Re: [Fwd: Book Alert!]
Thanks, Steve, for this forwarding... Pay please attention: R.Morrison claims, although dimly enough, but with sure distinctness that spirituality is predestined by neurophysiological sources. The genetic carrierness of such phenomenon as, e.g., joy (I mean existence of a special "gene of joy") was predicted by your humble servant long ago and this year publication about discovery of such gene was not for me a surprise. We have to be soon acquainted with peculiarities of carriers of conscience, sense of the beautiful, personal developments and so on. As to the spirituality, I suppose that it is very possibly the gene, responsible for general forming many genuinely human dispersive organs of spirituality, to locate on a map of the human genom... Beside, as it seems, there are to be different "second job" of some genes which such second peculiar ability starts function only within space created by the humankind evolution of second kind. Paradoxically, R.Morrison, IMHO, makes mistake attributing to the "genetically productive spirituality" the blame for overpopulation of the world and devastation of "our own habitats". Evidently, this happens precisely on account of the directly opposite, and namely of... partial lack of spirituality in humankind of rationalism age.. Good luck. Valery Steve Kurtz wrote: Original Message From: "BrainFood" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Book Alert! *Permission to reprint granted! (by Jay Hanson) --- Why is economic theory so screwed-up? Why do economists invariably assume what they hope to prove? Or what's even more incredible, why does everyone on the planet seem believe this stupidity? Obviously, we must answer these questions before we can even hope to solve our collective survival problem. Guess what? Humans are genetically predisposed to believe in mystics, UFO's, Neoclassical Economic Theory, good-luck charms, etc.! In short, we evolved to believe in all kinds of gods -- including the Free Market God. Reg Morrison wrote the book I wanted to write. The forward is written by Lynn Margulis. Morrison's book is endorsed by E.O. Wilson of Harvard, and Thomas Eisner of Cornell. If you are ready for some answers, read http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0801436516/brainfood.a The Spirit in the Gene : Humanity's Proud Illusion and the Laws of Nature by Reg Morrison, Lynn Margulis Cornell University Press , March 12, 1999 Hardcover - 286 pages (June 1999) Comstock Pub Assoc; ISBN: 0801436516 From the jacket: From famines and deforestation to water pollution, global warming, and the rapid rate of extinction of plants and animals -- the extent of the global damage wrought by humankind is staggering. Why have we allowed our environment to reach such a crisis? What produced the catastrophic population explosion that so taxes the earth's resources? Reg Morrison's search for answers led him to ponder our species' astonishing evolutionary success. His extraordinary book describes how a spiritual outlook combined with a capacity for rational thought have enabled Homo sapiens to prosper through the millennia. It convincingly depicts these traits as part of our genetic makeup -- and as the likely cause of our ultimate downfall against the inexorable laws of nature. The book will change the way readers think about human evolution and the fate of our species. Small bands of apes walked erect on the dangerous plains of East Africa several million years ago. Morrison marvels that they not only survived, but migrated to all corners of the earth and established civilizations. To understand this feat, he takes us back to a critical moment when these hominids developed language and with it the unique ability to think abstractly. He shows how at this same time they began to derive increasing advantage from their growing sense of spirituality. He convincingly depicts spirituality as an evolutionary strategy that helped rescue our ancestors from extinction and drive the species toward global dominance. Morrison concludes that this genetically productive spirituality, which has influenced every aspect of our lives, has. Sobering, sometimes chilling, consistently fascinating, his book offers a startling new view of human adaptation running its natural course.
Re: [graffis-l] 'Smart' materials could soon revolutionize many products
Thomas: A little side article that gives us a more comprehensive look at where nanotechnology is starting to take us. What I would like to see, is a suit that keeps you warm in the winter - now that would be a smart material. Respectfully, Thomas Lunde -- From: Mark Graffis [EMAIL PROTECTED] Copyright © 1999 Christian Science Monitor Service By ALEX SALKEVER (August 8, 1999 12:12 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - When a helicopter chatters loudly overhead in Boston, most people look up and see the police or a traffic reporter. Harry Tuller sees ceramics. That's because the Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientist is working on a revolutionary type of helicopter rotor that can continuously change shape in midflight when zapped with electrical charges. These rotors, made of a new class of materials called electroceramics, could improve the performance and reliability of helicopter flight. Tuller's electroceramics are just one of a myriad of so-called "smart materials" that are increasingly emerging from labs and being used to enhance performance safety, and efficiency in a wide range of industries. Hybrid ceramic materials are embedded in snow skis to dampen vibrations and smooth out the ride on the slopes. JCPenney stores are using super-thin display signs that look like paper but contain words and numbers spelled out with thousands of pigment-filled capsules made of a new type of electrically sensitive plastic. These display signs, which can be reconfigured remotely, are a likely precursor to portable newspapers that are constantly updated with wireless data transmissions. Eyeglass frames made of "memory" metal alloys return to their original shape when a certain temperature threshold is passed. These gee-whiz materials are merely the start of a new era in which humanity will achieve stunning mastery over matter. "Only in the last decade, with the advent of more-powerful computers, have we started to acquire the tools for trying to predict in advance the relationship between a property and a structure," says Tuller. Knowledge is power Knowledge seekers have long coveted greater control over the materials that make up the world. Medieval alchemists futilely attempted to synthesize gold from lesser elements. And failure to understand the nature of matter and the chemical elements has proven disastrous. In the 19th century, physicians regularly prescribed heavy metals like arsenic as remedies, which sometimes proved fatal. But when people have gained some mastery of crucial materials, they have changed the course of history. Magnetic lodestones, for example, allowed Chinese sailors to create navigational compasses, which led to the first transoceanic explorations. But this pales in comparison to the threshold scientists stand upon today. For the first time ever, researchers can examine complex matrixes of molecules and predict how changing them will alter their properties. This new and far deeper understanding of how matter acts and reacts enables scientists to create materials that are not static but rather reactive and malleable in relation to factors such as temperature, electrical currents or physical stress. "A smart material can tell you something about a situation or a state of affairs by responding in a predictable way to some kind of stimulus," explains Art Ellis, a chemist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Smart and intuitive Unlike past advances in material science, which have been far more piecemeal, the current onslaught covers many fronts, from ceramics to metals to plastics. And it is churning out discoveries at an astonishing rate. Hand in hand with smart materials go recent advances in reducing the size of microprocessors and computers. Scientists are now hard at work integrating the two to create powerful systems that can be embedded in everything from clothing to performance-enhancing spark plugs. But some smart materials are so intuitive that they actually will eliminate the need for microprocessors that now generally control things like air bags or other mechanical processes. The U.S. Navy has created a diving wet suit with tiny wax capsules embedded in its material. The capsules melt at just below body temperature, taking heat from the skin of a diver who is putting on the dry suit and storing it. The heat is preserved in these capsules and later shields the diver against cold water and keeps the suit comfortable longer. The same method of regulating temperature is also used in boots. "When we put our finger on a hot stove, we pull it back from the stove. A really smart material system is like that. It is one in which there is an automatic
