Thought Of The Day

(left: sea dragon | right: stone fish | photos taken at Sydney aquarium)

I last week completed a long pending trip to Sydney aquarium. For someone who was and is still fascinated by the beauty and the ways of nature, the visit was quite fulfilling. I also last week saw this David Attenbourogh documentary (called First Life) which again was a treat to watch especially in High Definition. The documentary investigates rise of multi-cellular and complex organisms from the much simpler life forms some time about 542 million years ago in an epoch called the Cambrian Explosion. Post this event, life forms evolved quickly as if put on steroids. From the earlier simpler self-similar fractal forms that needed 10-20 genetic codes to live to bi-symmetrical segmented & crusted organisms with mobility and then eventually to organism that had organs and complex body functions. Life indeed evolved fast considering the pace of changes that happened prior to this epoch and when you consider that most of these forms were eventually made extinct (up to 99% in some fauna groups) in another event called (P-T Extinction event) and other events we still have lot of diversity left on this small planet of ours. It is so fascinating to think and wonder how we reached here to the stage we are and probably who knows we may not be the masters of this world for times to come.

In probably another couple million years humans may evolve with longer or more agile fingers or maybe more fingers (to work on the touch pads, if they are still around), they may evolve with smaller gut (as we go into more protein rich diet) or may be fur over our bodies (if we enter a never ending ice age) or who knows what. Evolution is never ending. It has no path or endpoint or a form to reach. It will never stop. We are evolving as we speak, as we type and as we breathe. Who knows what we come to. For a moment, sit back and wonder at this ultimate movie playing we call Earth!