Xavier Patiño’s Reviews > The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence > Status Update
Xavier Patiño
is on page 135 of 271
Chapter 5: The Abstractions of Beasts - Sagan speaks about the apes and how they have their own form of intelligence. He speaks about different experimentation that were done and recorded; using ASL, chimps were able to communicate simply with humans and even grasp simple concepts. To say that animals other than human can abstract is somewhat false. Chimps and other taxa have a level of intelligence as well.
— Oct 11, 2017 10:10AM
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Xavier Patiño
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Chapter 9: Knowledge is our Destiny: Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Intelligence - The final chapter speaks about the chances of intelligent life evolving on other planets and how unique the situation was on Earth to create us. If there is life out there where their technological advances surpasses our own by an amazing amount then it might prove that intelligent species won't blow themselves up.
— Oct 16, 2017 10:19AM
Xavier Patiño
is on page 239 of 271
Chapter 8: The Future Evolution of the Brain - At what stage is abortion right to perform? Before the neocortex is developed? Carl Sagan also speaks about mental illness and how memory seems to be stored in the brain. Artificial intelligence is also discussed along with the creation of computer systems and how related the human brain is to computers.
— Oct 15, 2017 09:53AM
Xavier Patiño
is on page 199 of 271
Chapter 7: Lovers and Madmen - Carl explains how the right and left hemispheres of the brain have different functions. The left seems to deal with speech, writing and calculations an the right half with comprehension, ideation and language. The corpus collosum is found in between the two hemispheres and acts like a bridge. Some activities require that both parts collaborate to achieve the desired action.
— Oct 13, 2017 07:29AM
Xavier Patiño
is on page 165 of 271
Chapter 6: Tales of Dim Eden - Humans and mammals dream but what is the evolutionary purpose for them? Mammal-prey are light sleepers, as if to be able to awaken quickly in case of danger. Mammal-predators seem to dream more deeply since they are on top of the food chain. Reptiles don't seem to have REM sleep. The fear of falling and of running away from things seem to be the ancient fears of our ancestors.
— Oct 12, 2017 10:06AM
Xavier Patiño
is on page 113 of 271
Chapter 4: Eden as a Metaphor: The Evolution of Man - Australopithecines were our early human ancestors along with Homo Habilis and Homo Erectus. Fossils found in eastern Africa suggest that humanity most likely started there. Studies of the skulls found show the progression of early humans to homo sapiens and Sagan suggests that Neanderthals might not have been part of the human timeline.
— Oct 11, 2017 04:48AM
Xavier Patiño
is on page 96 of 271
Chapter 3: The Brain & The Chariot - The brain is broken up into pieces; the forebrain, midbrain, cerebellum and other parts as well. The brain is developed from the inside out; The R-Complex (Reptilian), the Limbic System and the Neocortex. It is believed that each section of the brain has a different job but they are not totally separated.
— Oct 10, 2017 09:54AM
Xavier Patiño
is on page 78 of 271
Chapter 2: Genes & Brains - This chapter was a difficult read because of the jargon used and the complexity of the subject. Sagan speaks about the comparison of the size of the brain not being equal to the intelligence level. The ratio between the body size and the brain are not relative to each other. Synapses of the brain send information throughout the body and the brain itself.
— Oct 10, 2017 04:41AM
Xavier Patiño
is on page 21 of 271
Chapter 1: The Cosmic Calendar - Sagan breaks down the immense time period between the Big Bang all the way to the beginning of recorded history. He presents the time by a calendar of December, each day representing a billion years and every second being around 475 revolutions of Earth going around our Sun. Classic Sagan!
— Oct 06, 2017 07:08AM
