I wrote a book review several weeks ago on The Blind Watchmaker. I read the book in preparation for a trip to the Galapagos with my father and 3 of his grandsons (2 of which are my boys). We are on the last day, aboard Celebrity Cruises’ M/S Flora. The boat was specially designed for the Galapagos Islands and is perfect for this adventure. The boat and its crew were amazing, and they created an extraordinary experience.
This is a bucket list trip for my father (and me!). I never made it to Galapagos while I was an oceanographer. The origins of the island over a tectonic “hot spot” in the middle of the Pacific, combined with its exploration and importance to the science of natural history, create a special allure for me. As a former scientist, I am fascinated by the differences and similarities between far flung locations. And these days, I am particularly interested on how species and ecosystems evolve.
The evolution of individual species can take 100,000s to 1,000,000s of years. However, the introduction of a new (invasive) species into a stable ecosystem can change that system rapidly, even leading to the extinction of previously stable populations. As we explore the various islands in the Galapagos, the Park Naturalists tell of the impacts of species like goats and rats to the islands. The various invasive species have been devastating to the native plants and animals. In short, the disruption of an ecosystem can happen at time scales a lot smaller than those of national selection and individual species evolution.
To me, there are analogues in our society to these sort of ecosystem pressures. Poorly disposed chemical can create deadly illnesses and reproductive challenges for humans. And we still don’t understand the long-term dopamine effects of constant engagement with mobile phones and social media. Yet it is our very ability to explore, consider and create new technologies that gives rise to the potential to evolve as humans at a more rapid rate than nature selection. Our ability to modify genetic codes for good (and for ill) suggests that humans can technologically escape and accelerate the evolutionary clock described by Charles Darwin.
The question for me becomes – Can we evolve socially as fast as we can modify our DNA?
The scales of time here are vast and overlapping. The Galapagos Islands at about 5 million years old is about the same age as the evolution of hominids, that bipedal branch that led to modern Homo Sapiens. Yet the islands and its ecosystem are relatively young compared to the age of life on the Earth, which is 1,000 times older. But these islands are 1,000 times older than all of recorded human history. A history that has now given us the ability to alter the very nature of what it means to be a “human”.
So I am surrounded by juxtapositions of time. One can look at the shield volcanos and see epochs in the various flows of lava down their sides and into the sea. And on these flows, young sea lion pups call for their mothers. My father stumbles on smooth volcanic boulders, while his grandsons bound quickly ahead. The sight of the Galapagos (Flightless) Cormorant drying its now unusable wings – how long did it take for steady food and lack of predation to reduce the wings of this species to unnecessary appendages? How much longer before we can create similar changes in ourselves?
It has been a wonderful trip. A chance to connect with 3 generations of family, in a place where the breadth of time is so evidently on display. Each day becomes a gift, and each day only serves to remind me how precious and limited our time together really is.
And I got a chance to swim and “dance” with sea lions.
The agile one is the sea lion.
Time is our only asset that is irreplaceable – and our total amount is completely unknown. My life is too short to evolve the flippers to keep up with this playful youth. But I can “evolve” to better value the time I have.
Especially with the ones I love.