Neil Shubin's Your Inner Fish

I can find few things more beautiful or intellectually profound than finding the basis for our humanity...
-Neil Shubin

Paleontologist and professor of anatomy by trade, Neil Shubin takes an interdisciplinary look at how human beings evolved in his book, Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5 Billion Year History of the Human Body. He shows clearly how scientists in seemingly unrelated fields - paleontologists and genetic researchers for example - often reach similar conclusions despite their very different methodologies. The cumulative research adds up to compelling evidence that the "theory" of human evolution is about as solid as the "theory" of gravity. In other words, we can take it as fact.

One of the most interesting points made in the book: We human beings are not perfectly adapted to our environment, and neither are the other living creatures on our planet. Evolution is effective but messy. Remnants of our previous incarnations can still be found in our bodies, and some of our adaptations have resulted in problems ranging from hiccups to hernias. "Each of these examples," writes Shubin, "show that we are not designed rationally, but are products of a convoluted history." He compares the human body to an old building that has continually been modified and upgraded, as opposed to a new building with a clean construction that has been designed for maximum efficiency. And he continually reminds the reader that the same component remnants found in our bodies can be found in the bodies of many other creatures:

When you see these deep similarities among different organs and bodies, you begin to recognize that the diverse inhabitants of our world are just variations on a theme.

Your Inner Fish is a fairly easy book to read. It's only 201 pages and is filled with interesting illustrations. Yet, Shubin packs a ton of information into its pages. If you're interested in learning about how you came to be you, this book offers some great explanations. I can't help but remark that it is simply one more nail in the coffin of Intelligent Design. However, it is more than that, being both entertaining and thought provoking. I highly recommend it.



I read Your Inner Fish for a men's book club my friend Ted and I just got started. Our next book is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.

Links:

Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5 Billion Year History of the Human Body


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Mountain Town Weather

Spring has been absolutely gorgeous so far this year. I've been getting out and enjoying the trails here at the base of Mount Elden. In fact, I've been outside either hiking or running quite a bit already. Along one of my runs I watched three ravens harassing an enormous hawk. On another run I thought maybe I heard a rattlesnake in a pile of logs beside the trail! (It would be awful early in the year for snakes at this elevation, but we've had warm days and the south face of Mt. Elden gets a lot of sun.) A friend and I took a hike up the Weatherford Trail into the Kachina Wilderness last week and there were horny toads everywhere.

That's why it was such as surprise to wake-up and find a blanket of snow on the ground this morning! Jill took a few photos:






I took the Honda CRV in for service this morning. The dealer is clear on the other side of town. Since the car was going to be in the shop longer than I'd planned, I walked the roughly 5 miles home stopping for breakfast at MartAnnes and at a friend's place for a short visit. Nice way to spend a morning.


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Bumper Sticker

Just a silly thought:

I saw this truck with a bumper sticker that read, "If people were meant to be vegetarians why are animals made of meat?"

My first impulse was to shout, "Hey buddy, you're meat too!" Then I thought about it a bit more. Wouldn't it be fun to take this guy hiking in Yellowstone bear country? He might have a bit of a revelation.

Like I said, just a silly thought.


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Rush Limbaugh's Operation Chaos: Succeeding Where Terrorists Fail

Our democracy depends upon fair elections in which voters make responsible, thoughtful decisions. Casting a vote for the candidate one believes will best fill a public office is an almost sacred responsibility.

Enter Rush Limbaugh, a man who needs little introduction. He has been waging something he calls Operation Chaos. Click the link and let Rush tell you about it himself: Rush Limbaugh must really hate democracy.

How about this, Rush? You've managed - along with the ditto heads who follow your right wing lunacy - to accomplish something terrorists have only been able to dream about so far. You've managed to interfere in an American election. You've made a mockery of the very thing that makes our nation strong: government of the people, by the people, for the people. Shouldn't that be a crime?

Is America a divided nation? You bet. And the guys with the United We Stand bumper stickers and the flags flowing everywhere - guys like Rush Limbaugh? They are the biggest reason.

If you're not angry about this, you aren't paying attention.


Links:

CNN article
The man who succeeds where terrorists fail


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Sunday Morning Hike - Mt. Elden Summit

I climbed out of bed and started the coffee before sunrise yesterday morning. Coffee seems to taste better the earlier you make it anyway. Mornings here in Flagstaff are chilly even this late in the spring, and the winds are ferocious this time of year. However, almost every day in Flagstaff is a great day for being outdoors.

My friend Jim McCarthy was waiting for me at the popular Fat Man's Loop trailhead a bit after 6:00 am. Despite the bitterly cold wind, it was a perfect morning for an ambitious hike. Only one car sat in the parking lot beside our vehicles when we started up the mountain to the Elden Lookout. Other than the lone hiker who passed us, we didn't see a soul the entire ascent. It took two hours to reach the top - a long time for a 2 1/2 mile trail. But Jim is good company. Why rush?

Once we reached the top we didn't stay long. The winds were gusting so hard we could hardly breathe. There was still a section of trail covered with snow and ice right below the summit. We'd avoided it on the way up by scrambling over some rocks just off the trail. Sometimes it's easier to climb up rocks than down them, so we carefully descended across the ice, clinging to Aspen trunks to keep from skating off the mountain. Calmer conditions a few minutes below the summit allowed for a brief rest and snack. On the way back to the trailhead we passed a lot of hikers, and by the time we reached the parking lot at 10:00 am it was full. The trail had become fairly crowded. The early bird gets the worm.

Hiking season is here. I'm glad we live in Flagstaff.

The Hike: Mount Elden Lookout
Distance: 5 miles round trip
Starting Elevation: 6,880 feet
Summit Elevation: 9,280 feet
Elevation Gain: 2,400 feet

Links:


Coconino National Forest


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2008 Flagstaff Marathon - Training Prep

I just returned from my third three-miler of the week. It feels good to be out running again. We live at the base of Mt. Elden, and I have easy access to Coconino National Forest trails. Running through the forest beats running on the roads.

Beginning May 19th I will be following the Hal Higdon Marathon Training Schedule. I must be nuts because I'm hoping to complete the Flagstaff Marathon on September 27th. Called the hardest marathon in the Southwest, it is a trail run out at the Flagstaff Nordic Center at approximately 8000 feet elevation.

I've got to lose more than a few pounds!


2008 Flagstaff Marathon
Hal Higdon Marathon Training Schedule


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