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Recovering backpacker, Cornwallite at heart, political enthusiast, catalyst, writer, husband, father, community volunteer, unabashedly proud Canadian. Every hyperlink connects to something related directly or thematically to that which is highlighted.

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

The Evolutionary Advantage of SQUIRREL!


businessman playing with metal balls



The one thing to know about evolution - it doesn't have a set trajectory.  It's the most laissez-faire of theories; in principle, that which is best able to adapt lives to carry on its genes with other well-adapting creatures.  What's being adapted to varies; a peacock's tail is great at attracting mates, less o at helping a male avoid predators - shows where peacock evolution puts its priorities.

A consequence of this gene adaptation; that which was valuable doesn't always go away, it recedes, or gets switched off.  The closer a variation was in time, the more likely it is to come back, given the right sequencing - red hair, for example, or even maybe ADHD.

Which, of course, means that it isn't a learning disorder, as it gets classified, but a potentially maladaptive trait - for certain circumstances.

If you think about how a nomadic hunter operates, it's not all that different from serial start-up founders; almost like squirrels, they start something cool, get bored and move on.  It's the social equivalent to killing and leaving behind an animal carcass for scavengers to digest.

As with Autism and other extranormal cognitive abilities, perhaps we're doing ourselves a disservice by judging what's different too quickly.

We wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to get ahead now, would we?

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