On Tue, Apr 15, 2014 at 12:44 AM, Russell Standish <[email protected]>wrote:
> On Mon, Apr 14, 2014 at 01:51:22PM +0200, Telmo Menezes wrote: > > Hi Alberto, > > > > > So who knows what our biological program looks like or how complex it is? > > There are compelling reasons to think that it is very complex indeed. For > > example: a counter-intuitive empirical observation is that the propensity > > to procreate diminishes with prosperity. This simple observation already > > falsifies the algorithm you propose. It could be that we have several > modes > > of operation: under scarcity try to have as much offspring as possible, > > betting that some will make it -- this would be survival mode. Under > > prosperity, bet on a high likelihood of survival of any offspring, and > > instead avoid diluting the resources, in an attempt of maximising the > > quality of the partners that your offspring can find. All of these is > pure > > speculation of course -- just like yours. > > > > Biologists call your "survival mode" r-strategists (for > r-selection). The other mode, involving extensive investment in > offspring are known as K-strategists. > > Humans are inveterate K-strategists. Rabbits (or cockroaches) are > r-strategists. > > The r and the K come from the logistic equation > > dx/dt = rx(1-x/K) > > where r is the reproductive rate (net of births & deaths) and K is the > environmental carrying capacity. > Nice. Thanks Russell! > > Cheers > > -- > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prof Russell Standish Phone 0425 253119 (mobile) > Principal, High Performance Coders > Visiting Professor of Mathematics [email protected] > University of New South Wales http://www.hpcoders.com.au > > Latest project: The Amoeba's Secret > (http://www.hpcoders.com.au/AmoebasSecret.html) > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Everything List" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
