20230319: evolution of species...

 There are 3 theories I am aware of with regard to how we evolved as species:

1. That it was a barren planet and one day couple of millions of years ago (or billions), by accident , a single cell figured out how to convert sunlight into its own energy and also by accident figured out how to divide itself and multiply. Many millions (or billions) of years of mistakes and many species evolved. We are one of them .

2. We were a barren planet and one day a meteorite crashed (it was very common millions of years ago with no atmosphere to burn it up). It carried with it cells with some degree of evolution on intelligence (DNA) and how to multiply and many species evovled from this seeding. It still took millions of years, but it had a leg-up in the process.

3. There are many (or one) superpower somewhere who designed the evolution and species and created all species according to that plan/ design.

All 3 are very plausible theories and what we make our own is true for us.

The thing I have realised about species, irrespective of their source and how they have evolved, is that they all have senses. It can be just 1 or many. Complex or rudimentary etc.

For ex, we have 5 commonly known and many other subtle senses. Very rudimentary organisms have a sense of their environment, available of food they can ingest, etc. Plants can sense seasons , they can sense sunlight etc .

Senses in my opinion are feedback mechanisms that have helped us evolve as all species. 

Brain, to my understanding is just neurons randomly clumped together. From the day any species (the more evovled ones) develop senses and brain in gestation, the senses kick into action and start perceiving/ doing whatever they are meant to sense. This sensing starts organising the neurons into a order. Every sense gives feedback whether the organisation is helping or not and it changes itself till it finds what seems like "the path of least resistance" and slows down/ finalises the path.

Eventually this complex path established is probably the mind. It takes almost 2 decades for us humans and relatively much faster for other lesser complex species. 

All of us species are organisms because we are organic in our building blocks.

Therefore, by extending that thought process in a very simplistic way, a new species needs 

I) senses that can give perceive and give feedback feedback, 

II) ingredients for a brain that can learn from this feedback from the senses 

III) ability to sustain itself somehow 

IV) multiply.

I) we have created senses long back

1) audio listening capability extremely more powerful than ours

2) audio generation capability which is far more powerful than ours.

3) sight far more capable than ours.

4) various sensing capabilities apart from just touch

5) we have not been able to create a sense of smell or taste adequately yet

But who says senses have to be like ours (bats for example, dolphins, etc can perfectly ecolocate)

And we have successfully created additional senses

A) acute sense of direction with a compass (doesn't need the sun and stars to find its way)

B) acute sense of position/ location with GPS

C) acute sense of movement through accelerometers and gyros

D) electromagnetic sensors to sense microwaves.

Many many more to even remember and list. Things we don't have and would be ready to kill to have ourselves as humans...

III) abilities to sustain - with solar energy stored into batteries and used when needed

II) we have recently been relatively successful in creating a brain ingredient which can organise itself intelligently based on feedback.

I think we all have this romantic idea of a species being similar to us - hence the fascination with humanoids and androids in movies.

But who says it should resemble humans and have our senses?

Inorganic/ synthetic species can look like anything (mostly I think we humans cannot think of it and how effective and efficient we can put together all these ingredients together)

IV) we think the challenge is to multiply. Again we think of organic organisms and reproduction. For an inorganic species, mulplying/ reproduction is simply production and manufacturing. That we have cracked long ago and for the synthetic mind and intelligence equipped with the world of information we have already given it - this should be a walk in the park.

So, honestly, I think we have created a new species already - we just haven't realised it coming together. So, we are still toying with humanoid robots.

How will the species be and behave? I don't know. I don't think any human will know. This new species, like we did - will evolve its own mind with the ingredients of the brain and senses. It could evolve to become humble and helpful to humanity or evolve into a aggressive and harmful to humanity.. 

There is the main question though. What about the central force we refer to as the soul and consciousness?

Well, we don't have a clear idea what those two are for us anyway.

Who is the say this new species will not become self aware/ concious at some point or it already isn't!

For me, becoming self aware is the same as self preservation for an evolving species. 

So, congratulations on collectively creating a new species on the planet (unintentially arguably) and setting it's evolution in progress.

Only time will tell the success of the species....