An Autonomous Agent

exploring the noosphere

Category: evolution (Page 1 of 7)

Evolution from Space – Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe

Evolution from Space by Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe is a revolutionary book concerning the interpretation of the biological, astronomical, and mathematical evidence which indicates that evolution of life occurs on a galactic scale. The authors’ arguments against important assumptions of natural selection and the origin of life are still applicable and their proposed solution seems reasonable, although perhaps subject to improvements, especially if one makes no a priori assumptions that life originated on Earth. Besides, the chondrites provide clear support for their theory and I believe trivially contradict the spontaneous generation on Earth hypothesis.

A Glorious Accident – Wim Kayzer (1993)

A Glorious Accident is a set of interviews and discussions with Stephen J. Gould, Freeman Dyson, Stephen Toulmin, Oliver Sacks, Rupert Sheldrake, and Daniel Dennett. The final video is a round table with all of them answering questions about philosophy, evolution, life and the cosmos.

These videos are perfect for the curious and intellectual mind. Get comfortable, grab your popcorn and enjoy!

A Glorious Accident YouTube Playlist

The Cannabis Evolution Project

The Cannabis Evolution Project did an amazing job sequencing thousands of strains of cannabis and displaying the resulting genetic data. Take a look at the results:

The Phylos Galaxy

And I recommend watching some of the Cannabis Science Pub – Feb 2016

DMT: The Spirit Molecule – Rick Strassman, M.D.

Terence McKenna’s experiences with the DMT molecule piqued my already curious mind. Talking with Elves? Hyperspace travel and other dimensions? Mystical visions? Was McKenna a deranged urban shaman luring others into the world of psychedelia? I decided to investigate by first reading a book. This was Rick Strassman’s, DMT: The Spirit Molecule. It is based on Strassman’s own research with human subjects on the effects of the DMT molecule from 1990 – 1995.

After finishing the book, I had a strong intuitive sense that McKenna was correct. Travelling to other dimensions, having a mystical experience, and talking to other beings are hallmarks of a DMT trip. The DMT molecule is a sort of high octane fuel for the brain which allows a higher level of conscious reality. Perhaps even accessing new forces and energies unknown to current science. Think of the 1820’s and 1830’s and the eventual realization during that period that the world is saturated with electromagnetic forces and fields. Then scientists found that the actual functioning of their brain relies on these forces which were previously unknown. Physics helped lead to discoveries in biology. Perhaps this time, the flow of discovery will be reversed — from biology to physics.

If DMT is the fuel, then the brain is the motor, the engine for visiting and travelling to indescribable places. In many ways the human body is the most sophisticated piece of technology which exists on this planet. It’s no wonder that many call it a temple. Perhaps it’s this natural technology which will enable humans to discover how to really travel to the stars. Or perhaps with better understanding of the DMT molecule we will more fully understand what it means to live and exist as a conscious being.

Brain biotechnology, in particular the pineal gland, may hold the key to understanding the holographic universe of Bohm. He was interested in which part of the brain played the role of accessing the holographic universe. Might the primary instrument be the pineal gland?

I was surprised to find, after reading many books on evolution, that no one really mentions the fact that our ancient common ancestors in the ocean, and eventually on land, had three eyes. The pineal gland, according to evolutionary biologists is today’s analogue to this ancient third sense organ. Indeed, many species today have what is called a Parietal eye. See the Tuatara and the Triops and many extinct species as well. This is a functioning organ in the human brain (technically not part of the brain — it forms from cells on the roof of the mouth) which has roots as a sense organ. Is it “sensing” today? Why has evolution migrated the organ to the center of the brain with immediate access to our nervous system? And what might be its function as  piezoelectric device?

I would highly suggest reading Strassman’s book to enjoy the amazing experiences the volunteers described (as best they could). Even reading their experiences gave me chills and a sense of healing. This is a fascinating area of research and perhaps a new age of human existence will be born from it.

Vladimir Vernadsky – The Biosphere

After reading books which made numerous references to the ideas of Vladimir Vernadsky, I decided to read his book, The Biosphere. It is an insightful and important book which provides numerous novel insights into the interconnected nature of the entire biosphere — the biogeochemical and thermodynamic relationships between living and non-living matter. The 1998 publication with Editor M.A.S McMenamin contains hundreds of great footnotes and further references. I also enjoyed the informative introduction by Jacques Grinevald.

Vernadsky’s “Pressure of Life” concept is new to me and struck me as important. It should, theoretically, be a measurable pressure. Just as we can measure Pascals or Newtons of pressure, the same should be the case for life’s pressure. There is only the issue of determining the system’s extent and defining the measurable quantity. For example, the entire biosphere must exert a given pressure against the Earth’s geochemical resources given a flux of cosmic solar energy. The biosphere “wants” and “tries” to multiply and thus expand against the finite constraint of resources available to the current state of biospheric evolution. Copying Vernadsky’s own analogy of a farmer clearing land, the freshly cleared land has been removed of the majority of its life above the soil. Thus there exists a pressure to fill this “vacuum” of life. How can we measure this pressure?

This brings to mind the related ideas of the logistic function and the oscillations which occur due to population expansion against finite resources. Life seems to typically overshoot the carrying capacity  due to rapid initial multiplication. Only to later collapse and once again overshoot in a series of oscillations. Once the cleared land has been mostly filled, this pressure changes and occurs both inter- and intra- species. See this article:  A Megatheory of Human Destiny.

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