Method of Testing for the Internal Evolutionary  Mechanism (IEM)  © John Latter 1999

Revision 2: Inclusion of part 5d), 29 May 99

5) Contents:

5a) Introduction
5b) The Method
5c) An experiment that met the criteria
5d) An "unfocussed " experiment that met the criteria
5e) An example from Nature

5a) Introduction

   The model proposes that evolution of the single-cell common ancestors began when changes in the physical constancy of the world exceeded the limits within which equilibrium could be maintained. When life forms became multi-cellular evolutionary changes at the level of the AONE filtered "downwards" into the organism leading to cell differentiation and the formation of externally identifiable structures. Eventually evolution of the brain also caused an "upwards" expansion into consciousness, a process currently culminating in the intellectual capabilities of Man. Consciousness in this context, for organisms other than Man, merely means awareness of the external world and nothing more (e.g. when a bird lands on a surface it doesn't stop flying 2 feet above it nor attempt to do so 2 feet below, the bird may not know what the surface is but it certainly knows it is there).

5b) The Method

  Discounting all Supernatural Agencies means that all "information" relevant to maintaining continuity of Being has to be passed from one generation to another via the genome. This in turn suggests that hereditary behaviour may provide the key to a suitable method of testing that will prove or disprove the existence of the internal evolutionary mechanism.

  It is proposed that the AONE has access to the (integrated) ancestral experience of itself which, when appropriate, generates the impulse to the consciousness known as "instinct". The unthinking and unintelligent organism then performs the physical actions necessary to give the instinct expression, its a way of saying "this worked before, do it again". Setting up a conflict between what "worked before" and "what is happening now" could, under the conditions outlined below, induce an initial genetic change that can be subsequently expanded upon. (Ethologists may recognize this aspect of the AONE as the "Innate Releasing Mechanism" [1] with access to the ancestral experience having an equivalence, in some instances, to the concept of "Action Specific Energy").

  The basic approach would involve waiting until an internally triggered instinct occurs (in preference to one triggered by external stimuli) and then altering an external parameter that the behavior is dependent upon. The degree of alteration should reflect the physical capabilities of the organism and, as the following example illustrates, the more essential to maintaining continuity of Being the external parameter is at the moment in time it is varied then the more likelihood there will be of inducing a genetic change.

5c) An experiment that met the Criteria

   The willow moth caterpillar begins pupation by crawling onto a leaf and, after pulling the tip over, wrapping the leaf around itself before fastening it down with a web. About 65 years ago Harry Schroeder [2] waited until the caterpillars were on the leaves before cutting all of the tips off, the caterpillars responded by using the sides of the leaves instead and pupation continued normally thereafter. The moths that emerged had had a common experience but the individuality of Life can be seen by what happened when the nineteen offspring they subsequently produced began their pupation:

1) The genome of some of these second generation caterpillars hadn't been changed and they continued to use the tips of the leaves as normal.

2) A change in the genome may have been induced in others who, on seeing the tips "available", simply reverted to the earlier way of Being.

3) The genome had been changed in four caterpillars who used the side of the leaves despite the tips being available.

  Pupation is obviously essential to maintaining continuity of Being and cutting off the tips of the leaves at that point in time set up a conflict in the AONE between "what had been" and "what was". The first generation caterpillars were physically capable of using the sides of the leaves and did so but in some the threshold of the AONE was exceeded to the degree that the genome was altered. The instinct available to their offspring thus became "crawl onto a leaf, now take the side...". If the tips hadn't reappeared then, at pupation, the AONE of these particular second generation caterpillars wouldn't have been upset by a difference between "what had been" and "what was". Restoring the tips may have caused the change to their genome to be reversed either immediately or within a few generations at most (similar to the reversion of bacteria when a pesticide is removed).

  Though apparently "only" a change in hereditary behaviour the potential for other changes is there. Its a lot easier to lift the corner of a carpet than to do so half-way along its length. If the experiment had been continued and if, for example, using the sides of the leaves exceeded the physical thresholds of the caterpillar AONE to too great a degree then, with succeeding generations, evolutionary changes would follow until equilibrium was restored.

 It is understandable to see hereditary behaviour as something acquired from the past but, as the above indicates, it is actually something given to the future. A reminder that all life forms have evolved from the single-cell Common Ancestor.

5d) An "unfocussed " experiment that met the criteria

   Frederick Griffiths performed a series of experiments in which he placed rats on slowly revolving turn-tables for periods of up to 18 months or so [2]. When the rats were removed from the turn-tables their heads flicked constantly in the direction of rotation and so did their eyes. These newly acquired characteristics then appeared in their offspring.

   Though not as focussed as the proposed method of testing is capable of the experiment still falls within it's criteria for these reasons:

   a) Rats have followed their own evolutionary path since the time of the single-cell common ancestor and inherent in the genome of those who were placed on the turn-tables is that the previous 3.6 billion years of life on earth did not consist of going around in (relatively) small circles.

   b) The rats had no awareness of being on a "turn-table". The world had changed and, from the perspective of the AONE, the difference between "what was" and "what is" must have been colossal. Non-thinking and non-intelligent the first genetic changes were made to restore equilibrium within the new environment.

   c) The offspring of the rats experimented upon could have been born:

       i) Without any genetic change
       ii) Head flicking only
       iii) Eyes flicking only

   d) For the offspring to be born with both head and eyes flicking demonstrates a co-ordinated internal attempt to restore the equilibrium of the AONE.

5e) An example from Nature

  A possible scenario to explain the various species of finches found by Darwin on the Galapagos Islands [3]: The original ancestor finch(es) didn't "recognize" the range of food available but, being capable of eating it, did so. If finch "A" ate foodstuff "A" and finch "B" ate foodstuff "B" with the result that the thresholds of their respective AONEs were exceeded in different ways then any changes to their genomes  would also be correspondingly different.

References:

[1] Richard D. Gross (1989): Psychology - The Science of Mind and Behaviour, pp 358-9. Hodder & Stoughton, London
[2] Gordon Rattray Taylor (1983): The Great Evolution Mystery, pp 48-49. Secker & Warburg, London
[3] Christian de Duve (1995): Vital Dust - Life as a Cosmic Imperative, p 296. BasicBooks, New York

6) Conclusion

   Though the above outline contains some speculative statements at the core is a simple model with the potential to account for various "problems" of current theory ranging from the occurrence of co-ordinated evolutionary changes to why some organisms have "failed" to evolve any further.

   Other arguments could be used in support of the proposal but ultimately it is the method of testing that will determine whether it has any basis in reality or not.
 
 
    

 [+76]