Everythin' you want’s a dream away
— Coldplay
I had to restrain myself from posting these words yesterday on my socials.
I was so pumped that I got up and took a walk to confirm my theory through the possible scenarios I was running through my mind.
The last time I was this happy was five years ago when I discovered my theory could explain the genesis of consciousness, the fractal behaviour — not geometry — of nature, and one of the biggest problems in evolution — the emergence and persistence of cooperation.
The secret lies in the mergers. The theory of Organismal Selection stresses the importance of mergers, but I didn’t know how powerful it can be, until yesterday.
I had my eureka moment after reading a couple of pages from Richard Prum’s book The Evolution of Beauty. I would also attribute it to my deep dive into quorum sensing, the mechanism through which bacteria communicate with each other.
For close to five years, I was stressed about explaining why the tiger, a solitary animal, would find a mate, do a few seconds of honest work, and be on its way. It didn’t make sense to me.
I wasn’t buying the inclusive fitness theory because I was aware of its mishaps. But to understand quorum sensing, I gave it some wiggle room. Combined with the explanation Richard Prum gave about the aesthetic evolution of birds, I found a solution. All the cards fell and in a flash, it made a tonne of sense. Most of my questions were answered.
What’s more, it was still an extension of my theory of Organismal Selection. I shared my excitement with my family members and prepped them for the release of another book. Now I’m sharing it with you, my readers.
My first book had the subtitle: In Search of an Alternative Theory of Evolution. Little did I know I had primed myself to let my problems simmer. And they simmered.
For instance, I couldn’t understand why we are quick to jump into rivers, lakes, oceans, seas, and swimming pools to save a drowning person regardless of their relationship with us. Inclusive fitness doesn’t explain this knee-jerk response.
The other creatures that fascinated me were the Amazon Mollies. They are strictly female. But, they need the sperm to reproduce. Only the sperm, but that’s all. They don’t need the sperm nucleus. The moment the female copulates, with another species — not the same species, interestingly — they dump their sperm. It was one of the strangest stories I’ve ever encountered. These stories don’t make it to general science writing. But I’ll make sure it features in my book.
Also, my theory explains the well-known stories of deadbeat dads. This was the clincher. And when I did a little digging on birds, it checked out even more. The only hint I can give you is one and you can agree with me if it’s right or wrong:
Deadbeat dads are good-looking.
Some would even say they are extremely good-looking. That was the first prediction I made yesterday based on my theory. I want you to tell me if I’m right or wrong. So, do you agree with the statement?
I can almost guess with near certainty your answer. And it was at this point that I knew I had a solid theory. Organismal Selection is the theory that explains what Natural Selection can’t.
You can take that to the bank.
And I’ll release a book on it soon. Surprisingly, in the mix of all this happiness, the song queued on my YouTube feed was Coldplay’s Adventure Of A Lifetime.
Now, I feel my heart beatin'
I feel my heart underneath my skin
Now, I feel my heart beatin'
Coincidence? Maybe!
But I felt my heart beating.
I felt alive again.
A few days prior to this event, I read a piece by a scientist on X who described growth as a series of plateaus.
The plateau phase only changes into an upshoot if you hold on and continue digging. Yesterday, I felt the upshoot.
I had been in the plateau phase for years. Now I found the answers. My mind even explored the consequences of my conclusion in my sleep. I was dreaming of scenarios and explaining them. When I woke up in the morning, I felt energized and more confident than I was when I went to sleep. At work, I was singing with everyone I could. Well, in all honesty, I still sing at work, but this time around it was full-blown happiness.
All I can say is Organismal Selection is a powerful theory. I will make sure the world knows about it.
Finally, I began exploring the title of the book. Initially, I considered Darwin’s title — On the Origin of Species. Then I remembered what Stuart Kauffman did with his book — The Origins of Order. So my first candidate was — The Origin.
The reason was that no contemporary theory of evolution can explain much about the first organism. Also, competition and cooperation only happen when there are at least two organisms. But as for the first organism, there’s a gap. This was the basis of the title of my first book, The First Organism.
Readers often comment about the title, thinking it’s the First Orgasm. It wasn’t intentional. But the discovery felt orgasmic.
Then the song from Coldplay came to mind. Developing this theory was an adventure. It still is. And my theory focuses on the organism. Not the gene in isolation. And organisms live for a lifetime.
Then I considered having that as a title: Adventure of a Lifetime.
I don’t know if Coldplay will hunt me for copyrights or whatever their lawyer might cook. But if they don’t, I intend to go with it. What do you guys think?
If there’s a conflict of interest, I might have to add an extra word and see if it will still stir the waters:
Evolution: The Adventure of a Lifetime.
I will definitely send Coldplay a signed copy of the book once it’s out. As my readers, you’ll be the first to know how that goes. Not soon though, as I’m brushing up on another book manuscript to be launched likely this year. It’s another book I’m also excited to share, a book I know most will relate to. It’s a book for misfits.
Until then, I hope you can feel my heart beating through these words.
I know youthful energy can be capricious, naive, and bound to wane eventually, but this is a feeling I can’t shake. The simplicity of the theory has astounded me for over eight years. And now it’s back with renewed energy. I also know I will face a tonne of rejection and possible ridicule, but you know what? The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing.
In the words of Coldplay, I feel:
Like I’m alive again
Also, from the same song, I reiterate:
If we’ve only got this life
This adventure, oh then I
And if we’ve only got this life
You’ll get me through, oh
And if we’ve only got this life
And this adventure, oh then I
Wanna share it with you
With you, with you
I’ll share this idea in full with you in due time.
This song inspired some of the lines used in this article. Source — YouTube.
Evolution: The Adventure of a Lifetime...
I can't wait to read this book. I know it won't be so soon, but I will be patient. I am curious.