Day 133 in MIT Sloan Fellows Class 2023, Financial Market Dynamics and Human Behavior 4 - "Evolution, the origin of behaviour"
Adaptive behaviour
Modern sharks appeared 100m years ago. In all the races, the great white charks are number one.
The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is an incredible testament to the power and adaptability of nature's apex predators. As the largest predatory fish on the planet, great white sharks can reach lengths of up to 20 feet and weigh over 2.5 tons, with their sheer size and strength allowing them to dominate the ocean's vast ecosystems.
Their remarkable strength is due in part to their powerful, streamlined bodies, equipped with a cartilaginous skeleton that makes them incredibly agile and flexible. This anatomical advantage, combined with their torpedo-shaped form, allows great white sharks to reach speeds of up to 15 miles per hour. These powerful swimmers are also known for their impressive leaps out of the water, known as breaching, which they use to ambush and capture their prey.
Great white sharks have evolved to become highly adaptable predators, able to thrive in a variety of marine environments. They can be found in coastal waters, open oceans, and even the frigid waters of the Arctic and Antarctic. Their ability to regulate their body temperature, through a process called regional endothermy, enables them to survive in a wide range of water temperatures, from the tropical seas to the colder waters of higher latitudes.
Great white sharks also boast an extraordinary sensory system, which helps them navigate and adapt to their environment. Equipped with keen eyesight and an exceptional sense of smell, they can detect even the slightest traces of blood in the water from miles away. Additionally, they possess electroreceptors called ampullae of Lorenzini, which allow them to sense the electrical signals emitted by the muscles and nerves of their prey.
Despite their remarkable adaptability and strength, great white sharks are vulnerable in certain environments, particularly in shallow waters near beaches. In these areas, they are at a higher risk of encountering humans, often leading to conflict and negative consequences for both parties. Human activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming can inadvertently result in shark encounters or entanglement in fishing gear, which can lead to injury or even death for the shark.
Furthermore, great white sharks are slow to mature and have a low reproductive rate, making their populations susceptible to decline due to human activities such as overfishing and habitat degradation. As a keystone species, the health of the great white shark population is crucial for maintaining balance in the marine ecosystem. Therefore, it is essential to promote conservation efforts and responsible human interactions with these magnificent creatures to ensure their continued survival in our world's oceans.
The environment matters
The environment is always stable? No. We know the most disruptive ones which replace the dictators at that era, dinosaurs, with mammals.
The Chicxulub impactor and volcanic activity during the late Cretaceous period were cataclysmic events that dramatically reshaped life on Earth, leading to the extinction of approximately 75% of all species, including the non-avian dinosaurs. These catastrophic phenomena disrupted the planet's ecosystems and altered the course of evolution, forever changing the face of our world.
The Chicxulub impactor was an asteroid or comet measuring approximately 6 to 9 miles in diameter, which collided with Earth around 66 million years ago. The impact released an immense amount of energy, equivalent to billions of atomic bombs, creating a colossal crater over 110 miles wide and 20 miles deep. This massive collision triggered fires, tsunamis, and earthquakes, annihilating countless lifeforms and habitats.
In addition to the immediate devastation, the Chicxulub impactor's aftermath created a global "nuclear winter" effect. The collision ejected massive amounts of debris, dust, and sulfur into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and dramatically cooling the planet for an extended period. This sudden temperature drop had devastating consequences for the planet's flora and fauna, as it disrupted the delicate balance of ecosystems and led to a massive loss of plant life, which in turn caused a collapse in the food chain.
Around the same time, intense volcanic activity was taking place in present-day India, where the Deccan Traps were formed. These massive volcanic eruptions released enormous quantities of lava, covering thousands of square miles, along with vast amounts of greenhouse gases, ash, and aerosols. This volcanic activity further exacerbated the planet's environmental upheaval, contributing to climate change, acid rain, and prolonged darkness.
The combined effects of the Chicxulub impactor and volcanic activity created an inhospitable environment for many species, including the dinosaurs. Unable to adapt to the drastically altered climate and diminished food sources, the once-mighty dinosaurs, along with many other species, succumbed to extinction. This catastrophic chain of events cleared the way for the rise of mammals and, eventually, the emergence of human beings, forever transforming the trajectory of life on Earth.
Key things for adaptation is
- Diversity of traits
- Selection of traits
- Heredity of traits
Mutation introduces diversity and sexual reproduction speeds up evolution.
Human evolution
Human evolution was transformed by tool invention, symbolic thought, and language. These milestones allowed our ancestors to access new resources, communicate, and think abstractly. Today, human evolution progresses at the speed of thought due to our ability to think abstractly.
Tools opened new possibilities for early hominids, like Homo habilis. Later, Homo erectus made hand axes, and Neanderthals and Homo sapiens crafted refined tools. This paved the way for advanced technologies.
Symbolic thought emerged 40,000 to 50,000 years ago. Early humans created art and adornments, showcasing complex thought and communication. This facilitated social structures and cultural practices.
Language revolutionized human evolution. It enabled knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and collective wisdom. Intentionality, or understanding others' thoughts and actions, developed, vital for cooperation and social cohesion.
These developments led to a cognitive explosion. Rapid advancements in technology, culture, and society followed. Human evolution now moves at the speed of thought, driven by abstract thinking.
Evolutionary forces can explain many human behaviors, such as altruism, fairness, group selection, and social customs. These traits are deeply rooted in our evolutionary history and help shape modern human society.
And then, probability matching would be the best strategy from survival of races not from survival of individual perspective.
