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Poems and Thoughts by Frank Maurer

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Evolution

Evolution opus 21

Mutation.
Recombination.
Genetic Drift.
These are the genetic strategies of life,
Allowing us to cling to our very earthly existence.

Virus, one of the ubiquitous forms of life
Which constantly remind us of their existence--
Tenaciously meddling in our lives.

Vaccination-----Immunization.
Our way of guiding evolution,
Preventing new viral forms
Which ravage our human population.

Is it faith in a god which will save us
Or a greater common understanding of our methods of science;
The latter leading us to rational knowledge
Of our ever-present fellow forms of life,
Which use us as a medium for their ceaseless subsistence?

Oh, deliver us from so unsavory a plight!

Our Darwin's Tubercle (or Point) opus 23

A tiny bump at 10 o'clock on the right ear.
(This bump is at 2 o'clock on the left ear!)
But, to the point--why this small projection?
Ahh, another genetic take from the eons of life's change.

Where did we come from?
From what did we evolve?
Hmm. Some creature with pointed ears;
All that remains in our present morphology
To remind us of a very different origin!
Yes? An insectivorous, arboreal tree shrew!
Go to a source of historical knowledge and check it out.
And be overjoyed and humbled from whence we might have come.

(Note: This is what Darwin proclaimed in his The Descent of Man--1879--
to show how we might be related to other primates, many of which
do not have pointed ears! An unproven hypothesis, yet not completed.
But a nice story which I could not resist. A single gene with two
alleles, one of which is dominant. My poetic side thinks
It might still lead to something.)

Aggression and Love opus 24

Love of country.
    Love of Another.
        Love of property.
            Love of possessions.
                Love of a food.
                Love of a pet.
            Love of a sports team.
        Love of a political party.
    Love of a religion.
Love of freedom.

Love of all these things gives one meaning
And a sense of belonging.
But when events are challenged and go awry,
Everything of Love might bring out
The strong human feelings of conflict and then aggression--
Another human emotion which often
Wells up in resulting human behavior:
We mirror the schizophrenic ups and downs of chimpanzees
When we might have evolutionarily followed the peaceful,
Loving interactions of the Bonobos, the Lesser Chimp!

Will we always be destined for an aggressive existence,
Or follow the better supplications for a loving reality?

The Wolf Captured opus 28

Humans have genetically captured the wolf
To create the myriad number of dogs.

We love to live together and depend on each other,
But what of the future for each of these life forms?

Mutation Manifests Phylogeny opus 34

Our new, ever present device, held in right or left hand;
We sit, lie, walk, and more, with our 'other connections'.
Are we ever able to have our continual mechanical companion
Be disconnected from our minds and from our thumbs?
Will this new device lead us to yet another
New mutation, now of thought,
As mutation has created our opposable thumb?
As with the diminution of our molars--
Not needing to chew so incessantly on branches,
Or as with the basic uselessness of our appendix,
Now not needing an additional digestive organ?

But remember, our embryonic tail is ephemerally present
Because of ontogeny--not because of more recent disuse!

Bonobos and Humans opus 36

Two primates which share the blue ribbon,
By utilizing sex to bond, more than any other of that group.
The difference between the two species
Is that humans use sex to bond, juxtaposed with occasional violence,
While Bonobos use intercourse to bond and just simply reduce aggression.

Oh, the vagrancies of the outcome of random evolution.

Immutable Species opus 49

One Morgan silver dollar was the daily remuneration for a man's travail.
The obverse was the Lady Liberty, renounced at first by receivers of that dollar.
"She is depicted as an unattractive female."
But so much for the obverse; it is the reverse we wish to consider.

Both Linnaeus and Darwin, and of course many others,
Struggling against the concept of the Scala Naturae and the immutability of species,
Realized the great variation within species viewed, resulting from their studies,
And which did cause the perennial rift between Creation and Evolution.
"Species are immutable as created by god."

Now look at a particular specie (a piece of money; a coin),
And compare this to the biological question.
On the reverse of the Morgan is an eagle with a tail, of course.
The mint in 1878 pressed out eagles with a tail of eight feathers.
"Impossible!" cried out the ornithologists of the day--
"Raptors have only an odd number of tail feathers;
One in the center and the remaining on each side to make the odd total."
So, immutability comes to the enlightened fore,
With the mint (Philadelphia--we had four others!)
Reusing the remaining 8 tailed coins by striking over with the seven,
Resulting in a 7 over 8, with four feather tips still showing beneath,
And proceeded on with the 'proper' created (evolved?) odd number.
So, in 1878, the Morgan eagle had 8, 7 over 8, and 7 tail feathers, all in one year!
Now, today, does this manifest the conflict of the 'immutability' of our 'sacred coins',
As well as the 'god created, fixed morphology' of the living creatures around us?

Mutation opus 55

The announcer reads out
"Be advised of the newest Covid variant."
Listeners take it in with a sigh.
Few really comprehend what is occuring:
Half of us, even after elementary high school biology,
Do not realize that this is evolution, screaming through mutation.

And they continue to deny that adaptation
Through biological evolution even exists!

Sunrise opus 109

Ah, there at last comes Earth's Golden Eye,
Edging slowly upwards and ever sightly to the West,
To shower our life-laden globe
With its nurturing, warming rays.

[ 'Life-laden' for now;
As we are continuously 'directing' our own
"Sixth Extinction Symphony" in D Minor. ]

Humanism opus 119

Religion reigns supreme throughout the world.
Whose god is stronger, more benevolent, more just?
We also feel free to kill and conquer to ensure the survival of our philosophy.
"That group does not have our saviour in their lives
And we need to involve ourselves in their lives
To enlighten them to comprehend our text of truth!"
What encourages people to be obligated to conquer minds?
To convince that their belief is definitely the way to a truly free death,
To allow one to slip into the final level of supreme existence?

But there is another way to enlightenment:
The love and respect of all life around us;
Understanding that there was no miraculous, godly creation,
But rather an evolutionary struggle of adaptation--
To fit into the great mosaic of life,
To survive successfully and replicate
To reach a positive reproductive level.
That is the basis of all life on our planet of life--
Oh, and nothing more is needed for all this incredible productivity!

Our Honey Bee opus 123

Much of our agricultural system is partially built on a house of cards.
California, for instance, has over 1600 species of native bees,
All species of which are full-time pollinators.
But upon what species do we mostly rely for controlled pollination?
It is the European--yes European--Honey Bee,
Introduced long ago from the European invasion of North America.

For many years (40+), I conducted walking tours on Quail Ridge Reserve,
Now part of the Natural Reserve System of the University of California, Davis.
Whenever I came upon a native Buckeye tree,
I would ask, "Why, with all those large, phallic blossoms,
Are the blossoms' 'products' lethal to our Honey Bee?"
Few could ever correctly answer, but the answer is in its name!
European.
By introducing a non-native species to a new region of the world,
There is always the risk of potential catastrophe.
Some living thing--plant or animal-- will find a 'weakness',
And in the world of evolution, will take advantage for its own survival.
The European Honey Bee has not evolved in North America
To be able to pollinate a California Buckeye with its toxins.
Just as it has now rapidly been barraged with parasites.

It is always dangerous to introduce much of anything
To another region without risk:
Especially a creature introduced, which also lives in a huge community!
Is this phenomenon a warning that a gigantic human population
Is relying absolutely too much on cultures of another gigantic population?
As we watch the 'emergence' of virus, spreading through our hospitals and the world,
We must teach our young to truly understand the principles of evolution,
And that the phenomenon, is ever-guided through natural selection.

Are We Floundering, Using the Name Halibut? opus 130

Consider the marvelous evolutionary changes of this group through natural selection: The pressures to exist flat on the sea bed yield new habitat possibilities with new combined food sources. It was adaptive to have both eyes on one side, but fins, including the pectoral fins, remain almost the same--even when next to the sea bed. The research shows that with one group there was a recent speciation after the invasion of a common ancestor into the Atlantic from Southern Africa during the Pleistocene. But more to the evolutionary point-- The group of fish called Flatfish are the only vertebrates totally asymmetrical. Attempts since ancient times have been made to explain the origin of this characteristic. Flatfish when hatched are symmetrical with bilateral eyes and fins. The larvae live pelagically high above the sea bed. But, with life's advances, they lose the swim bladder and acquire a strange appearance : Totally flattened, a pigmented upper side, an asymmetrical skull-- two eyes together and inclined in relation to the twisted mouth. They are flattened sideways with a less developed whitish lower side. They have morphed to become benthic yielding their strange shape which allows them to move, feed, and defend themselves very well in this environment! These fish have lores with the Jewish people calling soles 'Moses fish' and with St. Peter who was burned by the Flatfish and the Romans who called them 'The Sole of Jupiter' because of the shape.

Lamarck in 1809 explained through 'gradualism' that with their 'need' to be attentive above they experienced the displacement of an eye and their flattening. Later, Darwin partly accepted this idea, but added his thoughts on the process of natural selection. In 1933, Richard Goldschmidt argued that Flatfish were a good example of 'hopeful monsters'-- due to mutations expressed in beginning stages of development and finally in adults which give rise to very different morphology--

Asymmetrical fish from symmetrical fish! Today, recent paleontology studies have found that fossils from 45 million years ago had eyes and their morphology obtained positions between symmetrical and asymmetrical arrangement. Thus we see that this process went through intermediate stages and did not occur abruptly. As stated before, there is a great variety of 'right' or 'left' species but the Thornback Turbot has 'right' and 'left' occurring in equal frequency. This group is closest to the beginning of the Flatfish evolutionary tree with the least asymmetry. So thought concludes that asymmetry first occurred randomly or in relation to environmental variations in this group, and that later was controlled by genes in other related species. In general there were no abrupt changes in any single genes during development but that in their development there are changes in the expression of certain genes and these changes explain the various characteristics of Flatfish: asymmetry, coloration and all!

Note: It is interesting that in 10,000 year old cave paintings, one can determine to which species the paintings depicting Flatfish belong. A depiction of one fish with its right-side twist in the cave of La Pileta, Spain, may just be a Flounder!

The Labyrinth opus 136

Fish have gills, Silly: How else would they breathe?
Well, because of evolution through natural selection,
A group of fish (there are many other examples)
Inhabiting the Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia area are the Bettas.
Bettas were originally found in Thailand.
They are among the oldest domesticated fish species in the world,
Having been owned as pets for more than 4000 years!
They survive in small puddles of water, in rice fields, and ditches.
Because of the uncertain fluctuating oxygen supply,
They have evolved a structure at the bony base of the gill,
Called a labyrinth, which allows not only gill breathing,
But also the intake of air, by gulping, this interacting within the labyrinth,
Supplementing the often low oxygen content in the surrounding water.
The labyrinth contains plates with a myriad of oxygen absorbing blood vessels
Which gather inhaled air now trapped inside a group of folds
And then absorbed into the main bloodstream.

Bettas are obligate air breathers in that they occasionally must take in oxygen from the air.
The other group of labyrinth fish are facultative air breathers,
Which only breathe at the surface when running low on oxygen.
Bettas breathe using their labyrinth organ, day and night,
So they prefer sleeping under large plants near the water's surface
And thus do not need to exert extra energy to rise to the top for a quick gulp.

Interestingly, they use this organ to create 'bubble nests' at the surface.
The males blow bubbles to form one of these nests as part of their reproductive process,
But even single males will make a bubble nest, if content in their space!

Just another fascinating creature to get to know and this is why
Natural history study makes one an ever-more interesting person.

Try it!

II. Human-caused Evolutionary Changes - Aggressive African Bees/Gentle European Bees opus 139

The African honeybee has been selected for aggressiveness
Because of intense predation, including by humans,
Who, in spite of many stings, desire the sweet honey
And would merely plunder a hive, thus selecting for ever-more aggressive bees.
This bee was never domesticated by humans.
Wild hives and managed hives are the same bee, populations shifting back and forth.
Also it is thought that the African honeybee race is so aggressive
Because it evolved in an arid environment, sources of nectar and pollen being scarce.
Natural selection thus favored aggressive colonies which protected their food source
And their hives from predators and robber bees from other colonies.

Bee keeping is the art of caring for and managing colonies.
This is what occurred with the European honeybee--over centuries--
Continually selecting for gentler and gentler queens.
The whole colony was then basically selected for gentleness.
Thus there are more than 20 honeybee races in Europe, America, and Asia,
But only two are found in South Africa.
Beekeeping with the African honeybee does occur with some people,
Especially European transplants.
But, as I can attest, heavy clothing and patience are necessities,
And the result from this very productive producer is rewarding.

Evolution Doesn't Exist! (Dogs must have come from an Omniscient Puff!) opus 147

The origin of dogs was, until recently, not perfectly understood.
Now it is basic knowledge that dogs, with human selection,
Evolved from Eurasian and Asian Gray wolves.
But the history of Native American dogs has a more complex saga.
Dogs probably entered North America from Siberia 4500 years after humans did,
And were isolated for the next 9000 years.
After contact with Europeans, these dogs no longer existed,
Because they were replaced by Eurasian dogs.
The pre-contact dogs showed a unique genetic signature, now gone.
The DNA indicated that their nearest genetic relatives today
Are the Arctic breed dogs such as Malamutes, Greenland dogs,
And Alaskan and Siberian Huskies.

The replacement by Eurasian dogs may have been caused by
Diseases introduced by Europeans, or persecution of native dogs by European colonists.
Also European dogs could have been favored, possibly because of better training.
So, the domestication of American wolves did not really occur,
But rather domesticated dogs came over with the First Peoples from Siberia.
These dogs existed in North America for about 5000 years
And remained until 15th century settlers arrived with their dogs.
The Siberian Huskies and other similar breeds likely came over about 1000 years ago--
Roughly 500 years before European settlers arrived.

When I was in graduate school at Cornell University,
No one was ever really sure just what the origin of our dogs was today.
Wolves, coyotes, foxes, dingoes--just what?
DNA studies have been so helpful with so many knowledge bases
And I am thankful I have lived to be able to see these results!

Two Invaders, Meeting opus 159

I walked out back, behind the house, where I feed my steer and emu,
Going slowly through the motions in the shade of the trees--it is 100 degrees F today.
Two large wild, 'invading' male turkeys were nearby.
I do not harass them here and we co-exist, quietly together.
(They were transplanted to California from the East,
Where T. Jefferson and B. Franklin argued over which bird
Should be the National Symbol.)
I fed grain to the emu and cow as tidbits to their daily grazing,
And I had an urge to pass on some feed to the nearby turkeys.
I called out quietly and threw the food in their direction.
One responded and slowly walked over to the suddenly produced cornucopia.
I chatted quietly and urged him (it was indeed a great 'bearded' him),
To continue eating in my presence without fear.
The other male partner was most reluctant and continued grazing its farther grass.
(Later, after I departed, the reluctant one too, joined its brother
To peck away at the remaining grain.)

This all reminded me of the beginnings of the dog--
Probably children near middens piles encouraged those wolf pups,
Brave enough to remain near these little human creatures,
To be rewarded with special tidbits from an outreached hand,
And slowly joined the ranks of that bipedal creature who was to soon dominate the planet,

They, the wolf-becoming-dog, being now in the ranks of the other invading myriads!

The Joy in Shape opus 173

Just contemplate the varied and beautiful morphology of African horned creatures :
The shapes and gracious curves of those protuberances
Make one wonder just what was the creator--
Imagination elicits the gods, until the rational mind
Draws in selection, relatedness, and the challenging chance of survival.

Tachymenoides harrisonfordi opus 176

Yet another new species has been discovered--this time a snake in Peru.
So many unknown species still roam our planet.
This snake has been named after Harrison Ford,
A great supporter of environmental issues.
It was 'discovered' in a helicopter-only remote National Park in Peru.
When Edgar Lehr, a US-German biologist, was asked how he felt
About the plight of species diversity by A. Rascoe of NPR,
He answered with the usual 'biologist's reply' of great concern,
But then all abruptly ended with no further interview!
We are becoming complacent as to our biological, future concerns.
I guess that is just what is going to happen--
As long as we humans continue our chaos.
The massive, present Sixth Extinction must be viewed
As our 'canary in the mine'.
The disappearance of our more sensitive fellow creatures,
Is screaming at us that sooner or later, we may be next!
(I conclude it might finally be humans vs cockroaches!)

Australian Singer, Genesis Owusu opus 177

Genesis Owusu has won every musical award in Australia
And is now planning to start performing in the US.
His family emigrated from Ghana, Africa, when he was a child.
He had to learn as a black immigrant just how to fit in.
His second album, following his successful debut, is 'Struggle', featuring 'Roaching'.
In this new musical presentation he sings about the cockroach--
Its ability to survive against 'great odds',
And in passing, poses the question does god value such a creature.
He then compares the stubborn and powerful cockroach to the human struggle--
'Like the cockroach we shall overcome all adversity' {my paraphrasing}.

As a biologist, I extrapolated and generally wondered about the 'survival of things'.
Cockroaches have an incredible ability to reproduce and adapt to available space and food.
Humans are incredibly able to survive by their reproductive 'ability'
(Partly through continuous female receptivity) and with always newly developed technology--
Clothing, agriculture, the domestication of the horse, the wheel, control of fire--
Cooking and producing 'soft food' has even caused the evolution of reduced molars,
Loss of a second stomach (the appendix), loss of the sagittal ridge
(Bone on the skull to accommodate attached extra masticating muscle),
Reduction of canine teeth--all with the help and backup of an opposable thumb!

Remembering that a 'good' parasite does not kill its host,
Again, one extrapolates in one's mind, on the human population as the 'dependant parasite',
And the planet as the 'host'; Will humans adapt to less usurpation of the 'host',
By once again, fostering technology and behavioral adaptation,
Thus preventing us from 'killing our host'?

Road Traffic Influence on Bird Wing Length opus 194

How on earth can road traffic influence the process of evolution??
Cliff swallows fly in groups, often along highways
Near bridges under which they nest.
Those birds with slightly longer wings
Are less able to outmaneuver quick moving vehicles,
And are often eliminated from the breeding population.
Those birds with shorter wings
Are able to swerve more quickly, avoiding potential death.

Now, to further reiterate on the fact of wing length:
Albatross with long wings rarely touch ground,
Gliding slowly in one direction,
While hummingbirds possessing short, fast moving wings
Are able to instantly maneuver in all directions.
This, an evolutionary lesson caused by human-created road traffic!
Life morphology is influenced for survival--
Even from a rushing metal gas guzzler!

Dog Walking opus 227

So many dog walking accidents have been reported--
Dragged by dog and leash to injury and broken bones,
Resulting from a canine rival or just a passing squirrel.
Do we forget that even though domesticated for perhaps 30,000 years,
These genetically captured, leashed creatures still maintain,
At least some of their original, primordial instincts?

What is Beauty? opus 239

Humans have wondered for centuries as to what beauty truly is.
Why is it that often after a stroke or brain damage,
That artistic ability often manifests itself or that existing abilities improve?
What goes with our brains and aesthetics--it is not sex nor food!
It is clear humans make aesthetic judgements of faces;
Perhaps described as charming, stunning, or gorgeous.
Even infants (at six months!) gaze longer at an attractive face.

Innately, our brain seems to be evolutionarily organized.
There may be an adaptation for better survival;
Symmetry may be interpreted for better infant health and survival,
An epiphenomenon which depicts a longer, better life.
Faces and natural landscapes elicit these choices--types,
As opposed to architecture and then human art,
Which yield less response.

Now contemplate games--soccer is rated as 'a beautiful game'--
The choreography and elegance of players' movements.
Also consider the beauty of science--E=mc2, mathematics or chess.
An infant's face lights up, having just understood some manipulation.
The satisfaction of knowing beauty can adaptively accomplish usefulness.
There is a satisfaction of taking something apart and then, back together.
What a wonder to contemplate why protons in a nucleus
Remain together and do not repel one another
And to then discover the function of quarks and gluons which help do such:
This results in weak forces when close together
And strong forces when further apart.

Even efficiency is a beautiful thing!
Biological reproduction yields mutated variability,
All of which is selected for survival.
Beauty is not only functional, but useful--
Consider a bee's hexagonal wax cell.
Why can most incomprehensible things in the world,
Be at the same time comprehensible?

But why?
To paraphrase Keats--'Beauty is Truth and Truth is Beauty. That is all'.

Our Tree Shrew Affair opus 254

So far, biological studies have shown
All life on earth is related to a single DNA system.
Life shares its connectedness,
Demonstrating the relative closeness of our related status.
Clues of relatedness are also derived
From skeletal bone and tooth fragments.
In that light, the primary ancestor of primates--including us,
Was an arboreal, insectivorous tree shrew!
This is Purgatorius, from 65 million years ago, weighing 3.5 ounces.
The best fossil from 55 million years ago is Dryomomys.

It was always thought that these creatures were solitary.
Good science, with additional evidence
Now demonstrates that our primate ancestors
Appear to have lived as pairs--
Increasing their ability to protect each other,
To increase the success to forage food,
And to more competently raise offspring.
So now, as you snuggle with your partner,
Realize that this genetic behavior may be owed
To an arboreal, insectivorous tree shrew!

Awake, Neanderthal You have migrated to a new time zone opus 255

Our genome is shared with cousins Neanderthal and Denisovan.
Neanderthals migrated out of Africa to the north,
Then splitting into Denisovans moving east.
By going north, the Neanderthal genome mutated to cope with new conditions,
Including viruses and disease challenges in their new environment.
Before the Neanderthal disappeared 40,000 years ago,
They encountered a cousin species,
Homo sapiens--us, also moving out of Africa.
Some of each group took a liking to each other and created a Homo mix!
Neanderthals infected sapiens with some viruses.
Both Neanderthals and Denisovans passed on genes
Which influenced appetite and metabolism,
But they also shared genetic defenses
And genetic variants which affected sleep--
This, because of new varying day and seasonal times in the north.

Proteins in our cells rise and fall in a 24 hour cycle,
Controlling both slumbering times and when one wakes.
It appears that those of us who have inherited a certain array,
Seem to wake up earlier than those who comfortably snooze later.

So much to contemplate when we start to consider
Just exactly from where we come and who we really are!

To Paul, Who Would Understand opus 262

Horses arose in North America,
Increased in size, and migrated westward.
Presently, a 'new' invasion of a present
'Modern', larger form has obtained,
Replenishing the space of their progenitors

Similarly, the Khoisan arose in Southern Africa
And were partially replaced,
Not only by the Bantu group,
But by the invading 'caucasian',
Repopulating many spaces
Of their original African progenitors.

The Synergy of Human Girls and Their Dogs opus 292

It has been documented that as girls age,
Their physical movements decrease
When compared with that of young boys.
When a girl lives with a dog,
Her movements are faster and more intense.
When a dog dies, a girl's activities once again decrease.
The conclusion, at the moment, appears to be
That a girl, companioned with a dog,
May manifest greater activity and health.
Of course, we must again remember our coevolution with dogs
And this data perhaps increases
The empirical importance of our millennial relationship
With this once ancestral and wild canid, the wolf.

Intraspecific Conflict opus 298

Charles Darwin in his 'On the Origin of Species' (1859),
Observed that speciation and subspeciation result from geographic isolation.
All organisms on earth appear to follow this hypothesis.
Of course this mainly pertains to adaptation to a varying environment
And reduction of competition for food and needed territory.
With humans, we have varied superficial morphology,
Resulting in varying skin color, nose shape, eye color, height, etc.
But humans, more than other species, have culture and religion,
Which results, to the human mind, in a huge differentiation of the 'other'.
As a result, the human intraspecific or population competition
And conflict forms a new dimension,
Compared to other specific life on our planet.
Evaluating these differences, humans have a more complex level
Of Darwin's concept of isolation and adaptation to a new environment.
Culture, ideology, and religion result in greater potential 'intraspecific' conflict,
Which we are all observing and living through every single day!
With humans, geographic isolation seems not to reduce competition,
But because of other factors mentioned, may increase that population conflict.
Might our wonderful minds actually lead us to our own
Potentially peaceable intraspecific downfall?

Eleven Primaries Allow Flight opus 303

For many decades I have taught children (and some adults)
That the first flight feathers (primaries) on the wing of a bird
Number eleven in most birds, with another eleven or so,
Comprising the secondaries on the rear of the wing.
Could there be a tertiary? Yes, rarely, but they exist.
The Mandarin Duck of Asia has such a feather
Poking up towards the rear of the wing!
Our Wood Duck, the only member of the genus, Aix,
And 'cousin' to the Mandarin, is devoid of this extra ornament.

Studies of dinosaurs and the phenomenon of flight
Has been studied by paleontologists,
And nine to eleven feathers appear crucial for flight,
Enabling those later dinosaurs which evolved to birds.
The full story is more complex, but there is no doubt
That some dinosaurs really were able to fly.
So, as you observe a bird flying past you,
Take a moment to pause and realize the special sight before you,
Which binds our present time with the wondrous history
Of the ever-evolving life on our Blue Planet.

Are White Camembert and Brie Doomed to Extinction? opus 305

The power and strength and endurance of life on our planet
Is due to adaptation, thus survival, to ever-changing conditions on earth.
The antithesis of this is the desire of humans for standardization--
Sameness and comfort to continual and 'familiar' known entities.
Biologically, this leads, of course, to ever-weakening biological systems,
Which Homo sapiens are managing and controlling for their own pleasure.
How is this at all germane to our cheeses?
Well, we are facing a collapse of microbial diversity.
We have been relying on a single fragile strain of fungi
Which is now at a risk of dying out of existence on our planet.
To create our cheeses, Penicillium biforme has been chosen
To yield the desired colors, flavors, and aroma which the populus desires.
Now P. camemberti, a developed strain, considered a 'species',
Cannot reproduce, and must be continually created
By ever-more difficult cloning methods.
Along the way, other strains of mold have vanished from disuse.
The desired fluffy white mold, which grows quickly,
Has reached a condition which is locked in and not now found in the wild!
With variations of P. camemberti being completely stifled,
There has been an increase of harmful mutational errors in its genome.

Other cheeses, for the same reasons, are not out of danger--
A couple are Gorgonzola and Roquefort.
The single variety of cloned bananas, with an effective pest,
Could be completely decimated.
Variations of wheat strains are vital for survival, now facing the Climate Crisis.
Finally, if diversity within a species is lost, adaptability is lost.
With this in mind, we humans must revel in the pending enjoyment
Of the future variety of slight changes in color, aroma, and flavor!

Some General 'Rules' to Ponder. (Written With B. Franklin in Mind.) opus 307

A large monoculture is a dangerous thing.

Tolerance ultimately leads to peace.

Trial and error in biological systems
leads to continual, ultimate successes.

Following only one philosophy
can lead to the loss of unknown experience.

One must always be aware
of the limitations of the living system.

Happiness is not contentment
and joy cannot be continually experienced.

Restricted standards in biology
can often destroy the required variation for survival.

With only one, DNA based system of earthly life,
how could there ever be one ultimately 'special' life?

Humanism is the understanding and reverence for all life,
without an interfering supreme being.

By destroying your environment,
you are destroying yourself.

Without sex, life would be just a bunch of independent clones.

Without religion, early rulers could not
have well-controlled large groups of 'subjects'.
Perhaps such is still the same today?

A moderated, ritualized competition 'for the girl',
Might lead to a safer conclusion, as with many other life forms,
just as a good parasite should never kill its host.

No matter under what circumstances--
testerone, belief, and a resulting conflict
always lead to human tragedy.

Throughout the universe,
water may be the ultimate limiting factor.

Liquid, steam, and ice are the three forms of water.
How fortunate for many earthly forms of life
that the solid state is less dense than the liquid!

For every action, there is a reaction;
that includes chemistry, physics, and human emotion!

Without language, human emotion
would be expressed without a rainbow.

If heat did not rise, our first modes of flight
would have been impossible.

Without evolution, most niches for life
would have been unutilized.

Our Marijuana Dogs opus 313

As most states did, Ohio declared the use of marijuana illegal.
As most states did, they trained police dogs to sniff out the stuff.
As many states have, recreational marijuana use is now legal.
What to do with these steno-olfactory, well trained dogs?
The attempt to retrain these dogs with a very exaggerated specific sense,
Proved to be too difficult--were they too habituated like their human counterparts?
At any rate, the only fate for these dogs is complete retirement,
Just as we retire our protective military and police dogs.
Thankfully, there are human activists who attempt to maintain
A just end for the lives of these canine coworkers (do they have a choice?).
Yet another example of the ever-closer coevolution of humans
With our wolf-descendent-dog companions.

Why are Men Deciding These Things? opus 334

New abortion anti woman laws--
Politicians versus medical doctors.
What are we doing to ourselves?
To abandon good science
For antiquated religious myths?
In spite of all empirical edification,
We are returning to our reptilian brain.

Glimpsing a Touch of the Sixth Extinction opus 354

When I arrived in Davis, California, in 1978,
I took over a small 37 acre former sheep farm.
Using the local newspaper and local expertise,
I learned about sheep, swine, cows, gardening and aquaculture.
However, being a biologist, I noticed and learned
The many native species, from plant to creature, surrounding me.
In the evening, as it darkened, twenty or more toads
(Bufo (now Anaxyrus) boreas)
Would congregate under an outside light to feast on 'hapless' insects.
Time passed over the years and, as with many of our amphibians,
My toad population slowly dwindled to--nothing.
Was this due to disturbance, rising temperatures or acid in the air?
I know not, but all I know is they were gone.
All that occurred in the early '80's, and then there is now.
I was carrying a bucket of greens by the north side of my house
To feed the rescue tortoises I have accrued,
When I noticed the movement of a grass clump to my left.
Being always curious and empirically longing to know,
I spied a small body, moving 'toad-like' away from me.
Oh, my god, after 40 years, what did I see, but a toad!
I watched in disbelief as it worked its way to hide.
My mind raced in thought--are they returning?
Is this the ultimate and absolutely last one?
Could there be some mutation, resulting in a more resilient form?
Not at all sure, watching the tiny creature disappear,
But nonetheless, leaving me with emotions of joy and despair

Technological Augmentation of Testosterone opus 360

The hormone testosterone flows strongly in male human mammalians,
Formerly adapted to augment strength, aggression and fearlessness
For self survival and to protect those living in their small bands.

Today, with the invention of more and more powerful firearms,
The strength of testosterone is now transferred from the body alone
To a powerful and over-proportionally functional trigger finger.

Dig Your Canines into this One! opus 364

It is interesting to contemplate
As to what might have caused
The difference between canine morphology
Of us--the hominids--and our fellow pongids
(Including Chimps, Bonobos, Gorillas, and Orangutans).
The dentition of the human mouth
Was really our manipulating third hand.
Then came the invention of tools,
Rendering the lesser utilization
Especially of our large canines.
Thus with tools, combined with the opposable thumb,
Our canines evolved to a 'respectable' size',
Unlike the more exaggerated canine morphology
Of our 'brotherly' pongid hominoids.

Memorial Day--May 2024 opus 368

Once again we commemorate a day
To remember those who died amidst the horrors of war,
Participating in conflicts which most personally never chose.
Being very aggressive and yet just another animal life form,
Humans have endeavored, but not yet learned
How to solve potential conflicts relating to territory and ideology.
Yes, attempts have continually been made, but with no final success.
Are we locked into the confines of our reptilian brain,
Or will we be, at some time in our future history,
Able to gently and peaceably come to the necessary compromises
Which will insure our successful sojourn
On this beautiful, very special blue planet?

Playful Orcas? opus 371

For a number of years now
Orcas have been ramming smaller boats,
Often targeting the rudders, which are demolished.
Some have even managed to overturn a boat or two!
The question has always been as to why this occurs?
Is it an action of revenge for climate change and the diminishing food supply,
Or possibly the invasion of boats with their terribly disruptive motor sounds?
After some study by marine biologists, a conclusion has been formed--
It appears to be young animals, which are merely being playful!
Hitting these boats is all in a day's hunting technique
And nothing more than roughing up their normal prey.
Remember that cetaceans are intelligent and, like their fellow humans,
Play is part of the way of gaining skills to be used in 'serious life'.

(Orcas avoid jellyfish, so a successful remedy
Is to paint jellyfish on the hull and rudder!
Might it work? We'll see!)

How to Survive an Alligator! opus 375

I occasionally drop by my local pet store
To check out what chelonia species are up for sale.
Now and then, on a whim, I 'rescue' a specimen, catching my fancy.
Recently, I inquired about two Yellow Bellied turtles
(Pseudemys scripta scripta)
Which had remained in the store for weeks.
After making a 'deal', homeward they went with me.
With a dark carapace, a yellow streak slicing each scute,
And a bright yellow plastron,
I found them quietly attractive to the eye.

Sussing them out from my comprehensive 'Encyclopedia of Turtles' ,
I discovered about their southeastern US range,
But most interestingly, the heavy shell of this species,
Perhaps evolved to be resistant to their cohabitating alligators,
So that they might survive the potential cracking
And inevitable consumption by their crocodilian neighbors.

So many subtle examples of selection through the evolutionary process,
Which, with some examination, become evident to the studious mind.

Amputations of Man and Beast opus 384

Perhaps as long as 30,000 years ago Homo sapiens
Were performing amputations--Homo neanderthalis
Probably had them beat by several thousand years!
But let's talk of amputations millions of years ago!
Carpenter ants, it has now been discovered,
Have continuously amputated injured legs
Of fellow warriors, when necessary.
They are also presumably able to produce
Antibiotic secretions for serious wounds
As well as for amputations when needed--
Lower leg wounds are left alone
Because if altered, death usually occurs,
While upper leg wounds are successfully
Amputated and treated.
Ants produce many antimicrobial compounds
And have evolved to possess many medical treatments.
This, of course, includes therapeutic amputation!

I believe this is monumental information
Which draws our thoughts towards various life forms,
Ever closer together, and gives us pause
As to just how we might evaluate 'other life'!

California's Newest State Symbol opus 386

Several years ago I proposed and had finally passed as a state symbol,
Purple Needle Grass (Stipa pulchra), the now state perennial native grass
Which was a food staple for native people
And is now used in restoration to outcompete star thistle.
Each plant can stay around quite a while-- 150 years!

Recently California just designated the Pallid Bat as that group's representative.
A most interesting creature consuming insects and scorpions in its diet.
It also consumes cactus (plant) nectar--one of two bats in the world to do so.
The Lesser Long-nosed Bat generally sips cactus nectar
And pollinates with a delicate tongue.
Researchers were surprised to observe the Pallid Bat,
Pollinating by shoving its whole head into the flower!
These bats use echolocation to hunt on the ground
For beetles, crickets, as well as scorpions
The venom of which they are totally immune!
They also found that Pallid Bats transferred
Thirteen times as much pollen as the Lesser Long-nosed Bat.
So the more 'refined' and delicate consumption of the latter species
Was way out done by the less mannered, new discovery--the Pallid Bat.

Our Diastemas opus 387

When I mention to most people, asking what a diastema is,
The majority do not know--even if they exhibit one!
Of course, it is the space between front upper and/or lower incisors.
I lived with a diastema most of my life,
Until I needed to have partials (deciding that implants were too expensive).
As they were molded, I failed to mention I had a--now non-existent--diastema.
As a result the teeth in my upper jaw are all shifted to the left!
I am beyond vanity at nearly 83, and find it just one more fun talking point.

Having had this condition, I always noticed, especially in black Americans,
That many singers, speakers, politicians who sported a diastema.
My wondering came to an end, after a bit of research.
First, it is an African trait, whites exhibiting one because we are
all basically African!
In Africa (eg Ghana and Nigeria) with European prejudice,
Africans there were not valuing nor enjoying their diastemas,
But with independence, the whole concept flipped into a positive trend.
Today, 95 percent in Africa find MMD's (Maxillary Midline Diastemas)
very beautiful.
Moreover, 95 percent of the diastemaless population wish and actually
want to create one!
Genetically, developmental causes affect as many as 36 percent of black people,
While affecting as few as 3.5 percent in the caucasian population.
We in this country and possibly in Europe
Do not even think about a diastema and its influence on attractiveness,
But now-a-days in Africa and perhaps those in the western world,
Black people are very aware of the little space between their teeth!

AI and Honey Bees--New Introductions into Society opus 390

AI is a new 'entity' entering our society.
It shall bring many 'benefits' to medicine, education, research and warfare,
But shall also be utilized by those who will harm society.
AI, in the greater picture, with its thirst for power, will be affecting climate change
In a major and exceedingly harmful way,
Unless several breakthroughs to lessen negative effects on society are
manifested.

Similarly, the introduction of the (European!) Honey Bee has had a
parallel biological effect.
It was introduced to produce honey, but more,
To pollinate the ever-increasing flowering plants in our 'growing' agriculture.
Being introduced, this 'new' species in a new place is vulnerable to the whims of evolution,
Including the many pests which have taken advantage of a vulnerable 'foreigner'.
If the use of Honey Bees fails, due to disease and increasing Climate Crisis temperatures,
Will the whole pollinating system of North America
Crash to a halt with simultaneously decreasing tumultuous food production?
Great ideas and systems may appear ingenious and invulnerable,
But in the long run, may not survive the desired intended human system!

Domestication opus 396

Have you ever noticed the multicolored coat of reindeer (caribou)?
In addition, if you conduct deeper research, how about Fallow Deer?
Both these species have been semi-domesticated
Over centuries of human manipulation.
The Sami have herded reindeer forever
And Fallow Deer were transported from Turkey to Britain in 1100 AD.
When an organism is 'protected' by humans over a long period of time,
Evolutionary parameters fall away because coloration is irrelevant to survival.
The domestication of wolves to dogs is another example--
Reduction of dentition and snout, floppy ears,
And a curled tail manifest themselves.
The Russian experimentation of foxes revealed the same phenomena.

Humans became 'domesticated' with the advent of cooking.
A large heavy jaw with large teeth has now manifested into a finer jaw
And smaller teeth, with some, the molars, becoming obsolete!
Many of us have crowded teeth--tooth size is changing
Slower than a diminishing jaw!
From ingesting grasses and leaves to tearing apart raw meat,
To masticating cooked food--we are the only animal which does so.
It is interesting that all other primates, when given the choice,
Prefer cooked food--it is just that the brainpower is not there
To associate cooking and the need for fire!

Were Our Teeth Always in Our Mouths? opus 399

As humans evolved, the diet changed from grass and leaves,
To the discovery of raw meat, and finally fire and cooking.
The once adaptive large teeth have not kept up in their reduction
With the evolving smaller jaw--
And thus present-day crowding and molar extractions!
But from where did our teeth today evolve?
Two thoughts on the subject--odontodes--
Tooth-like structures found in the throat of Hagfish
Or the odontode structures on the rough skin of sharks!
Whichever finally proves to be correct,
The present-day teeth in our mouths
In the wonderful smile we see today
could never have been foreseen in their original state.

Butterfly Massacre opus 400

I reside in the Central Valley of California.
I have lived on my smallish (37 acre) farm since 1978--46 years!
At my age one contemplates one's death more than when a teenager.
Being a biologist, I also think about the death of other creatures.
Chatting with my wonderful farm helper,
I asked him why all the butterflies were moving en masse,
Being pulverized (as he also drove) by the speeding autos?
He wasn't sure, but finally, together, we came up with 'migration'.
Yes, many species of lepidoptera migrate besides Monarchs.
The predominant shifting species at present is the lovely Sulphur--
Moving to new local feeding grounds to ensure more future caterpillars!
The beautiful yellow (Sulphur), black-tipped flyers
Move across the more open roads for easier flight
And are sadly meeting their own holocaust.
We think of the roadkill of larger creatures: deer, rabbits, raccoons,
But insects such as butterflies and Honey Bees
Are slaughtered every year--
The butterflies as they migrate
And the foraging Honey Bees,
Innocently traversing from their human-made hives.
1925 was the beginning of road ecology science
And we humans, because of our vehicles,
Have invested millions in the prevention of creature annihilation--
Tunnels, wildlife bridges, speed limits, warning signs--
But the Class Insecta individuals remain ever in peril.

How Our Eye has Fared in the Jump from Sea to Land opus 401

Did you know we blink 15 times a minute,
Or in a 16 hour day, a fantastic 14,000 times?
Why? Well we evolved from our fish cousins!
In a watery habitat, then shifting to terrestrial open air,
It demanded many compromises which needed to be 'fanangled'.
The optics of water, the protection and nurturing of water--
To move to land was an incredible move.
Because of this, humans have inherited many terrestrial challenges.
Remodeling an aquatic eye to a terrestrial one,
Resulted in no small set of needed adaptations--
Blinking, eyelids acting as windshield wipers,
Nictitating membranes to facilitate flight and hunting,
The evolution of nocturnal living to evade hunting dinosaurs,
Then reversing to a diurnal lifestyle for many, after their demise,
Our ability to see color (cones) vs sensing day and night (rods),
Our inability to see UV in which so many other fellow creatures revel,
And now, more--myopia--perhaps due to increasing screen time,
Plus the fact our children do not get out enough in natural light
Which seems to make an important difference for this condition!

Butterfly Massacre--A Sequel opus 404

Barely within a few hours of emailing out my 'Butterfly Massacre' work,
Comments started drifting in--some writings do that and some do not,--
This one hit a nerve conveying comments such as:
'You are right on the money. We see the butterfly slaughter
Almost every year here in Texas.' (Texas)
'This is brilliant, Frank! Thanks for sharing.' (Illinois)
'Going over a Colorado pass, we encountered masses of butterflies,
Not Monarchs. They were more gray. I suspect we killed thousands.
I was sick. We were both horrified.' (Iowa)
'Oh, Frank, so true. We are, as a species, a blight on the so-called
natural world.
If we could just realize that the natural world
We so blatantly dismiss is what keeps us alive.
For how long is anyone's guess. Thanx my friend.' (California)

There is a soft spot with humans concerning butterflies--
Not soft and fuzzy like a Koala, but beautiful and gentle fliers.
My second son, Basil, who often comments wryly on my Thoughts,
Queried: 'Will this not simply lead to a gradual evolution
To higher flight paths of the surviving migratory and other insects?'
This observation may not be out of the question!
Studies done on wing length of Cliff swallows,
Nesting under bridges and continually avoiding cars,
Evolved shorter wing lengths, resulting in quicker maneuvering.
Shorter wing lengths yielded more survivors--
Could higher flying, during migrations, allow for more butterfly survivors,
Encountering large numbers of vehicles?

Our Preferences of Beauty opus 412

I was asked why some people consider butterflies beautiful
And not other insects or, indeed, many other forms of life.
Understanding beauty is the result of familiarity and appreciation:
This is a result of a good teacher--parent or other--who describes
The wonder of the evolutionary process forming an organism
And the complexity of the incredible detail of such subject.
Consider the huge group of Coleoptera (beetles),
Manifesting an amazing array of color and shape.
To the uninitiated, these 'bugs' could be considered ugly and dangerous.
There are others--snakes, bats, mosquitoes, crustaceans, bees, skunks--
And so many more, which make up a large list.
It all comes down to a complete understanding and admiration of function
And the necessary depth to which one might possibly be submersed
Into the complete and 'true' feeling of what beauty really means!

An Old Biologist's Plea opus 417

It is August 2024, with now enough evidence accrued, to realize
What our children and grandchildren will face
Living on an ever-challenging planet,
Due to the accelerated human pollution of our air and seas.
Climate changes have occurred many times on our dynamic home--
Sea temperatures and the rise and demise of trilobites and their cousins;
The change of African forests to grasslands,
Giving rise to bipedalism in human evolution;
The mini ice ages of Europe, affecting crops and survival;
But none of these changes equal the accelerated transformation
Of what we have caused and will be living through while alive on our earth.

It is just plain happening so comparably fast,
That many will not admit we are slowly cooking like the proverbial frog.
When will we, as a world population, realize this
And reduce the many frivolous 'fun' trips and activities,
Motivating ourselves into a greater group
To slow down and perhaps reverse the ever-violent storms;
The methane-melting tundra with sinking villages and roads;
The rapidly incinerating forests consumed by fire;
And the warming, carbon-acid seas with all those implications?

Let us now reduce our activities of play and amusement,
Going into action to organize and educate and vote,
Perhaps preserving at least some of our known way of life.

Who's Got Milk? opus 422

We humans are mammals--homeotherms (warm blooded),
Hair, and mammary glands, producing milk for offspring.
The milk in mammals is for strong, early growth.
No mammal consumes milk as an adult--
Oh, except some adult Homo sapiens!
Humans, as always, attempt to 'outwit' the system.
Northern Europeans, especially,
'Discovered' milk as an additional food source.
The problem was adult lactose intolerance--
By attempting the imbibition of milk,
Many became very ill or actually died!
Those who remained, were the progenitors of our dairy industry today!
Ah, once again, Nature, through evolution and its natural selection,
Has manifested its strange outcomes,
Which baffle the uneducated and ignorant non-thinkers.

The Canaries We Need to Watch opus 427

Our world farmers are the canaries in the coal mine.
Already we are noting that many are moving to more favorable climes,
Or, if impossible, leaving food production altogether,
Or, if possible, forsaking their traditional crops
And experimenting with 'new' xeric plant producers,
Or transporting themselves with their crops to more northerly climes,
To maintain themselves until the ever-increasing temperature
Forces them to a further unknown way of life.

Where has HAVE gone? opus 429

I am a biologist, having evolutionary theory as the basis of my science.
My late wife, Lenora, was a linguist with its own theory of evolution.
When I complained about some language variant,
Such as, "Where is the station AT?",
(I worked abroad nine years and had never heard such),
She gently reminded me that we both each 'have' our own form of evolution.
Yes, she was correct, but how might she react to the loss of 'have' now?
The tenses of 'to have', are 'have' (present), 'had' (past) and 'have had' (past participle):
FOR 'They have gone to the store' NOW resolves to 'They ' gone to the store'.
OR ' I have seen that many times' BECOMES 'I ' seen that many times'.
OR from a black announcer (on NPR!), 'What do you seen?' FOR 'What have you seen?'.

I find this a new, innovative variation with our English language--
Do listen for this, just for fun, and watch to hear you utter it yourself!

Crunching a Singular into a Plural! opus 430

Having struggled and attempted learning six languages over my lifetime,
As well as having a linguist wife, Lenora, for 31 years,
I listen carefully and with interest concerning changes in our language.
An interesting one is popping up with greater frequency--
For example, 'We have ALL accomplished this OURSELVES',
Is now 'corrupting' to, 'We have ALL accomplished this OURSELF',
(Also, incorrectly, 'It is a story WE tell OURSELF')
Contrasted correctly with, 'They EACH considered it THEMSELF'
(singular with singular).
I guess the conclusion might be, it is easier to blurt out 'ourself'
vs 'ourselves'!
Hmmm.

Two Canaries to Watch opus 433

I have just finished writing about how our farmers are the world's canaries.
One example in California is the prediction--already seen occurring--
Is that it will be impossible for fruits and nuts to be profitably
produced in that state.
Are they certain? That is the nuts and bolts of California agriculture!
In Yolo County, where I live, funds are slowly being diverted to agave,
A drought-tolerant plant to produce alcohol for Tequila to rival Mexico.
Surely we might come up with something which is a little more 'noble'!
(By the way, because of the drought, California might revert to hydroponics
To be able to continue raising tomatoes!)
With the loss of major crops and the dwindling aquifers,
Will California just revert back to the semi-desert
Which the European pioneers first 'discovered'?

Now jump to the east and Pennsylvania and their potato crop.
Potatoes are a sensitive crop, which in Pennsylvania,
Are confronting higher temperatures and excessive rains,
As well as struggling in 2016 with a newly identified bacterium
For which there is no cure (soft rot).
All these factors will be a challenge to the potato industry
Which produces chips, fries, and many other potato products
For and from the state.

As an aside, Pennsylvania MacIntosh apple trees are being removed
(The days are not cold enough).
These trees may be replaced with peaches
Which (temporarily?) might improve production with the warmer weather.

A footnote from neighboring Michigan: Several northern tribes have decided,
Because of a warm, dry winter, to let the sugar maples rest this coming season.
Will this continue to obtain with all these climatic changes?

Google and research the myriads of agricultural challenges
Occurring around the world -- It is mind-blowing.

African Origins opus 436

I revel, remembering that I had lived in Africa,
Teaching, but also living amongst its people
And other indigenous creatures.
I have also paid visit to the Leakeys' Olduvai,
Where our species' origin may have arisen.
Being there for a time, overwhelmed the spirit
And edified the incredible realization of our origins--
The Sistine Chapel in the Serengeti Plains,
Situated deep in a gorge of the Great Rift Valley.

The End of Yet Another Golden Age? opus 440

We humans have lived through a climate golden age.
With our ever greater success in most things,
We increasingly traverse the world,
Slowly carrying viruses and bacteria with us.
With the human population-increase throughout the planet,
There accompanies an increase
In ever-more confined protein sources to feed us:
Feedlots for cattle, tiny coops for multiple chickens--
Our gallinaceous protein source--,
Ever-more fish farms, confining magnificent salmon.
These confined populations,
Ranging from humans, to our 'fellow-food creatures'.
Exasperates the increased possibilities of transmissionable disease:
Look at bird flu just now in our dairy cattle herds--
Milk still drinkable, yet affecting the caretakers.
Henry Ford's production line increased efficiency,
But that crowding was with the joining of metal and fabrics--
Crowding life with ever-more 'food producers' is not the same.
Some of the oldest forms of life--bacteria and virus--
Are constantly mutating, waiting for a new source of life-support.
(Remember, virus are part of our ancestry and DNA!)

This is the wonder and power of evolution through natural selection--
The thing called life, maintaining a hold on life,
In an ever-changing environment requiring constant adaptation.

The Longevity Bottleneck Hypothesis opus 447

For a long time now, humans have sought a longer life span.
Some slow progress has been accomplished.
There may be, however, something in our deeper past
That has caused our lack of accumulated years.
The name for this has been dubbed the 'Longevity Bottleneck Hypothesis'.
Because dinosaurs found the newly evolved mammals to be quite tasty,
The predation on these small, fuzzy creatures gradually increased.
For more than 100 million years dinosaurs were the dominant predator,
While mammals were usually small, nocturnal, and short-lived.
Thus dinosaurs 'forced' mammals through predation to lose or inactivate
Genes and pathways associated with long life.
In other words, rapid reproduction was more adaptive for survival!
Remember, this is an hypothesis,
(A scientific theory has to be proven from many valid hypotheses),
So it is not accepted by all, but just like the efforts to reactivate the dinosaur tail
In a chicken, reactivation of our 'longevity genes' might result in a similar consequence:
Are we really accomplishing beneficial outcomes--creating little 'chicken dinosaurs',
Or perhaps worse, thousands of really old people who may lack productivity?

My Neanderthal Past opus 451

I often think of those Neanderthals from my past;
Wondering just who coupled
With my first Homo sapiens mother.

Life Adaptable! opus 452

We live on a planet that rotates and is tilted in relation to its star (sun).
This, of course, creates day and night, climate, seasons,
And incidental weather.
Basically, then, we survive in a world of circadian rhythms.
'Circadian' means daily cycles within our 24 hours.
Our planet originally had a four hour cycle,
Until slowed down by the newly formed moon.
There appear to be many 'Goldilocks' planets which are 'tidally locked'--
In other words, have no rotation--
Rotationally frozen by the near proximity to their sun.
The conundrum created is a planet with eternal night and day.
Can life survive with continual darkness or absolute light?
Could there be a migration from dark to light, allowing rest and regeneration,
Creating a 'circadian' clock in space instead of in time?
Is sleep or rest actually needed for life to survive?
On our own planet, life occurs in complete darkness
In caves, in the sea depths, and within our own bodies!
Additionally, sea life thrives here in complete darkness
Next to boiling, chemical vents.
There are a myriad other ways that cycles could be created,
But the main point is that relentless life may be found
In almost any type of unpredictable situation.
We must be ready for the most bizarre of things to be,
And also to have our very comfortable theologies be shattered.

Zebra Stripes opus 460

Zebras have stripes not for 'normal' camouflage,
But to be more invisible to biting flies!
How do we know? It has been researched.
To jump to an 'obvious conclusion' only
Is not fulfilling the needed human empirical conclusions,
We must all need to study and follow--
In all things.

The Aurochs Permeates Everywhere opus 470

Aurochs fossils in Europe date back 650,00 years ago.
Thus, they then adorned the art on many a cave wall.
They were the creature declared by Caesar to be like an elephant--
An exaggeration but demonstrating that this was a dangerous beast.
Only a few were captured and tamed
To become the forerunners of our modern cattle.
As a result of early captive herds mating with wild aurochs bulls,
Four separate preglacial aurochs' ancestries
Are included in today's domestic cattle.
Aurochs of southwestern Asia were domesticated
In the Fertile Crescent north, 10,000 years ago, to 'create' the first cattle--
There appears that three distinct aurochs populations occurred in Europe.
This yielded great diversity in the wild forms of this animal.

Just be aware when snarfing your McDonalds hamburger,
That you are masticating the genetic remnants of an ancient noble beast.

Ants as a Vector opus 482

A Pennsylvania eight-year-old boy thought he saw ants transporting
seeds to their nest.
This phenomenon is called myrmecochory and the seeds are with
Structures called elaiosomes which entice ants with nutrient-rich fats.
In the nest the ants remove the elaiosomes and leave the seed to later
germinate.
This helps seed dispersal as well as feeding the ants!
Instead of seeds, the boy, Hugo, had discovered the ants were
collecting oak galls.
(This basically rewrites 100 years of insect and plant interactive history!)
Galls are abnormal plant growths (often on oaks) induced by some wasp species.
The gall feeds and protects the larva growing from the wasp egg laid inside.
Oak galls have a structure named 'kapello' from the Greek for 'cap'.
These 'kapellos' (actually, 'kapelli') are also rich in fatty acids to
attract ants.
Similarly, the ants eat the 'kapelli', leaving the gall and larva inside intact,
Which once again gives similar shelter for the encapsulated intact larva.
Both phenomena either attract or exploit ant behavior.
The fatty acids in both structures mimic dead insects,
And ants, being scavengers, are attracted to what seems to be usual food.
This mimicry 'makes certain' these evolutionary strategies
Blur the lines between plant and animal adaptations.
Experimentation showed only similar ant behavior with the two structures.
If oak trees are lost, disruption would occur between ants, wasps, and galls.
This is another example of a vital ecological network
And that ecosystems are certainly interconnected.
We must preserve biodiversity, much of it by controlling the climate crisis.

A Catastrophe Causes Ants to Change Their Diet opus 487

When we imagine ants seeking food, we probably think first of sugar or crumbs.
But because of a catastrophe on the earth which occurred 66 million years ago,
Not only did dinosaurs disappear, but ants also were affected.
Large creatures on the earth's surface were incinerated away,
While smaller, fossorial creatures were often spared.
Of course I am talking about the crash of the meteor into our earth.
It greatly changed things on terrestrial earth, but also in the seas.
The survival of small fossorial mammals gave rise to creatures like us!
There are many stories to be told, but I shall focus on ants right now.
Most food sources for ants, including plants were burned to a crisp--
This major food for ants was, indeed, plants--so what to do?
Interestingly, masses of dead plant material became a major food for fungi
Hungry ants jumped right in and evolved to collect and eat fungus.
Thus today we behold our harvester ants common in many places.
So, a catastrophe and death knell for a major group of animals,
Created, through adaptation, a new food source for another.
The evolution of tenacious life on our planet
Continually strives to maintain the flow of protoplasm
At all costs and beyond the capacity of 'normal' thought.

Human's Success on Planet Earth opus 500

Have humans been so successful because of greater strength or intelligence?
Probably not. However, humans seem to be able to imagine a myriad of possibilities
And inventively combine them in ever-increasing ways.
We continually push boundaries; the driving of cultural evolution.
Other species use tools, modify communication, and innovatively harvest food.
But these changes are fairly static, with no radical transformations.
Humans accumulate knowledge, but also reinvent and expand its delimitations.
Our openness allows quick adaptation with complex sequences,
To solve pending problems as well as future challenges.
Many creatures have an evolutionary ceiling; humans seem to have no limits.
Humans have transformed their environment--other animals merely adapt.
This transformation is bolstered by the cycle of cultural accumulation.
The enigma of human's world domination is understood,
By comprehending our ability to imagine, thus creating a boundless future.

(Was this one of the reasons the Neanderthal didn't make it?)

The White-crowned Sparrow opus 510

Beautiful White-crowned Sparrow, so plain--as a sparrow should be--
But with those black and white stripes on your crown,
The contrast constantly catches my eye and attention.
So little to attract a human's gaze--just the same as those lines
Attract a desirous female, which is what they are supposed to do!

A Child's Mind! 2 opus 514

After our 'ladybug' hunt, we, Rowan and I, looked at our thumbs.
I showed him they rotated around and could oppose all his fingers.
I told him we were the only animal with such a dextrous thumb.
He seriously looked down at his moving thumbs,
Then looked up at me and said,
"This is how I can pick up things so easily!"
We went on to discuss that monkeys cannot do such, as well.
I mentioned that monkeys also have thumbs on their feet,
But they were also not completely opposible.
I added that we had no 'foot-toes', because we are real walkers.
He looked down at his bare feet and said,
"We are really special, Papa Frank!"
I smiled with satisfaction that I got the lesson successfully across--
A new dimension in thought for my growing grandson.

Did the Cave Artists Get the Hump Correct? (Another Glimpse) opus 519

Coelodonta antiquitatis is the name of the woolly rhinoceros,
Painted in the ancient cave art in France, among others.
They went extinct for several reasons 10,000 years ago.
The big question is, did the Ice Age artists
Take creative liberties by adding a nuchal hump?
Well, an ancient rhino was discovered
In the permafrost in Yakutia, Siberia--
And what do you know--it possessed a hump,
Which seems to have been an adaptation to cold.
It appears that these artists were uncanny
In their depictions of the important creatures around them.
I have viewed these paintings many times and with each gaze,
I have been overwhelmed by their accuracy and absolute beauty.

Origins of Spoken Language opus 533

The first spoken languages probably developed
50,000 to 100,000 years ago.
Some hypotheses claim early forms in primal Homo species
May go back as far as 2 million years ago.
Prehistoric languages evolved from
Simple vocalizations to ever-greater complexity.
Modern humans have developed advanced linguistic skills.
This is most likely due to a genetic mutation,
Playing a vital role in the emergence of human speech.
There is a human-specific variant of the NOVA 1 gene,
Absent in Neanderthals and Denisovans,
Leading to spoken language.
All this advance results from a single amino acid change
In the NOVA 1 gene.
As we speak to each other, think now and then,
That this ability may be due to that small amino acid change.

Indohyus Becomes a Whale opus 534

The Indian geologist, A. Ranga Rao, came upon
A few fossil fragments in rocky areas of Kashmir.
Some teeth and part of a jawbone made up those fragments.
In spite of their future significance, the collection lay unnoticed for decades.
Indohyus, the size of a domestic cat, resembled a mouse-deer,
A small, deer-like mammal with a long snout, a tail and hooved feet.
The skeleton, with heavy leg bones, indicated it walked
On the bottom of lakes and rivers, hinting at a semi-aquatic lifestyle.
Why a return to the water? Food, fewer predators, exploration?
With adaptation, these semi-aquatic mammals, over several million years,
Transformed to the adept, aquatic cetaceans of today--
Whales of the present actually arose from a small, deer-like mammal!
Who would have guessed without the conclusions of scientific enquiry?
(But there is also the story of the hyrax,
Ancestor of the elephant, manatees, and dugongs.)
Check out these most interesting transformations
Of one very different life form to another.

Our Attraction to Flowers opus 536

Why is it that flowers are so important for humans?
The desire to have flowers in our lives
For ceremonies--both secular and religious--, love gifts,
Or simply because one wishes to gift something
To another for no reason at all!
To think this through, what stage in a plant's life
Comes following the beautiful, scentful floral sequence?
Well, korms, bulbs, nuts, fruits are the most usual result.
An hypothesis put forward is very logical--
If the genome of a human programs memory
Where it sees flowers and takes note of their location,
The human will return to that spot later,
When the edible harvest has developed.
This behavioral trait may have been innate for survival,
As much as our 'natural' fear of snakes
May also be beneficial for survival.

Perhaps the Fastest Evolving Animal in the US! opus 541

The American Spiny Lizard is changing--evolving--before our very eyes.
This remarkable lizard resides in the southwestern US,
And studies show its genetic shifts are occurring much faster than expected.
Climate Change, urban expansion and predator pressure
Are giving fuel to its rapid evolution.
Most species have evolved over long periods of time--
This lizard in a few decades.
Noteworthy is its developing resistance to toxins of invasive fire ants,
Including a thicker skin and faster reflexes, evading the ants' attacks.
Also urbanization is causing faster adaptation
To hotter temperatures, with fewer sheltering areas.
Studies demonstrate that urban dwellers
Have higher heat tolerance than rural counterparts.
With shifting metabolism, they remain active in temperatures normally fatal.
Camouflaging colors have also shifted, blending in better
With concrete and human structures.
More noteworthy is the discovery that behavioral adaptations may be learned!
Not just on instinct, these lizards watch, adapt, and problem-solve--
Especially the urban individuals who out-performed their rural cousins,
By better navigating obstacles, escape traps, even recognize patterns.
These results have major implications as to how animals
Will cope with a rapidly changing planet.
This certainly is evolution resulting from natural selection.

Many lizards are thriving in human-altered environments,
Seeking out heat-retaining structures and artificial water sources.
Will these changes cause developmental switches
To create an even more different species?
This all demonstrates that 'Nature' is more flexible than ever imagined.
The question is what other species are changing right before our eyes?
Even our own species might follow this same pattern of adaptation.
Nature seems to always find a way and never, generally, stands still.
(Of course this group of lizards includes our local (Davis, CA)
'Blue Belly' or Western Fence Lizard.)

Our Human Family Tree opus 544

The human family tree now seems
To be not a single line of ancestors,
But it appears there was a population split
1.5 million years ago and a reuniting 300,000 years ago.
Analyzing modern human DNA shows that one
Of these isolated populations was genetically dominant.
Along the way, humans shared genes
With Denisovans and Neanderthals.
The ancient mixing event 300,000 years ago
Resulted in only about 20 percent of modern human genes
Coming from a minority population.
The larger (80 percent) ancestral population
Contributing to modern humans,
Also appears to have been ancestral
To Denisovans and Neanderthals.
Some of the genes from the ancient minority (20%) population,
Importantly, contributed brain function and neural processing,
Playing a crucial role in human evolution.
Was one of these ancient populations possibly
Homo erectus and as yet an unknown Homo?

Why the Difference in Human and Neanderthal Faces? opus 549

Neanderthals had stout jaws, broad noses, with features jutting forward.
Modern humans have modest and meek faces--flat and delicate.
The human face stops growing during adolescence (neoteny),
While the chimp and Neanderthal faces grow periodically longer,
Thus resulting in elongated, more 'robust' features.
Bone formation and bone resorption sculpt the facial bones
The Neanderthal face demonstrated 'restructuring' for a longer period,
The growth projecting forward, especially around the nose and cheeks.
This facial form may have aided their breathing and chewing.
In humans the early slowing of growth in adolescence,
Also showed less bone resorption, thus less cellular activity.
This gracilization as for humans, becomes more delicate in form,
Yields thinner bones, smaller muscles, and flatter faces.
Some reasons why are hypothesized: cooking and eating softer food;
Brain size, evolving larger, pushed the face down and in;
Or possibly the 'self-domestication' hypothesis,
Stating the selection resulted in more sociable,
Less aggressive appearing individuals.
Compare this to the domestication of dogs
Yielding floppy ears, curved tails, and shorter snouts.
The 'how' we now know, but the 'why' is yet to be discovered!

The Creation of Dogs--Just Child's Play opus 551

I am a child, sitting near a middens pile, perhaps 30,000 years ago.
This young and seemingly fearless wolf pup comes near, as usual,
To hunt out and sort remaining bits of tasty, discarded morsels.
Such easy scavenging for food--and the ever-present Human youngster
Appears to be sitting quietly, patiently observing--meaning no harm.
The child, daily, sits closer, and at last holds out a tasty bone with some flesh.
Soon, that child is gently stroking the pup as it masticates,
And before one knows, the pup is carefully cuddled in the child's arms.
So might have been the beginning of the profound dog-human co-evolution,
Which today is practiced, but few of us are familiar with its wonderful story.

Tooth Structure Makes a Difference opus 556

The basic general concept concerning evolution,
Is that changes unfold over long time periods.
These are genetic changes which are affected through DNA.
We have already discussed the rapid adaptations in lizards.
New research is revealing rapid evolution,
Especially in the Cichlid group of fish.
The Cichlids can rapidly evolve teeth
Which are either 'simple' or 'complex'.
And more, this occurs quickly with gain or loss of the tooth type.
This rapid change allows successful exploitation of new food types.
The African Cichlids seem to have retained the genetic program,
Enabling them to easily switch, with tooth type, to another niche.
The switch between simple and complex (and back)
Drives the rapid formation of new species.
Thus Cichlids are able to form new species
More rapidly than any other vertebrate group.

Elizabeth Vrba (1942 - 2025) opus 565

These are some thoughts of Elizabeth Vrba,
A great, but lesser known evolutionary biologist:
'Evolution is not always slow with incremental changes,
But, rather, evolution moves in bursts,
Or abrupt waves of extinction and speciation'--
According to her 'Turnover Pulse' hypothesis,--
'As a result of great climate upheavals.'
She also worked on 'exaptation', the process where traits evolve
For one function, and later are co-opted for another.
She studied 'stimulated paleontology' for a better predictive precision.
'The fossil record is not a static archive,
But a dynamic record of nature's upheavals.'
'Species are shaped by external forces,
Not by internal biological pressures:
Thus, as a result of environmental changes from shifts in climate--
Not always random, nor by gradual competition.'
'The survival of the generalist is greater than that of the specialist.'
Her advocacy of her thoughts and hypotheses will be missed,
But as time and knowledge increases,
More of her thoughts may be actually demonstrated.

Is Selection Our Mindless Life Guide? opus 594

From my boyhood, and I was a very inquisitive child,
I started learning about mammals,
By first studying all aspects of my childhood domestic rabbits,
And along with that, an intense study of our avian neighbors.
Audubon Camps and bird counts kept me up to snuff.
Of course also dinosaurs--but to a lesser extent than others my age,
Although, later in life, teaching in Africa,
I ferreted out the remnant tracks of the former dinosaur inhabitants,
Making many plaster casts of their plodding on earth in good future sandstone.
Now, even later in life, I am fascinated and overwhelmed
With the 25,000 species of trilobite,
Which densely populated the earth-seas for about 270 million years.
Their morphology and progressive evolution towards greater elaboration,
Was perhaps part of their end; Their ever-more elaborate morphology
For sexual competition getting the best of them.
Remember the Irish Elk with their competing secondary-sexual-character antlers,
With which the males could no longer bear in competition.
This might demonstrate that 'mindless' selection to a 'double' end-adaptation,
Can result where one, 'out-evolves' the other's 'benefit' and extinction occurs!
Perhaps this questions the thought of a loving deity,
Guiding 'all its creatures' to a perfect existence.

There's Carbon dioxide, But What of Methane? opus 595

There is great awareness (by many, but far too few),
Of the slow metamorphosis of our atmosphere
From increasing CO2 levels which is causing warming
And thus melting of our great ice sheets
As well as dangerous acidification of our seas.
But now consider, with warming of our planet,
The slow, but steady melting of the tundra,
With simultaneous release of methane from the frozen organic matter.
(Yes, we also observe methane escaping from gas wells,
And many other 'leaking' sources about the planet, as well.)
Sinking roads and villages are becoming obsolete, demanding abandonment.
Moreover, when one descends underground
Into the experimental deep pits below the surface,
The immediate stench of decaying material is more than evident.
This will be the future great challenge for the human population.
Will the O2/methane balance remain in favor of O2?
Be reminded of the methane (reduction) atmosphere of the past,
And how stromatolites overwhelmed all life,
With their need for CO2 and their exhaled O2,
Shifting our atmosphere to what we know today.

A New Stab at Creating Abiogenesis-Life opus 600

The 1953 Miller-Urey experiment utilized an abiogenesis method
To create life (or at least some amino acids),
From non-living molecules which included
Ammonia, methane, hydrogen, and water all subjected
To an electric bolt to simulate lightning.

A new parallel experiment included electrical exchange between
Charged water droplets in a mist with a diameter of 1 to 20 microns.
Large droplets were positively charged and small, negatively charged.
Also present in that mist was ammonia, CO2, methane, and nitrogen.
During this process carbon-nitrogen molecular bonds were formed.
The charged water droplets emitted light and spark,
Yielding a chemical transformation.
The idea is that lightning may have been too infrequent to 'create' life,
But water spray might have been a more likely scenario--
The mist-generated microlightning, giving rise to amino acids and life!

An alternative hypothesis is still ever-present:

Hydrothermal ocean vents produce amino acids
With the combination of seawater, hydrogen-rich fluids
And the extreme pressure, deep below the sea.

Still another hypothesis is that organic molecules are formed in space
And carried (panspermia) by comets or fragments of asteroids

Whatever turns out to be correct on our 'Blue Marble',
We realize that water is the important, crucial element for life--
More important in the life-producing process than formerly acknowledged.

The Intriguing Trilobite opus 601

Six hundred million years ago a modest-sized sea creature
Evolutionarily emerged onto earth's oceanic stage.
This creature was first 'discovered' in the 17th century,
By an Englishman, who noticed a body divided into three segments.
He designated this group improperly, but named them TRIlobites,
Because of the three basic portions of the shelled body.
That name has stuck for this generally well-known fossil group.
Over the 270 million years' reign, 25,000 various species evolved.
Those who are familiar with the wonderful morphology of these Arthropods,
The majority would not be able to describe the ventral side of this creature,
As the lower portion of soft parts almost never were fossilized.
After studying this group for a while,
Curiosity overcame me and I had to investigate.
No wonder only a very few ventral fossilizations have been observed--
There are a mass of legs, two antennae, mouth parts--
Mostly soft structures which normally do not fossilize.
Being a biologist, 'discovering' a new view on life,
I experienced here one of those 'highs of discovery'.
These are the things that can give discerning and inquisitive humans
A feeling of worth and joy by being a thinking and discovering person.

Diminution of Codfish in Our Food Chain opus 607

Evolution? Humans actually causing evolution?
Nonsense!
Well, here's one for you, oh you doubters.
Codfish have been pursued and netted for centuries,
Capturing these one-meter-long beauties.
As time proceeded, those smaller adults escaped the nets.
The human selective pressure was always removing the 'big ones'.
This slowly shifted the selective adaptation to an ever-smaller size.
So, as a result of 'we-clever-humans',
With our superior technology and frequency of use therewith,
We have literally destroyed a prize and sought-for prey,
To an unwanted and undesired minimal size,
Because of the unheeding and ignorant knowledge of adaptation,
Through evolution and the process of natural selection.

Mimicry opus 610

As a child, I was always fascinated with mimicry in nature.
Flies that evolved to depict bees and butterflies to mimic each other.
There are scores of examples--just get a good book!
As a New England boy, I was fixed on the Monarch/Viceroy phenomenon.
The Monarch caterpillar feeds and survives on milkweed with all its toxins.
The adult emerges crystalis-wise as a toxic adult, flashing warnings of red.
Young birds, et al, soon learn of this terrible taste,
And are severely dissuaded from preying on this deceptively delicious morsel.
Somehow, along comes a similarly red tidbit, but delicious--the Viceroy.
Over time the Viceroy butterfly evolved ever-closer to better mimic the Monarch.
The Viceroy is tasty--the Monarch is not.
Selection and adaptation finally favored both these species.
As my thinking progressed, and just for fun, I looked at human 'mimicry'.
This was not genetic, but rather behavioral mimicry.
Consider the Romans invading the Celtic world with a plethora of red-haired women.
The warriors brought the tales of these exotic-looking females
Back to their dark-haired women.
Soon, red hair dyes were concocted to be equal to that of the attractive Celts,
Thus confirming my thoughts concerning the notion of behavioural mimicry.
Who knows, in addition, what genetic mutations might have resulted from such?
Just a Thought!

(Because of increased scientific knowledge a portion
of this poem is incorrect. See 'Mimicry Refined' opus 619).

Codfish Are Becoming Greatly Reduced in Size. An Additional Thought opus 617

Is it possible for humans to 'cause' an evolutionary process?
Nonsense! Impossible! But wait.
Three foot Eastern Baltic Codfish have been harvested for centuries.
But in the last few decades, reduced size of fish have been continually reported.
In 1996 their size was 3 feet; in 2019, half that size; now one fits in two hands.
Is this due to climate change or to fishing activity?
Using larger nets, the smaller fish escaped easily; an advantage being small.
After a fishing ban in 2019, the genetics of the fish maintained their small size.
Upon examining otoliths (from the inner ear) collected between 1996 and 2019,
They demonstrated that the growth rings showed slower size increase.
In addition, the DNA corroborated that same conclusion.
Ever-smaller parent fish are generating ever-smaller offspring.
This indicates that the cods' evolution is pressured externally.
The scientists conclude that this evolutionary process is driven by human activity.
They conclude that, "This is scientifically fascinating, but ecologically deeply concerning."

Mimicry Refined opus 620

(See previous thought 'Mimicry' opus 608)

Well, there are advantages and disadvantages to living so long.
For me, the subject of mimicry appears to be one.
A wonderful naturalist friend caught this in my last Mimicry prose-poem,
Namely, that I grew up learning the Monarch butterfly was toxic
And that the Viceroy mimic was 'spared', while still being a tasty morsel.
This type of mimicry is called Batesian mimicry.
In the 1990's, it was discovered that the Viceroy was also toxic.
I had not caught up with this new knowledge,
Thus erroneously so wrote in the previous 'Mimicry'.
This other classification is called Muellerian co-mimicry,
Where, in this case, both species are mimics and both are toxic.
This results in an even stronger defence for the two species.
To make things more complicated,
The Viceroy is mimicked by the Queen and Soldier butterflies,
Both of which are also toxic! In this region, Monarchs are rare.
Will wonders never cease?

Myself Or Me? opus 627

When they see MYSELF (ME!) cooking, they are impressed.
I can cook anything MYSELF (ME - No, No, No!), in spite of them.
People are, more often, using 'myself' totally incorrecty.
'ME' is a plain old object in a sentence,
While 'myself' reflects back to an ability or an accomplishment;
It is used reflexively (no object), for emphasis, or in absolute constructions.
Eg: I hurt myself; I myself did it; Myself busy, I sent him instead.
So, let's try to get this correct--
I am sure YOU (object) can learn this YOURSELF (reflexive)!
I know language changes, but, please, this misuse is too much.

To Andrew: The Dual Existence of our Saturdays' Time Spans opus 628

Most noble Andrew; It is such as you who nurtures
The human world by caring for another Homo sapiens' offspring,
Plus further caring for that creature which co-evolved with us--
The dog, having evolved by way of human attention from the noble wolf.

While I, in a completely different vein, have spent the day
Toiling to save for conservation, a mere 2660 acres
Of our planet for use by other creatures than just us alone.
Which is more noble, that of the care of a child and dog
Or preserving a mere 2660 acres of the planet's large surface?
Time might tell--a result which neither of us may ever know.
We live with the anticipation that, that for which we exert our energies,
May be manifested to the delight of those angels
Which are only in our mythical heads.

May time Sunday be spared from your Mother's needs,
For us to have a moment of communication under the pine,
 
Juxtaposed by our tiny pond.

Pill bugs and Trilobites opus 630

Pill bugs roll up in defense.
So did Trilobites, 500 million years ago.
Both are Arthropods,
One terrestrial, the other marine.
But that is enough said.
The Arthropoda group has greatly diverged.
Convergent evolution has led us to a conclusion--
Life at different times and places,
Often leads to a 'similar solution'.
Evolutionary histories diverge,
Manifesting the complexity and diversity on Earth.

(So called Sow bugs are similar, but can't roll up.)

Why do Female Mammals Live Longer than Males? opus 656

It is well known that women usually live longer than men.
But more than that, female mammals in general also do so.
The answer lies in deeply rooted evolutionary history.
Research has revealed that in mammals, 72% of females
Live on average 13% longer that males,
While studies on birds show the opposite;
That 68% of male birds outlive females by about 5 %.
Mammalian males are the heterogametic sex,
Having an X and Y chromosome,
While females have two X chromosomes,
Making females more protected from lethal mutations
And thus a survival advantage.
In birds the female is the heterogametic sex
And thus the male lives longer.
However, there are exceptions such as with birds of prey.
Females are larger and longer-lived than males,
Rendering chromosomes as only one factor.
Following from the facts above, polygamous,
Competing male mammals generally die earlier as well.
Monogamous male birds with lower competitive pressure
Often live longer.
Parental care by female mammals, raising young, tend to live longer.
Long-lived species such as primates see the female living longer.
These are adaptive for survival of those species.
Should male humans start thinking about marrying older women?
This would even out the widows who sit alone--unless they wish to!

A Rusophycus opus 664

As I now age, I find I need to rest occasionally.
A baby also needs rest, and the elderly follow the same pattern.
My interest in Trilobites was at first
Limited to a collection of various Trilobite specimens.
One day I discovered a resting place or burrow (Rusophycus) fossil.
Its form is a rounded, elongated fossil mound.
The specimens available are relatively scarce, but now that I am aware,
I come across a number of these wonderful specimens online.
Of course, as said, I now need rest, just as much as the Trilobite!
Trilobites rested, but also would settle down into the mud to hide from predators,
Such as the voracious Eurypterids or 'sea scorpions'.

('Rusophycus is the resting/ feeding activity trace of the once present animal,
recording the outline of the trace maker, in this case the Trilobite.
On occasions the Cruziana will also be present; this is the trace or track,
made when the organism moved to, or from, that spot.')

Why a Pet Rock? Have a Trilobite! opus 670

Rocks are very old and, as a pet, are easily cared for.
Unless one is knowledgeable in geology,
A rock, considering it sternly, is just a rock.
Of course one usually adds, at least, wiggly eyes.
Now consider a Trilobite as a pet.
They are very old, maintaining a rock-like morphology,
Which is what this transformed body of a Trilobite is--a fossil.
They were once alive--no pretending there.
Trilobites existed so long--270 million years,
That they morphed into 25,000 species during their time span!
Thus, there are a myriad of shapes and sizes to choose from.
But most of all they had real eyes--prominently placed.
No need for anything fake or wiggly here.
(Of course, there were a few species which were totally blind!) 
And finally, gazing upon its beautifully formed body,
One has to be continually stunned and humbled,
Realizing how very long they thrived on our planet,
Comparing our perhaps 200,000 years to their nearly 300 million, 
Especially considering all the planetary monkeying we are doing.
They disappeared, to no fault of their own,
As a result of the great cooling of their ocean habitat.
What a truly significant pet--there should be one in every home!

Pigeons. Also Called Rock Doves (Pigeons) or Feral Pigeons opus 675

I introduced racing pigeons to my little educational farm (1980's),
So I could demonstrate their remarkable homing abilities.
Andrew D. Blechman has written a book called 'Pigeons',
With a subtitle:  'The Fascinating Saga of the World's
Most Revered and Reviled Bird.'
The common pigeon is an Old World (Europe, Asia, N.Africa) species of bird.
It was introduced to the New World by European settlers 
In the 16th and 17th centuries.
Being called a Rock Dove defined its original roosting and nesting habitat as cliffs.
The great buildings of Europe and later the Americas,
Were the coveted new nesting places of this species, commensal with humans.
They were associated with humans for perhaps 10,000 years, 
And selectively bred from 4500 BC..
Rock Doves have four main plumage types: natural, checkered, dark, or brown.
They were trained and utilized by the ancient world for communication,
And especially for vital messaging between warring parties.
They were used by Hannibal.s military; by Ghengis Khan in his vast empire;
The Egyptian pharaohs announced the Nile's annual flooding;
The Persians used them to maintain control over their great empire;
And, of course, they were vital during both WWI and WWII.
Pigeon racing has been practiced since the 19th century in Belgium.
Of course, as with most creatures domesticated by humans,
They were selected for large, edible carcasses (the King Pigeons). 
The King originated in the US, during the 1890's, crossing four older varieties:
The Duchess for grace, the Homer for alertness, the Maltese for style (and compactness),
And the Runt for body and size.

This is a creature which has shared life with humans, 'almost forever',
And as a result, has been genetically altered for many human-determined tasks,
Including the 'task' of eliciting just plain pleasure from its commensal partner.
Also, don't forget the publication in 1859 and Darwin's use of pigeon breeding,
To demonstrate, abstracted from human animal breeding systems,
The selective breeding system in Nature which 'created' the various species.

Genetic Captures opus 691

Humans have genetically 'captured' the ancient Aurochs,
Found in the ancient French and Spanish cave paintings,
To develop domestic cattle for meat and milk.
The Red Jungle Fowl (with a slight touch of the Gray Jungle Fowl)
Was a wild Southeast Asian bird, now the commercial hen.
The wild European Honey Bee, now domesticated to a tame productive insect.
Domestic swine, so important in many diets, 
Was genetically 'manipulated' from several wild boar stocks.
The magnificent Scottish Clysdale, a warhorse 'stolen' from the English Shire,
Both derived from the tiny North American-evolved horse ancestor.

So have plants coevolved through selection
To become domestic corn, tomatoes, wheat, rice, potatoes, and pot.
Even the home, internally and externally, now harbors
Domestic plant beauties once again genetically captured:
Tulips, roses, daffodils, narcissus, all producing beautiful blooms,
To trees for shade as well as bonsai for artistic wonder.
The whole human biome is completely surrounded 
With genetically altered plants and animals for human use and pleasure.
Nature has always manipulated life (natural selection),
And humans have followed suit (artificial selection).
Indeed, what a masterful teacher for humans to attempt to emulate.

The Fallacy of Pardoning Turkeys opus 702

This is a reconstruction of a letter I wrote years ago 
To President Obama concerning the pardoning of turkeys.

Dear Sir, (or whichever president you now may be).

I am a biologist (Ph.D.) and a small farmer,
Raising many fowl for forty years.
The custom of 'pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey'
Is a terrible disservice to our farming traditions.

FIRST, the turkey has done NOTHING for which to be pardoned.
Its 'crime' was to be selectively bred to have an extra large breast, 
Rendering it defenceless to survive more than a year or two.

SECOND, google the survival of 'pardoned' turkeys 
And realize they do not live for years, 
Retired on a 'retirement farm' in luxury, but rather,
Their weight is so excessive, they eventually cannot walk
And their legs collapse under the unusual weight.
This is just a falsehood to comfort children and squeamish adults.

THIRD, for children considering this action seriously,
They do not receive necessary and accurate information,
Concerning of what food is, and the reality
Of the necessary transfer of energy of all life,
One kind or another, to maintain the earthly food chain.
Some become vegetarians to avoid the problem,
But most relish meat and do not understand what 'food' really is.
We are biologically omnivores, consuming both plants and animals.
Consider our similar molar tooth structure, compared with bears and pigs--
We clearly evolved to have a wide diet as that of the above mentioned animals. 

Please might we stop this horrible misconception,
Pardoning a selectively reconstructed creature which would have never lived,
Except for the agricultural human desire to produce a larger bird,
Much like we have 'created' cows producing abnormally large amounts of milk,
And chickens which, unnaturally, lay an egg a day,
Not the normal twelve, to create a 'family'.

Please stop this artificial misconception about our food chain,
And absolutely cease creating the illusion that humans 
Could ever have the right, pardoning innocent creatures.

Trilobites and Sea Slugs, Equal Their Accumulation of Species Numbers opus 711

Five million years ago, Trilobites evolved onto the planet.
They endured almost 300 million years
And, given that time span, evolved into 25,000 species.
Today, we have a present group which has equaled that species number:
It is the Sea Slugs, related to our common garden 'pest'.
But far more elaborate, fending off aquatic predators from their soft body parts,
By warning with incredibly colorful hues and by ingesting poisonous plants,
Which yield them very unpalatable to the lurking predators.
Time and evolutionary success, is the formula for the huge numbers--
Each species having time to evolve into an ever-distinct niche.
Well, Homo evolved into several different specific variations,
But we, Homo sapiens, are the only remaining species of the group.
Might we extrapolate something from this outcome?
No longer do we have fellow species to challenge us in various niches.
It is clear we did not diverge enough, creating fierce competition,
(Perhaps also because of powerful brains and strong customs),
While these other two groups, Trilobites and Sea Slugs,
Diversified into contemporary life styles and niches,
But did not evolve so closely that competition increased.
We, Homo sapiens, have evolved as a singular genus and species,
But will our future be to overwhelm all other life on our Earth,
Or will our wisdom prevail, having a benevolent conservation approach
Towards our fellow interacting life-partners on this, our only planet?

The Rearranged Tearoom opus 724

As a child, my father frustratingly delayed buying a TV.
I had to go to Woody Kaplin's house to watch Howdy Doody!
It didn't occur to me at such a young age,
How 'organizing' TV was, once in one's life.
This became absolutely clear when I started working in Turkiye.
I often, after teaching, would frequent a tearoom to socialize.
There was no TV in Turkiye when I taught there in 1969.
All the tables and chairs were arranged randomly, as one would expect.
Actually, I never really even contemplated such arrangements.
I completed my teaching job there and moved on.
Many years later, about 2000, my old boss and his wife
Invited me and Nora, my wife, for a Turkish reunion.
We arrived and thoroughly enjoyed visiting old friends and haunts.
One mid-day we went to see a then quiet, old, familiar tearoom.
When I entered, I felt immediately something was strange--even wrong.
All the chairs around the tables were facing one way!
My gaze went in the direction of the chairs and one wall.
What was there, but a television set, sitting quietly on a shelf.
This was new for me in this country and a bit of a shock.
I could feel the loss of visitation, conversation, and gaming,
Feeling the starkness and dominance of this machine.
Coming from 'another world', I could understand,
But was saddened by what I knew was a loss of innocence.
All these devices are taking over the time and minds 
Of both our children and adults.

The Mystery of Why Domestic Cats Have Vertical Pupils opus 729

Have you ever wondered why domestic cats have vertical pupils,
And in big cats like lions, tigers, jaguars, and pumas, the pupils are round?
The summary is this in the evolutionary story of various life cycles--

----Round pupils (humans, birds) give even focus across the entire
     depth of field during the day.
----Vertical pupils (cat, gecko) optimize depth perception, day and night.
----Horizontal pupils (goat, frog) optimize and give a panoramic
     field of view to detect predators.

These various pupil shapes are adaptations to their lifestyle.
Specifically, domestic cats are ambush predators 
And have a superior depth of field.
This allows them to better judge distance to their prey.
This pupil shape also helps cats to see side-to-side motions,
Making their small rodent prey easier to spot with their movements.
Unlike small domestic cats which are crepuscular actors,
Big cats which hunt diurnally and with round pupils,
Are capable of a clear focus across the entire long distance field of view.
Having vertical pupils, also gives its bearer camouflage,
As it breaks up the round shape of the eye,
And thus makes it harder for its prey to see the hidden predator.
There too, are geckos with vertical slits, having tiny round openings,
Cuttlefish with distinctive 'W'-shaped pupils,
And rays possessing crescent-shaped pupils.
Such aquatic species are benefitted by both round and horizontal pupils.
The other factors determining how an animal sees,
Are the number and distribution of rods and cones, 
Working in concert with pupil shape;
The shape of the lens is also important, for instance, 
In correcting chromatic aberration, resulting in excellent color vision.
So, wonder less about the different pupil shapes, because you now know!

Dinosaur Footprint Hunting opus 731

While teaching in Lesotho, Africa,
I had my first child, Pierre,
Who at two, 'followed' me around the countryside,
Collecting bees at night 
And finding dinosaur footprints in daylight.
This, all between my biology classes at the University.
One spectacular trip was to a large valley,
Where there were myriads of tumbled sandstone blocks,
Strewn randomly throughout the area.
I slowly walked amongst these boulders,
When suddenly I found my first prints.
A large, three-toed series of impressions,
Spread across the flat surface.
I carried with me plaster of paris, a water container,
Strips of cardboard and a clutch of paperclips.
I made a cardboard border around the print,
Tied together at the ends, with the necessary clips.
Water and plaster were mixed to a soft-solid consistency;
Then poured into the void, the print primed with vaseline.
Several prints were cast and then the waiting time.
Each was pulled up and removed, now in a solid state.
These prints were made in the seventies
And many remain today (2026) on my farm to our delight.
The five decades of preservation here on the farm,
Equals nothing to the 60 million years of waiting in the sandstone,
To be admired by humans today--
They, nowhere to be found during this creature's long past reign.

Veronika, the Tool User opus 753

Jane Goodall, astounded the world by showing
That chimpanzees hunted termites with stick-tools.
More data among birds showed that crows and ravens were tool-users.
We must also consider the overlooked ability of rocks used by sea otters.
Incredibly, a new aspect concerning a cow has been observed!
Veronika, a 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow in Austria,
Living as a pet on a family farm, was observed
By researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna.
Veronika, with her tongue, picks up sticks, rakes, and deck brushes,
Manipulating these tools to scratch unreachable parts of her body.
She uses the bristled end of a deck brush for her thick-skinned back,
And switches to a smooth handle for her sensitive underbelly.
This cow does not make tools, but neither, always, does a chimp.
(There are similar undocumented accounts of goats also using sticks.)
Humans had to slowly learn technology and the use of tools;
Are the creatures around us, picking this up for their own benefit as well?
If Veronika were given a couple of 'pasture-mates',
Would she teach them how to do such manipulations?
The passing on of such behavior to others could also be really crucial.