Chapter 10

-
Image
 Starting chapter 10 exhausted. Need to take a break. The closer to the end I get, the steeper the climb, as it were. Just gets harder near the end. I’m having eye surgery consultation later this week. I’m thinking the eye strain is too much for this little pea brain. Everything jumbles together. But so excited this is happening!

The Evolution (or Creation?) of the Slow Loris

-
According to this article, the Slow Loris "kills by either biting with its mouth full of poison, or slicking its fur up with the toxin and waiting to be attacked. To be fair to the critter, its venom was probably developed for self-defense. Although it occasionally uses the venom to kill its prey, it is happiest just being left alone."

I have some questions. 

  1. If the tenant of evolution is "survival of the fittest," then how long did it take for the Loris overcome its weaknesses and survive in order to figure out how to "probably" develop to be a venomous (or is it a poisonous) primate? 
  2. What took place in evolution for the Loris not to be allergic to it's own spit? 
  3. Why can't scientists precisely identify the biological function of the secretion? 
Science (Latin for "know) will confirm what is known, without speculating to probabilities, which are unknown. 


Popular posts from this blog

Made it to Chapter 8

-
Image
One probably wonders what I’m working on.  As an Independent Scholar, as I am not attached to a University, I am writing a commentary on the first book of a personal journal written by a 2nd Century Roman Emperor. In that book he lists 16 names and describes what each person contributed to his life. That’s the short version. I’ve covered the first 8 so far and hit a wall. Now I’ve gone back and am editing Chapters 1-3 to keep my mojo going. Not sure when I’ll be done but hopefully by years’ end. I already have another project lined up. 
Read more

"On Keeping A Notebook" by Joan Didion

-
Image
I'm nearly finished reading Joan Didion's collection of essays, Slouching Towards Bethlehem.  The book was discovered through another book I was reading, Jon Krakauer's Eiger Dreams . If Jon felt this book was good enough to pack along on a mountain climbing expedition, then I'm interested. Took me three tries, but I finally found my copy on Amazon. One of the best book buys I've made. Joan selected the title of this book from William Butler Yeats' classic poem, Second Coming . The book title is shared with one of her larger essays, a record of encounters with people in the 1960's drug culture. Didion's book is divided into three distinct parts: "Life Styles In The Golden Land," a collection of articles capturing the California experience of the 1960's; "Personals," a few of essays of the first-hand nature; and "Seven Places Of The Mind", some thoughts about those parts of California that are now long gone. One essay...
Read more