Evolution again

Further to point #6 of my evolution post, Scientific American has an article on why the "primitive self-replicator" suggested by Dawkins is most unlikely, and suggests an alternative approach, based on catalytic cycles. However, this approach also has a long way to go before it becomes a real theory.

Clergy Swap

Angie has a good review of this hit TV series:

Get Real Productions recently announced the second season of its hit reality TV series Clergy Swap. ... “I knew this idea had great potential when we came up with it,” says Michael Carter, president of GRP. “Not only would it be a creative way to encourage ecumenicism, but it was bound to be funny as hell.”

Viewers can look forward to this season’s line-up which features Rev. Harold Watson, pastor of Most Saints Methodist, who will swap places with the Very Rev. Vladimir Seraphim of Simply Divine Orthodox Church.

Melbourne

Deo Volente, I will be in Melbourne this weekend, arriving tomorrow ...

... and Deo Gratias I did make the trip, and enjoyed meeting friends.

Amazing Grace

It's been a while since I posted one of these:

Θαυμαζω χαριν τοσαυτην,
σεσωκεν ‘η εμε.
απολωλως, νυν εὑρημαι,
τυφλουμενος, βλεπω.

(Thaumazō charin tosautēn,
Sesōken hē eme.
Apolōlōs, nun heurēmai,
Tuphloumenos, blepō)

The eta in line 2 should have a grave accent (it's a pronoun), but I can't make that work. The last word in line 3 is the passive of "eureka!"

The tune, of course, you know.

Evolution

I've been persuaded to blog my ideas on evolution. The first point to make is that it isn't one concept: it's at least 7. I'll rate them on an A..F scale (where most of Physics would get an A+):

1. Theoretical Evolution is a mathematical theory of population-based optimisation. Subject to certain conditions (which might perhaps be formalised a little better), it works, and has been proven in practice, and used to design e.g. electrical devices. I rate the evidence for this as A+.

2. Evolutionary Adaptation is evolutionary variation within a species in response to environmental changes. This is regularly observed, e.g. with antibiotic resistance in bacteria. I therefore rate the evidence for this as A.

3. Speciation is the accumulation of adaptations until two sub-populations can no longer inter-breed and form different species. There are many traces of this occurring, and speciation of fruit flies has been demonstrated in the lab. I therefore rate the evidence for this as A.

4. Classical Evolution extends speciation to larger categories (genera, familes, orders, classes). There is highly suggestive fossil and DNA evidence for evolution (or something which in some ways would resemble evolution), but it's far too slow a process to demonstrate in the lab. In that it's a theory about the past it's inherently difficult to prove. I therefore rate the evidence for this as C to D, depending on the category.

5. Phylogenesis is the formation of the largest categories of creatures, the phyla. This is by analogy with classical evolution, but there are many more problems. First, it all seems to have happened in the Cambrian Explosion and then stopped for some unexplained reason (there have been no new phyla since then). Second, there is no fossil evidence of the process occurring (the phyla appear in the fossil record pretty much all at once). I therefore rate the evidence for this as E.

6. Abiogenesis is the origin of life from non-living matter. There is currently no properly developed theory as to how this might have occurred, just some hints. Many scientists have suggested some kind of self-replicating molecule as the start of the process, but have not been able to name a specific candidate. Properly developed ideas in this space should be testable in the lab, but this has yet to happen. I therefore rate the evidence for this as F.

7. Philosophical Evolutionism is the belief (expounded by Richard Dawkins and others) that the presence and variety of life on this planet can be explained solely by processes 1 to 6. In particular, God is not required, and this is viewed as evidence against the existence of God. Now, clearly the problems with at least phylogenesis and abiogenesis indicate that the presence and variety of life on this planet can not (at present) be explained solely by processes 1 to 6. Furthermore, the inference to the nonexistence of God is obviously invalid. I therefore rate the evidence for this as F–.

Learning Greek

I'm still plugging away at my elementary Greek book, having just scored 74% on the antepenultimate test (on verbs ending in ω). I obviously need to revise my irregular verbs some more...

ποιησαι βιβλια πολλα ουκ εστιν περασμος και
μελετη πολλη κοπωσις σαρκος

(of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh)

Strange maps again

Aaron Clauset, blogging from the IPAM Random and Dynamic Graphs and Networks workshop in LA, refers to some interesting maps of airline flights in the US (click on the image for an animation):

Serbia, Douze Points

I watched the Eurovision Song Contest last night.

It was nice to see people celebrating their European identity, nice to see that Serbia seemed to have been forgiven by its neighbours, and very nice to see my published theories confirmed.

And some of the songs were even worth listening to...

Milestones in Reality TV

Faced with falling ratings on its Australian Big Brother franchise, Channel 10 has replaced all the housemates with new people.

The new housemates are all mathematics students, and, in a change to the rules, they have been given marker pens and encouraged to write on the ubiquitous mirrors. Viewers will be asked to base their eviction votes on the correctness and importance of theorems proved in the house.

The show is tipped to change its name to "Big Theorem."

Characters to See, Be, and Flee

This post is by request...

Three characters I wish were real, so that I could meet them:

• Galadriel from The Lord of the Rings – because even Gimli the dwarf found her wonderful.


• Reepicheep from the Narnia books – because he would be an inspiration. And he would challenge me to do what I should by asking “are you a mouse or a man?”


• Ged from the Earthsea books – because he would have hard-won wisdom to share.

Three characters I would like to be:

• Faramir from The Lord of the Rings – the book, not the travesty his character became in the film – for his honesty and courage.


• Fiver from Watership Down – because that combination of foresight and leadership is what I would like to show.


• Horton, the elephant from Horton Hatches the Egg – because he meant what he said, and he said what he meant: an elephant's faithful 100%.

Three characters that scare me:

• Grima Wormtongue from The Lord of the Rings – because that's who I'd be if I turned to evil. There but for the Grace of God...


• Cthulhu from the works of H.P. Lovecraft – because, like Sauron in The Lord of the Rings, it's an essentially demonic character – one of pure evil.


• John Wither, Deputy Director of the National Institute for Coordinated Experiments in That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis – because he seems like just another Public Service manager, but is in the direct service of Satan.

Map of the World

I liked this strange map, which distorts the world so that areas of countries indicate population sizes. India and China stand out as the biggies (click for a bigger picture):

One of the great features is that countries whose names I've forgotten have conveniently disappeared.

Go Tell the Spartans

I've just seen the movie 300, based on the Battle of Thermopylae:

Well, loosely based. It was well-made (for its genre), but wildly anachronistic, and with a US-oriented political message that Leonidas would probably not have understood.

But at least they had the famous (and somewhat ambiguous) line:

Ὦ ξεῖν’, ἀγγέλλειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ὅτι τῇδε
κείμεθα, τοῖς κείνων ῥήμασι πειθόμενοι.

(Ō xein', angellein Lakedaimoniois hoti tēide
keimetha tois keinōn rhēmasi peithomenoi)

Stranger, go tell the Spartans,
We lie here, persuaded by their words.

Or, a little more freely,

Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by,
Our actions matched their words, and here we lie.

A fitting comment on politicians and managers.