Random Mutant Sex

Back in the day, random mutant sex was the only known pathway to evolution.

Or, maybe it was more like random mutation passed on through sex. But still...the science got the religious right hot and bothered!

Today's science is still a little bothersome. For one thing, gene mapping says that Neanderthals were not "early man." As it turns out humans and Neanderthals are not the same species although we both have more than 95% of our genes in common with chimpanzees. I don't really get how we can both be that closely related to chimps and yet not related to each other.

What does this new science mean for this new century?

Old school: when environmental pressure is extreme, the fittest survive by mutating at random. Then, when the survivors procreate, they open the one and only window of possibility for passing along their adaptation. After about a gazillion generations, if the mutation has proven its usefulness, then the survivors have "adapted" and evolution has marched forward.

Hip school: environmental pressures act on our biochemistry on a moment to moment basis, triggering the proteins in our cells to express and replicate genes. Under stress, our hormones actually cause unexpressed genes to become an active part of our make-up. And as far as we know, once our dormant genes awake, there is no turning back the clock. We pass our adaptations along to our offspring, and small, permanent changes take place in one generation.

So how about it, how should we adapt in the face of global warming, which promises flood, drought, famine, ice, snow, drought, and famine. What changes do we need to evolve into being?

Given a choice, what biological change would you make in yourself (or the species as a whole) to ensure our survival, (keeping in mind that random mutant sex will still be required to keep the species moving forward)?

Midnight Meeting, Carbon Hogs Anonymous

Welcome to the midnight meeting of Carbon Hogs Anonymous! I'm NeanderGirl, and I am a carbon hog. I gobble up carbon despite my best intentions and commitments. I am powerless.

Carbon Hogs Anonymous is based on the classic 12-step model. And as you undoubtedly know (unless you happen to be signing in from the one glorious place on earth where addiction does not permeate food, drink, sex, shopping and all things human) the first step in the 12-step model is admitting that you are powerless.

Today was a lesson in powerlessness for me.

I was fortunate enough to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama speak on the topic of compassion. When asked, "How do you and how might we remain hopeful?" the Dalai Lama first suggested that we might be convinced by the media that the world is made of pain and suffering. However, if we look past the nightly news , to "the whole condition of six billion human beings," we will realize the world is actually "getting better."

This should be our source of hope. Specifically, we should be hopeful because the idea of human rights did not even exist--not really--at the beginning of the 20th century, but today that idea is nearly universal.

He went on to say, however, that the world is suffering from two very real problems: global warming and overpopulation. These alone require our attention because of their significance and implications for the whole condition of all six billion human beings on earth.

To me, this perspective put carbon hogging into perspective.

Even while the Dalai Lama was answering this question, a small plane buzzed the open air stadium, dragging along a banner that read: "Dalai Lama Pls Stop Supporting Riots." It had circled the stadium throughout the program, referencing recent Chinese suppression of monks in Tibet, and reminding the world that the Chinese goal is to end the Dalai Lama's influence over his own people.

And yet, the Dalai Lama said, the real problems of the day--those that require our genuine concern--are global warming and overpopulation.

It made me want to be better, even as I gathered up my plastic water bottle (no outside drinks are allowed in the stadium, and the inside vendors use plastic) and headed out to the bus for the long drive home. Clearly, I am powerless despite my intentions and commitments. I am a carbon hog.

Happily, powerlessness in the face of excrutiating compulsion is far removed from blame. So, we won't be doing any blaming here...no discussion of Hummer drivers or corporate greed or even the relationship between Dick Cheney and gas prices. No, we have much more important work to do.

According to the American Psychological Association (and reported by Wikipedia), the 12-steps can be summarized as:

• admitting that one cannot control one's addiction or compulsion;
• recognizing a greater power that can give strength;
• examining past errors with the help of a sponsor (experienced member);
• making amends for these errors;
• learning to live a new life with a new code of behavior;
• helping others that suffer from the same addictions or compulsions.

It's time for us really to learn to live a new life with a new code of behavior and to help one another out of carbon hogging as we transition to a new hotter--or colder--life.

We have a few moments left with life as we know it. It really is time to figure out what we love and respect and need for life.

And we need to carry that forward. For, as the Dalai Lama remarked: "Not only humans, but other mammals survive and grow totally dependent on others. This is a biological condition." Our power rests in how we support, nurture and care for one another, including those who will come in the future.

Supported Cognition or How We Forget

While grocery shopping today, I was suddenly overcome with forgetfulness. I'd gathered some fruits and vegetables and hunted down a few cans of this and that before I found myself gazing, rather blankly, at the display of just-add-water potato products (the au gratin potatoes, I will admit, were rather tempting).

Eventually, I wiped the drool from my chin, whipped out my cell phone and texted my husband. "Why am I here? I can't remember."

I threw some completely unnecessary items into the cart while waiting for his reply. (Chocolate cookies! Frozen fruit bars! These could have been my reason for shopping, couldn't they?) "What's that? The ingredients for chicken enchiladas? No problemma!"

I don't know about you, but I text for back up all the time.

My cell phone also doubles as GPS so that I don't get lost, logs me into Wikipedia for my especially stupid moments, delivers my email, and keeps track of my most important contact information. It also performs simple calculations, keeps my calendar and doubles as an alarm clock.

I would be very stupid without my cell phone.

We are all dependent upon "supported cognition" to keep ourselves moving forward in life. Calendars, calculators, computers, even to-do lists are all thinking devices, tools that keep us on track even as they reduce the load on our brains. Without these tools and supports we are much more limited in our capabilities.

We really are like computers with limited RAM; no matter how high our IQ, we can get overwhelmed when we have too much going on. But paradoxically, the more we off-load our cognition--the fancy word for thinking and other brain processes--the more we forget.

Honestly, I used to remember phone numbers like some kind of math genius. I'd make funny little equations or patterns out of them. Nowadays, I don't bother. If I want to be in contact with you, you are in my cell phone...why bother to remember in my puny little brain?

So here's a question: what work is your Inner Neanderthal outsourcing?

Maybe your laptop has completely replaced your ability to write in cursive? Maybe LL Bean makes all your cold weather gear? Maybe Safeway does all your gardening? Maybe your accountant keeps you on the right side of the law? Or perhaps your handy husband keeps nature from reclaiming your house?

Is there anything you're outsourcing that your Inner Neanderthal will want to grab back and preserve in the event of sudden, cataclysmic climate change?

What if you find you've forgotten those essentials? What if everyone you know and trust has forgotten?

It's not a big deal when we blank out in the middle of grocery shopping. But it's undoubtedly a big deal if we have collectively forgotten how to produce food and suddenly find we need to remember.

What do we collectively want and need to make a point of remembering? What ideas, skills and technologies do we want to assure are present in the future? What will ensure the survival of our grandchildren and our grandchildren's grandchildren? What will make their lives sweet, productive, bearable? What will keep them from harm and give them the tools they need to live good, healthy, happy lives?

I often ask people, "What 100 things would you pack for the ice age?" And by that, I really mean what 100 really, really important concepts, skills, ways of knowing, principles, ideas or technologies do you want to make sure get carried along through history? What 100 things, if we left them behind, would surely plunge the world into the Dark Ages?

Obviously, I need a cell phone to keep living the life I've got, but in the event of an ice age, I'd probably start with fire, followed by a toothbrush...Or maybe I'd start with the toothbrush; I've got this little obsession, you see...

Scientists Shocked by Sudden Events in Antarctica

Rapid climate change reached a whole level this week when scientists discovered that the Wilkins ice shelf, which at 6,180 square miles is the largest on the Antarctic Peninsula, has begun to disentegrate. Over 450 square miles have broken off since late February, including one 25-mile long iceberg. The world will know within the next few weeks whether Wilkins will collapse altogether.

``We predicted it would happen, but it's happened twice as fast as we predicted,"' scientist David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) told Bloomberg.com. In 1993, Dr. Vaughan predicted that the Wilkins Ice Shelf would be lost within 30 years if trends in global warming continued.

The Antarctic Peninsula has warmed by 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit during the past 50 years — several times the global average. During the past 30 years, several Antarctic ice shelves have retreated. Six of collapsed altogether, including Prince Gustav Channel, Larsen Inlet, Larsen A, Larsen B, Wordie, Muller and the Jones Ice Shelf.

Although the Wilkins ice shelf is bigger than Connecticut, its disentegration is unlikely to affect sea levels because the Antarctic Peninsula is not over land; rather, it floats in the water.

However, David Vaughan of BAS warns, “Climate warming in the Antarctic Peninsula has pushed the limit of viability for ice shelves further south – setting some of them that used to be stable on a course of retreat and eventual loss. The Wilkins breakout won’t have any effect on sea-level because it is floating already, but it is another indication of the impact that climate change is having on the region.“

Antarctica combined with Greenland holds enough ice to raise sea levels by 260 feet.

Clean Underwear or Toothbrush?

When I was in 7th grade, I broke my jaw. So for more than a month, my mouth was wired shut. I cleaned my teeth by swishing hydrogen peroxide around in there. Ewww!

So today, I am completely, neurotically, insanely dedicated to brushing my teeth.

Recently, my middle school-aged daughter riddled me this: if you had to choose between a toothbrush or clean underwear, what would you choose? She was clearly horrified by my answer.

What about you? In a world of limited resources or high stress, if you were forced to choose between clean underwear and a toothbrush, which way would you go?

Ready, Set, Survive!

In the event of an ice age, the first thing I would pack is Gortex. Lots and lots of Gortex.

Hunger, thirst and danger I can live with. But not damp. Or cold. So, I'll confess: I already have a few bolts of Gortex stored in the closet, ready to run with me when the glaciers descend from Mount Rainier.

Sometimes I wonder whether we'll have electricity for sewing, and if not, whether there is some special hand-stitch that will ensure sealed edges on this fabric. Truly, I dream about this from time to time.

And since it's time for true confessions, let me say, I believe my Gortex will be the most hotly contested item in my will when I die, like Methusala, at the age of seven hundred and three.

What about you, what's the first thing you would pack in the event of an ice age?

I know. It's unlikely you have an answer to this crazy question. But think about it. Seriously.

BUSINESS-AS-USUAL THINKING
When I asked the smartest woman I know what one technology she'd take in the event of an ice age, she instantly said her cell phone. "The grid will probably be down," I said. "It won't work once your battery dies." She thought about it for a moment and said, "I'll take extra batteries." It could work. At least she'll be able to order in for pizza and bottled water.

When answering the very first Inner Neanderthal Survey question, over 50% of you said you'd to take an airplane to Mazatlan or Hawaii in the event of an instant ice age. The staff at the Marriott could be waiting with open arms for the mad flow of refugees, I suppose.

Really, if you answered that way, you're not alone. I recently discovered a little book by David de Rothschild (kind of sounds like he could buy a solution to climate change, eh?) called The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook.

When I opened it up to check out the "77 Essential Skills to Stop Climate Change--or Live Through It" I found shocking advice. Shocking! "Green your ride," it says.

Are you kidding me? I may be the only person on Earth who remembers the pre-Katrina gas lines and traffic jams, but I'm sure that your Prius, if it's able to 4-wheel it across ice and through floods, will eventually need gas before you arrive at your equatorial destination. And fossil fuels (not to mention roads) are going to be hard to come by.

In fact, every manufactured product that relies on extensive infrastructure for distribution is going to be bottlenecked in its place of origin. (For real survival advice, check out 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive by Cody Lunden instead.)

VICTIMS OF OUR BRAINS
We are ALL thinking that tomorrow will be just like today in the most fundamental ways. Even if tomorrow happens to come with an ice age or a flood or a drought or a fight to the death for the last drop of clean, fresh drinking water.

It's the most natural thing in the world. It's actually how the human brain works.

First, we are completely bounded by the limits of our imagination. And it's really, really hard to imagine an ice age, much less an instant ice age descending with speed and violence (to borrow a phrase from Fred Pearce, whose book, With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change, is totally worth a look-see).

And second, our brains have the best auto pilot technology on the planet. It keeps us from actually thinking about breathing, blinking, sex...all the elements of survival. We are like just like the fish, who, as they say, don't know they live in water until they're flopping around on the dock.

The mission here at Inner Neanderthal is to support you in addressing these two barriers. Why?

First, because I care. And more important: it's only when we can imagine together what will really change about our lives that we will be able to really change our lives.

A NEWLY PURCHASED WEAPON
I was terribly inspired by the individual who responded to the First Inner Neanderthal Survey question "What one thing would you pack for the instant ice age?" with: "A newly purchased weapon to protect my family and cans of gasoline."

It's not entirely clear to me whether this survivalist meant that (s)he would purchase a side arm to protect the family AND the gasoline a la Mad Max, or that (s)he would purchase said weapon to protect the family and would also bring along cans of gasoline, but it's a great answer in both cases!

First and foremost, it recognizes that times of extreme changes are fraught with instability and danger. 9-1-1 won't be taking our calls; we'll need to protect ourselves, and we will have a deep, primordal instinct to protect our progeny.

And, this brilliant answer captures our truest auto-pilot reality: we are so dependent upon fossil fuel that, even in the face of its most dire consequence, we still won't be able to live without it! We are way, way, way past addiction, baby! We simply cannot imagine life without gasoline.

What do we need for surivial? Air, water and fuel.

Some of us, of course, also need a few dozen bolts of Gortex.

It's not just the weather!

We are learning from global warming that we humans shape the weather. But we've known for a long time that the weather also shapes us--what we wear, how we live, and even what we believe.

In ancient times it was common for people to believe that weather was a function the gods. Floods, storms, volcanoes were all signs of distress in the heavens. Sacrifices and sacraments could appease the gods and change the course of the seasons, it was hoped.

Are we really so different? Maybe. Click Here to take the Inner Neanderthal survey on religion and spirituality.

But plenty of Christians believe that wild weather is the prelude to the Armageddon or the Rapture. And plenty of Indigenous Peoples still engage in seasonal rituals to entice the rains to fall, the sun to shine, and the crops to grow. Personally, I'll confess to plenty of superstitions...ideas and icons that I've collected from around the globe.

With global warming already melting ice and permafrost and changing lifestyles around the world, it's time for us to consider what climate change means for our humanity. What does global warming mean for our spirit? For our spiritual practices?

As the weather gets more and more confusing, wild and dangerous, will we become more superstitious, more fervent in our worship or our rituals, more suspicious of strangers who believe differently from us? Or will we become more rational, purposeful and scientific?

As water becomes more scarce and flood and drought threaten the food supply, how will we respond?

As this video reminds us, the weather isn't just the weather. The climate isn't separate from us. We are wrapped up together with our environs, not unlike the ancients who prayed to sun gods, sacrificed to the volcanoes, and carried talismen to honor the wind, water and lightning.