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I just watched Memento so my brain is kinda effed right now, but I won't bring up the reality question in this post. Anyway.

I'm talking about biological evolution in three of my four classes right now, which is cool because I'm getting three different sides. My bio class is talking about how evolution forms itself, in a vague round about way that is hard to explain. My anthropology class is pretty much giving me the nitty gritty historical stuff, and this class is using what we already know about biological evolution as a jumping off point for different types of evolution, and it is also using it as a story.

I like discussing biological evolution because it seems just as crazy a story as any of our creation stories. It just happens to have a ton of evidence behind it. I mean… what made the initial nucleosides decide to connect to each other and make the first RNA strand? and then after a while, what make the first cells come together to make sponges - which are the first animals? Genetic mutations made us the species we are today, and it was really all just random chance. In the instance of the giraffe, some freak giraffe back in the day was born with an abnormally long neck due to a random genetic mutation, and it just *happened* to be in a perfect environment for long necked things, and it had a ton of long necked giraffe babies because it was the best fit, and the rest is history. Biology. Both. This happened to us too! It all boils down to being in the right place at the right time, and having the right genetic mutation at the right time and place. One thing different in the genetic composition of the original cell and we could have blue skin and huge eyes and long bodies and glowing plants and pterodactyls and a neurological connection to the planet! It is a staggering thought. Ever since I read *Your Inner Fish* by Neil Shubin, I've been blown away by how much chance was involved in making us what we are today, especially our hands. They're so handy. I did not just make that pun.

On that note, I'll say: if you have time, read Your Inner Fish, and goodnight.

Here's the link about Your Inner Fish; serendip isn't letting me hyperlink it so you can use good ol' copy/paste:

http://tiktaalik.uchicago.edu/book.html