The hottest Evolution Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

From the archives: The strain of civilisation

The Strategy Toolkit β€’ 372 implied HN points β€’ 14 Sep 23
πŸ”¬ Science Language Technology Communication Evolution Innovation
  1. Technology has significant effects on language evolution and communication, impacting knowledge transmission and cultural dynamics.
  2. The adaptability and flexibility of languages like Chinese and English contribute to their success and widespread adoption.
  3. Understanding the power dynamics of language, literacy, and communication is crucial for effective negotiation and societal progress.

Artificial Intelligence and the Noosphere

Nonzero Newsletter β€’ 609 implied HN points β€’ 29 Jun 23
πŸ”¬ Science Artificial Intelligence Evolution Philosophy Technology
  1. Artificial intelligence is seen as the crystallization of the noosphere, evolving from the biosphere.
  2. AI viewed from a noospheric perspective can help orient us, define our mission, and provide a philosophical framework for our moral evolution.
  3. The convergence of AI and the noosphere connects to a vision of a unified global community through political justice and universal love.
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COVID 2023 (part 1)

Logging the World β€’ 538 implied HN points β€’ 01 Jul 23
πŸ₯ Health & Wellness COVID Evolution Admissions Long Covid
  1. COVID numbers in 2023 are significantly lower than previous years, with restrictions lifted and admissions decreasing for months.
  2. 2023 has been relatively quiet in terms of new COVID variants, with no significant growth in headline variants, but the possibility of an evolution remains.
  3. While concerns about future COVID waves persist, it is suggested to enjoy the present moment and not overly worry about potential scenarios.

Paul Stamets on Fungi, Heterodoxy and Systems

rebelwisdom β€’ 687 implied HN points β€’ 07 Mar 23
πŸ”¬ Science Biology Ecology Evolution Psychology
  1. Fungi play a critical role in ecosystems, being essential for survival and offering various benefits to humans.
  2. Mycelium networks demonstrate resilience and adaptability, showing how diversity and innovation can emerge from minorities and unconventional thinking.
  3. Psilocybin mushrooms provide not just physical effects, but also potential societal and spiritual benefits, connecting different cultures and promoting collaboration over conflict.

The Mating/Reproduction Game

In My Tribe β€’ 546 implied HN points β€’ 23 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Evolution Sexuality Society Relationships Gender Dynamics
  1. In evolutionary terms, our behaviors are strategies for reproduction that interact with the cultural environment.
  2. On average, in a society with equal male and female numbers, men and women will have the same number of sex partners.
  3. Social and cultural factors influence how individuals may present themselves in terms of mating strategies.

Video: Why we Fight about Morality

Moral Understanding β€’ 78 implied HN points β€’ 19 Jan 24
β›ͺ Faith & Spirituality Morality Evolution Podcasts Books
  1. Our moral convictions are based on a common harm-based moral mind inherited from our past.
  2. The threat of harm continues to shape our moral beliefs, sparking disagreements on who or what is most vulnerable and what harms are real.
  3. Finding common ground in understanding the evolution of morality can help resolve conflicts over moral differences.

Are Stars Conscious?

Secretum Secretorum β€’ 707 implied HN points β€’ 16 Feb 23
πŸ”¬ Science Metaphysics Cosmology Physics Evolution
  1. Some scientists challenge the traditional definition of life, suggesting that stars exhibit life-like behaviors such as metabolism and reproduction.
  2. There are radical theories proposing that stars possess consciousness and engage in purposeful actions, influencing life on Earth.
  3. The concept of cosmological natural selection suggests that black holes may play a role in giving rise to new universes, embodying evolutionary principles at a cosmic scale.

Economics and Evolutionary Psychology

David Friedman’s Substack β€’ 143 implied HN points β€’ 29 Nov 23
πŸ”¬ Science Psychology Evolution Behavior Economics Biology
  1. Economics predicts individual behavior based on personal goals, while evolutionary psychology focuses on genes' goals for reproductive success.
  2. Evolutionary psychology sees the human mind as specialized modules shaped by Darwinian evolution for survival in hunter-gatherer environments.
  3. Behavioral inconsistencies in economics can be explained by beliefs in 'just prices' influenced by evolutionary psychology and ancestral trading practices.

How to Imbue the Basic Models of Biology With a Positive Vision of the Future

Maximum Progress β€’ 196 implied HN points β€’ 18 Oct 23
πŸ”¬ Science Biology Ecology Economics Evolution
  1. Basic biological models suggest a narrative of exponential growth followed by collapse.
  2. Biology offers a positive vision of the future through sustainable population growth without new resources, like Rubisco enzyme evolution.
  3. Evolutionary innovations, such as the human brain, enable sustainable growth and prosperity, creating a bridge between ecological and economic perspectives.

The Galactic Quarantine

α΄‹ΚŸα΄€α΅Ύs β€’ 471 implied HN points β€’ 06 Jun 23
πŸ”¬ Science UFOs Extraterrestrial Life Evolution
  1. The zoo hypothesis suggests a scenario where a more advanced intelligence has isolated or quarantined the planet, similar to animals in a zoo.
  2. Civilizations may rise and fall based on genetic selection, with humans being perceived as 'angry apes' by more advanced species.
  3. Encounters with UFOs and potentially non-human beings could be viewed in the context of a 'farm' or 'nature preserve' scenario, where humans are studied or observed by a superior intelligence.

Why Do We Laugh?

Pryor Questions β€’ 522 implied HN points β€’ 18 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture Psychology Evolution Humor Health Society
  1. Laughter is a physiological response to humor involving various body responses like facial muscle movements and disrupted respiratory systems.
  2. Humans laugh to create social bonds, show friendliness, and signal group cohesion.
  3. There are multiple theories explaining why we find things funny, such as relief theory, superiority theory, and incongruity theory, influenced by factors like age and cultural differences.

After the Modern Data Stack: Welcome back, Data platforms

timo's substack β€’ 275 implied HN points β€’ 16 Aug 23
πŸ•Ή Technology Data Platforms Evolution
  1. Data platforms are the next step after the Modern Data Stack, offering enhanced productivity, rapid iteration, and cost efficiency.
  2. The evolution of technology is not linear, but branches out in many directions, leading to multiple 'next' possibilities.
  3. New data platforms focus on integration, flexibility, and control, providing solutions for core issues like missing design, data quality, and integration challenges.

Four ways of thinking

Logging the World β€’ 199 implied HN points β€’ 28 Sep 23
πŸ”¬ Science Mathematics Complexity Statistics Chaos Evolution
  1. The book 'Four Ways of Thinking' by David Sumpter discusses four philosophies that map onto the four types of cellular automata identified by Stephen Wolfram, with historical anecdotes and life lessons.
  2. The book explores statistical, interactive, chaotic, and complex ways of thinking, connecting topics like cellular automata, chaos theory, and modern statistics with practical applications.
  3. David Sumpter's book introduces the complexity of modern mathematical research, showcasing the emergence of complicated behavior from simple rules and the fascinating concept of quantifying complexity in patterns.

The infinite monkey theorem

A Piece of the Pi: mathematics explained β€’ 18 implied HN points β€’ 11 Mar 24
πŸ”¬ Science Mathematics Literature Research Experiment Evolution
  1. The infinite monkey theorem states that given enough time and randomness, a monkey could type out the complete works of Shakespeare on a keyboard.
  2. Generating longer phrases by random means, as shown in simulations, becomes exponentially more difficult as the phrase length increases.
  3. The famous infinite monkey paradox has been explored through history, including Cicero's speculation in 45 BC and modern computer simulations using actual monkeys with disappointing results.

Anomalies of the Aegean

α΄‹ΚŸα΄€α΅Ύs β€’ 393 implied HN points β€’ 22 May 23
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution History Research
  1. Researchers found evidence of pre-sapiens hominin activity on Aegean Islands before Homo sapiens existed.
  2. Study suggests hominins sailed the Mediterranean half a million years ago, challenging human dispersal theories.
  3. The research highlights the need to rethink what we know about human migration not just in Greece, but globally.

The AI basis of the Eve Theory of Consciousness

Vectors of Mind β€’ 314 implied HN points β€’ 07 Jun 23
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution Psychology Mythology Language Personality
  1. The Eve Theory of Consciousness suggests self-awareness was discovered by women and spread memetically.
  2. Personality structure can be understood using language models to determine latent factors related to important traits.
  3. Gossip and social selection played a role in shaping personality traits like considerateness and tolerance.

The Y Chromosome Bottleneck

Vectors of Mind β€’ 314 implied HN points β€’ 29 May 23
πŸ”¬ Science Genetics Evolution Human behavior Anthropology
  1. Men and women think differently, and there may have been a moment in history where men had to 'catch up' on self-awareness and language.
  2. Recent genetic research suggests a bottleneck on the Y chromosome, indicating possible massive selection in the recent past.
  3. The Y chromosome bottleneck coincided with cultural changes and patrilineal competition, shedding light on human male demographic history.

Fear of Oozification

Breaking Smart β€’ 130 implied HN points β€’ 30 Sep 23
πŸ•Ή Technology Evolution AI Technological Change Engineering Fear
  1. Oozification, a process driving technological evolution, is making the future less certain and more complex.
  2. Swamps represent evolutionary vigor and the potential for radical change, showcasing the dual nature of stability and destabilization.
  3. All technology undergoes oozification, transforming into more elemental building blocks and increasing evolutionary potential.

How things come to be as they are

Overthinking Everything β€’ 349 implied HN points β€’ 19 Feb 23
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution Biology Technology Memes Patterns
  1. The theory of evolution explains the existence, creation, and extinction of things based on modifications and combinations of existing entities.
  2. Evolutionary processes are not confined to biological organisms but also apply to technologies, ideas (memes), and even inanimate objects like rocks.
  3. Understanding evolutionary theory can help in generating plausible explanations for how things came to be and in devising actions to shape the desired outcomes.

My Little Cockroach

Banana Peel Pirouette β€’ 79 implied HN points β€’ 22 Nov 23
πŸ”¬ Science Biology Ecology Evolution Urbanization Animal Behavior
  1. Cockroaches have been around for millions of years and are found on every continent except Antarctica, adapted to urban environments due to global commerce.
  2. Humans have a unique disgust towards cockroaches, though other pests like mice and pigeons coexist with us and are even celebrated in popular culture.
  3. Our fear and loathing towards cockroaches stem from the way they challenge our perceptions of hygiene and control over the environment, showing how closely intertwined our lives are with these creatures.

Sex at the limits and the limits of sex: Baker's Law

Holly Elmore β€’ 196 implied HN points β€’ 24 Jul 23
πŸ”¬ Science Evolution Genetics Sexuality Adaptation
  1. Self-fertilization and asexuality are more common at the edges of a species range due to Baker's Law.
  2. The benefits of sex include generating variation for natural selection and avoiding the accumulation of harmful mutations.
  3. Sex and outbreeding are crucial for adapting to competition and maintaining genetic diversity over time.

EQ > IQ

Vectors of Mind β€’ 176 implied HN points β€’ 04 Aug 23
πŸ”¬ Science Intelligence Evolution Psychometrics Language Genetics
  1. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is argued to be more fundamental to human evolution and the 'Good Life' than Intelligence Quotient (IQ), despite being harder to measure.
  2. Traits exist both as idealized forms and measurable approximations through psychological instruments like surveys, but the accuracy of these measurements is limited.
  3. The General Factor of Personality (GFP) is emphasized as a more fundamental concept than the general factor of intelligence (g), with language reflecting its importance and complexity.

The Myth of Cain and Abel

Banana Peel Pirouette β€’ 178 implied HN points β€’ 01 Aug 23
πŸ“š Literature Mythology History Social Commentary Evolution Narrative analysis
  1. The Cain and Abel story can be interpreted as representing the agricultural revolution and its societal impacts.
  2. The narrative reflects the conflict between nomadic pastoral and sedentary farming societies, highlighting the transformative role of agriculture.
  3. Through the characters of Cain and Abel, the story also delves into the historical consequences of agriculture, including slavery, inequality, and the exploitation of labor.

Evolutionary Ethics

Doc Hammer's Anvil β€’ 255 implied HN points β€’ 13 May 23
πŸ“– Philosophy Ethics Evolution Morality Culture
  1. Morality is subjective but also objective in extremes, with the real debate lying in the middle ground.
  2. Societies with dysfunctional morality can be seen as sick due to cultural contagion, but can also experience evolutionary changes.
  3. Evolutionary processes differ from human incremental changes, resulting in species adapting to different environments and niches.