natural selection – An Autonomous Agent

ORF Universum Documentaries

anautonomousagent — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 22:31:00 +0000

Hulu has about 100 of these episodes. The Limits of Perception trilogy and Nature Technology trilogy are some great choices. The is also a great episode on Lapis Lazuli, Egyptians, and Afghanistan. Amazon Prime pleasantly surprised me with some offerings from ORF Universum:

Ancient Amazon (1999)

Limits of Perception (2000)

Baja: The Other California (2004) – Paul Reddish

The Black Mountain (2001) – Georg Riha (aka Grossglockner)

Extreme – From Freezer to Furnace (2007)

Green Islands in a Sea of Stone (1996) (aka Carinthian Nockberge)

Extreme – From Valley Deep to Mountain High (2009)

Bully for Brontosaurus – Stephen Jay Gould

anautonomousagent — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 20:22:00 +0000

For my first book by Stephen Jay Gould, I randomly chose Bully for Brontosaurus. This collection of essays provides thought provoking stories in human and biological history. I look forward to reading more of Gould’s works.

Australia’s First 4 Billion Years – NOVA

anautonomousagent — Sat, 11 May 2013 22:53:00 +0000

This series focuses on the geographic and biological evolution of the Australian continent since the formation of the Earth. Dr. Richard Smith narrates the entire series, starting with the formation the first lifeforms on Earth, up until the modern time. Good series and worth a watch.

Watch it on PBS here.
Watch it on YouTube here.

Origins of Order – Stuart Kauffman

anautonomousagent — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 06:41:00 +0000

Origins of Order, by Stuart Kauffman, provides a new look at evolution through natural selection. Instead of holding that the main creator of order is genetic drift with Natural Selection, Kauffman explores the idea that order can spontaneously form under various conditions in the natural world. Kauffman also emphasizes the importance of co-evolution among organisms in creating complex evolutionary systems. All of these ideas are explored through the mathematical tool of fitness landscapes.

The book, although long and dense, provides deep insights into the nature of life and evolution. The concepts presented involve mathematics, computer science, chemistry, and biology. I would recommend this book if the reader likes these topics and has enough time (or is fast reader). (ISBN-13: 978-0195079517)