Overview

Many decades after Darwin's death, finally enough facts about biology and evolution have been uncovered with which one can relatively easily complete the second and missing half of the theory of evolution that Darwin could not possibly have seen in his time. The evidence has been mounting for years that the selfish gene paradigm is not adequate to explain all of what is observed in the world around us-in particular, sex and aging. This book attempts to complete the theory of evolution by using a simple new concept of predator selection, a form of species selection, to solve the most enduring and intractable conundrums and paradoxes that have been plaguing evolutionary theory since its beginning- such as the existence and purpose of sex and aging, male and female sex types, and even homosexuality. Written in an entertaining and easy to understand style for scientists and laymen alike, this expanded view of evolution leads to many solutions to evolution's remaining paradoxes. One chapter includes a detailed examination of how various human hormones change with aging, and how the good hormones decline with age, and how the bad hormones intentionally designed by evolution to stop one from reproducing, skyrocket after age 50. (These anti-reproduction (pro-menopause) hormone changes have the unfortunate side effect of aging and death). \ Sex and aging have never had any satisfactory explanation within the Selfish Gene paradigm begun by Darwin and his successors and popularized by Dawkins in his famous book- The Selfish Gene. Aging and Sex are shown to be evolution's evolved defenses to evolving predation, and in the absence of predation, they are proposed to be eventually selected against -leading to a world where most sexual species eventually should evolve into asexual ones. As odd as this might sound, examples of many types of animals where asexual reproduction already occurs are provided. Including animals as advanced as turkeys, sharks, and lizards. Exclusively female species that reproduce solely in a clonal manner such as walking sticks, blind cave crickets, whiptail lizards, and Brahminy blind snakes are also explored. Homosexuality, while a widespread phenomenon in both humans and many species of animals, remains largely unexplored by current evolutionary theory. Homosexuality is examined within this new framework and hypothesized to be a defense against evolving predation that acts as birth control for what evolution perceives as less fit (predator-stressed) mothers. Even human religion seems to reveal itself as an evolved trait within this new paradigm and appears to have evolved as a group defense to famine and drought. Religion is explored and explained with a special emphasis on the high rate of religious suicide associated with various religions and cults. Sex and aging appear to be species-selected defenses to evolving predation that are being selected for at the local ecosystem level virtually everywhere and all the time. When sex and aging are viewed from this perspective, it becomes quite simple to understand how sex and aging evolved and continue to be selected for in almost all areas of the world.

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9781793201782

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