“It is not the strongest of the species that survives,
nor the most intelligent that survives.
It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”
Charles Darwin 1809 – 1882
The quote is taken from the floor of the San Francisco Academy of Sciences, where it had been inlaid in bronze.
A discussion on the significance of adaptability to changing surrounds can be found here:
REACTION VS. RESPONSE
The model presented in this website is based on the Phylogenic Tree of Life. This website facilitates exploring the Tree of Life, and our place amongst its branches:
This link enables you to climb back down the tree of life from our present perch. Click on this link for our species, “Homo Sapiens“, and then use the back button in the upper left-hand corner (or the “Containing Group” link):
You will eventually climb down to the trunk where you will find the common ancestor of all life on Earth.
EXAPTATION
Exaptation is a model for understanding how the evolution of creatures ensued, and why remnants of every evolutionary leap can be found in complex creatures such as ourselves.
EXAPTATION
EVERY LEAP IN EVOLUTION REQUIRES SUPPORT FROM AND IS BUILT ON TOP OF ALL OF THE UNDERLYING EVOLUTIONARY LEAPS
Bipedal Primates, our direct ancestors, diverged from our Primate relatives 6 million years ago, innovatively adapting the underlying +3 billion years of evolutionary advancement synergistically. Although uniquely applied, our neurophysiology is directly determined by and extends from, all five of these underlying paradigms. Each paradigm makes a unique, identifiable contribution to the aggregate of ourselves. These unique contributions are cataloged on this website by the Dimensional Paradigm Shift column on the left in the graphic below and discussed in the Evolutionary Paradigms section.
