SEPTEMBER 23, 2008

Monkeying Around

Did you know that macaue monkeys have learned how to fish?  Researchers have discovered a group of these primates in Indonesia that have adapted to their changing environment and shifting food sources by foraging along rivers and scooping up small fish with their hands.  While this behavior seems isolated, the question is, will future generations of monkeys imitate their elders? And is this an indication of how current species who might be endangered will have to adapt to survive?

It might be the question we should be asking ourselves as human beings in light of our dwindling resources.  When NPR asked Ray Kurzweil, author of “Singularity is Near:  When Humans Transcend Biology,” if there is a chance we could use up the Earth and have to move off of it, he was optimistic that desertion would not be necessary.  What will be needed, he says, is for us to be adaptable enough to utilize untapped resources.  He cites as an example the emerging development of  nano-technology solar collectors that can harness the almost limitless power of the sun.

Talking about a video of a speech Kurzweil made in 2006 at a TED Conference, Donald Latumahina noted in his blog, Life Optimizers:

“There is a statement in the video that interests me. Kurzweil said that while a single technological event seems chaotic, as a whole those events reveal a clear pattern. In this case, the pattern is exponential growth.”

So according to Kurzweil’s theory, while it may seem that we are taking only small or random steps to save ourselves, in the future progress will be more rapid and straightforward than it appears now. We can’t gauge the true scope of this progress because we’re experiencing it; the confines of our own lifetimes keep us from having a clear view of the bigger picture.

But, take heart.  While the monkeys harvest the fish, we will capture the sun.  Maybe there is hope for us yet.