I haven't seen you guys talk about horizontal evolution a lot and thought this article was very informative!

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527441.500-horizontal-and-vertical-the-evolution-of-evolution.html?full=true&print=true

    "Too big to fail." It's been the mantra of our economic meltdown. Although meant to emphasize the overwhelming importance of this bank or that corporation, the phrase also unwittingly expresses a shared delusion that may be at the root of our current crises -- both economic and ecological.

In nature, nothing is too big to fail. In fact, big is bound to fail. To understand why that's so means stepping away from a prevailing set of beliefs that holds us in its sway, especially the deep conviction that we operate apart from nature's limits and rules.

I recently read the Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. It discusses the evolution of organisms from the genetic standpoint. He studies the biology of selfishness and altruism in nature. This book was referred to me by a beyond civilizationist. I can see why. Dawkins is merely a scientist and is not an anarchist, tribalist, or beyond civilizationist. His work in this book though can be used to make arguments for moving beyond civilization. He even takes a shot at civilization in over population and the too altruistic welfare state. He also says how important it is for animals to groups like herds, packs etc to keep track of population. This of course reminds me of why tribalism worked and how it kept the population of human’s stable.  

Jeanna Bryner LiveScience Staff Writer LiveScience.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070925/sc_livescience/modernhumans...

Like hunter-gatherers in the jungle, modern humans are still experts at spotting predators and prey, despite the developed world's safe suburbs and indoor lifestyle, a new study suggests.

Thanks, bbbleaver for the post

animist in the city

Submitted by bbbleaver on Wed, 2007-07-04 12:26. Animism | Evolution | Human ecology | Seattle

Allowing Human Nature To Work Successfully

From the Wall Street Journal: "But the biggest surprise is a blazing attack on God and religion that is flying off bookshelves, even in the Bible Belt. "God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything," by Christopher Hitchens, wasn't expected to be a blockbuster. Its publisher, Twelve, a fledgling imprint owned by France's Lagardère SCA, initially printed a modest 40,000 copies. Today, seven weeks after the book went on sale, there are 296,000 copies in print."

thanks Ran Prieur for the link.

from here:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6387611.stm

Chimpanzees 'hunt using spears' Chimps sharpened the spears with their teethChimpanzees in Senegal have been observed making and using wooden spears to hunt other primates, according to a study in the journal Current Biology.

Researchers documented 22 cases of chimps fashioning tools to jab at smaller primates sheltering in cavities of hollow branches or tree trunks.