning was a little tedious, but the pay-off for hanging in there with his carefully crafted case was well worth it. I've bought several copies to share with friends and have had many lively debates. Thanks Dr. Vertosick for your emergent property--it's marvelous!

The Genetic Code and the Origin of Life (Molecular Biology Intelligence Unit (Unnumbered).)

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The Genetic Code and the Origin of Life (Molecular Biology Intelligence Unit (Unnumbered).)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Biochemistry | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0306478439

Book Description

The Genetic Code and the Origin of Life celebrates the 50 ^th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix. This book combines two complementary approaches to address the question of the development of the Genetic Code. The first chapters provide general perspectives into the most important features of the evolution of life and the code. The rest of the chapters provide detailed analyses on the features and evolution of independent components of the code. Thus the book combines a general overview with detailed descriptions. This volume provides a general reference for the academic audience interested in evolution and, simultaneously, consolidates our most detailed knowledge on the biological characteristics of the components of the genetic code.

Hormones, Sex, and Society: The Science of Physicology (Human Evolution, Behavior, and Intelligence)

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Some very depressing evidence & ideas presented here!

Hormones, Sex, and Society: The Science of Physicology (Human Evolution, Behavior, and Intelligence)
Helmuth Nyborg
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Neuropsychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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Hormones | Reproductive & Sexual | Medicine | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0275946088

Book Description

Nyborg sets out to prove that classic ideas of the mind, learning, and memory must be re-examined through the lens of modern biology. Neuroscience and the biological and biomedical sciences have advanced far beyond the limits of 19th century neuroanatomy, and we now know that chemical neurotransmitters and circulating hormones act to alter electrical brain activity and structure. At the same time heredity is now recognized to be not as omnipotent as in the "Nature/Nurture" debate of the last century. Nyborg examines these issues, and he shows that recent research in the molecular and brain sciences makes it possible to develop alternative research programs that apply empirical, quantitative, natural science principles and methods in order to unravel intricate problems like human nature and society. He concludes this work with a new approach--Physicology--the study of physico-chemical processes behind body, brain, behavior, and society. This book will be of great interest to behavioral scientists, and all concerned with the impact of physico-chemical processes on the changes in ourselves and our societies.

Customer Reviews:

Some very depressing evidence & ideas presented here!.......2004-02-21

First off, a very interesting & well written book, even if it was very depressing. This book completely supports my suspicions about sex hormone level & intelligence, & makes it clear that a trade-off situation exists between the two. Ever since i had begun to take notice of the huge differences in physical type between the men & boys who performed exceedingly well, myself included, & those who performed exceedingly badly in intellectual matters( i.e. school) i became conviced that the differences had at least some major correlation with their owners respective achievements. What i noticed was that the brilliant, high acheiving, towering I.Q. male students were almost always of non-virile appearance, many of them, like me, having exceptionally unmasculine facial features on small, narrow shoulders & pencil-thin necks, & commonly looking somewhat older & more mature than the low acheiving, much more virile looking students. These differences are not the result of a lack of body-building or physical interest on these student's part, but a reflection of meaningful biological differences. There exists a trade-off between high virility & intellect, meaning that most of the very brightest among us have low male hormone levels, resulting in their characteristically androgynous appearance. Now, Nyborg's book offers no proof, but has enough solid evidence to support this hypothesis, as well as my own personal observations. I am also one of these very high acheivers i mention, with the typical unmasculine phenotype i have described, no doubt the result of my very low serum androgen levels(290 ng/dl). I have always desired to look very rugged & highly virile, but now i doubt that it's biologically possible considering the trade-off hypothesis proposed here with it's sufficient support. No wonder the faces of the great philosphers look so much more gentle & feminine than the faces i see at the local bodega. Too bad that a "distinguished" face cannot be a highly masculine one. Less masculinity=more intellect? Ever notice that slum dwellers are rarely lacking in high virility? Now, notice the huge physical & mental differences you observe between a group of corner thugs & a group of Mensa members. Shocking? Overall, the thought that high-virility cannot be possessed at once with high intellect is very depressing to me, at the very least. Yes, we all want better brains, but at what price? The incompatibility of braininess & virility i've personally observed, & now read about, is hardly a completely desireable & acceptable expense. But nature is not kind in this. I can tell you one thing, & that is that i hate being an androgynous male, regardless of my having a very high I.Q. Other men, though, may not mind this situation.

The book categorizes people of particular hormone levels as "Hormotypes", & the study & categorization of them as "Hormotyping". For males, "Androtypes" & "Androtyping" are the categorization & methods used. Females are represented by "Estrotypes" & labelled by "Estrotyping". All this would play right into the hands of the feminists, who've been arguing all along that high androgens have polluted our society with crime, *lowered intelligence*, marital strife, under-age sex, & descrimination. The evidence that Nyborg, et. al. bring to the table reinforces all that, like it or not.
Well, buy the book if you want a very interesting read, but just don't expect it's material to be enjoyable; & you won't find it so unless you're a feminist who's been waiting for this kind of support.

Evolution's End: Claiming the Potential of Our Intelligence
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Understanding ourselves and our world

interesting theories

A little hard to read, but packed with good information

Touches on some interesting topics but goes too far

Babbling in the shadows

Evolution's End: Claiming the Potential of Our Intelligence
Joseph C. Pearce
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Biology of Transcendence: A Blueprint of the Human Spirit

Magical Child (Plume)

Spiritual Initiation and the Breakthrough of Consciousness: The Bond of Power

The Crack in the Cosmic Egg: New Constructs of Mind and Reality

From Magical Child to Magical Teen: A Guide to Adolescent Development

ASIN: 006250732X

Book Description

It's time for the way we think about our families, our schools, and our lives to evolve.

This passionate and provocative critique of the way we raise our children and undermine our society's future delineates the ways in which we thart our creative progess, and reveals a new landscape of possibilities for the next step in human evolution.

Brilliantly synthesizing twenty years of research into human intelligence, Joseph Chilton Pearce -- author of the bestsellers The Crack in the Cosmic Egg and Magical Child -- show how:

• contemporary childbirth and daycare create a dangerous sense of alienation from the surrounding world
• TV impedes vital neurological development
• synthetic hormones in our foods foster premature sexual development, increasing the likelihood of pregnancy and rape
• premature schooling contributes to potentially explosive frustration and rebellion

These everyday aspects of modern life have a cumulative effect, contributing to violence, child suicide, and deteriorating family and social structures. Proposing crucial yet simple solutions, Pearce persuasively argues that we have the power to get out of our own way and unleash, instead, our "unlimited", awesome, and unknown" human potential as the culmination of three billion years of evolution.

Customer Reviews:

Understanding ourselves and our world.......2006-06-06

Based on this work and others of Joseph Chilton Pearce, I believe Pearce is the top interdisciplinary authority on human development on the planet.

The breathtaking panorama of perspectives of our human nature provides important insights on the many challenges faced by us as individuals and by civilization as a whole. Pearce provides important insights on the breakdown in human development and can lead us toward the development of ungently needed solutions.

Evolution's End, along with all of Pearce's books, is a must-read for those who want to understand.

Charles O. Bubar
President
The International Institute for Educational Excellence

interesting theories.......2005-02-04

Very interesting topics, but i feel all research in general is just theory. Unless someone has the deep pockets to prove these theories,it remains just that. Common sense will tell you that some of these opinions that the author suggests do make alot of sense and, yes some do seem far fetched. Yet do these theories make him any less credible? I don't believe so. If the book peaked your interest and got you thinking, then the author succeeded in his works.

A little hard to read, but packed with good information.......2005-01-21

You'll need two brains and a dictionary to get through the first section of this book, where Mr Pearce speaks about 3 brain levels, how they work, and what its all about. The language can get difficult and the concepts complex.

The second section is bang on. It goes into detail on how a child learns, how it grows, what stimulates the baby. He also speaks about how children are damaged by modern day childbirthing procedures. I was immpressed with what he had to say. And found it meshed nicely with what I know of Early Childhood. I will be reading up more on this subject.

Besides the obtuse language, the only other down side to this book, were the authors claims for telepathy, mind bending etc. I didn't buy it, and was forced to skip those chapters. If you steer clear of the telepathy babble, I would recommend this book.

Munawar

Touches on some interesting topics but goes too far.......2004-11-04

This book talks about the how the spirit of a child is damaged by the society we've created, both intellectually and physiologically. Unfortunately its takes on too much and ends up seeming like psuedoscience. But there are some very good points being made. Its well worth contemplating.

Take the idea of how hormones in our food affect children. Somehow we want to believe that children reaching puberty when they have barely put down their stuffed toys is due to good nutrition and not hormones in our food. There was a study done of precocious infant sexual development (extremely enlarged genitalia on babies) in Puerto Rico many years ago that linked the problem to hormones in Chicken. The reason there is so little interest in identifying and solving this problem here (and not even calling it a problem) is not because it doesn't exist but rather because there is no money to be made in proving it ( a very expensive and time consuming procedure). Yes, the victims could sue if they could prove links to cancer or early developmental issues...but the researches willing to take on the food industry would not be able to pay their bills. And it is easy for the food industry to pay for studies suited to their needs and spoon feed them to the press. This stops the questioning before it starts.

Read this book with a skeptics mind realizing that though you may find some of his ideas far-fetched, there are some valuable truths here...truths you need to know if you have children.

Babbling in the shadows.......2003-12-27

Joseph Pearce "lectures worldwide on human intelligence, creativity, and learning." If you don't believe it, just read the inside cover for this personal promo. These lectures, though, are probably not discussions of RNA, DNA, proteins and memory, random or leapfrog evolution or any of a number of worthy topics.

No, Mr. Pearce stays on the high ground and delivers such claptrap as "So the supra-implicated is all-power conceivable, the implicate is all-power manifesting, and the explicate is the contracted end-result so manifested." ("Mind and Matter") I, for one, do not have the slightest idea what he is talking about except that it sounds like mumbo-jumbo about physical vs mental vs conceptual, blah blah blah.

Book Description

What is intelligence? From where did it come? Will the human brain grow and adapt to the ever-changing world? These and many other questions are addressed in The Origin and Evolution of Intelligence. This volume is composed of a series of articles presented on the origin and evolution of intelligence in March 1995 at the Eighth Annual Symposium of the UCLA Center for the Study of the Origin and Evolution of Life (CSEOL). The six authors of the contributions to this volume discuss in detail an enormous span of invertebrate and vertebrate life forms and wrestle with a vast array of problems ranging from direction finding in ants and birds to sociopolitical communication in monkeys, symbol manipulation in apes, and language use in humans. All these phenomena may be grouped under the general term intelligence, the unifying theme of the volume.

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