The "Backwards" March of Evolution: The Destruction of Self to Ensure the Future

T he “B ackwards ” M arch of E volution : T he D estruction of S elf to E nsure the F uture Wesley Wong While the basic concept of evolution, or descent with modification, has remained more or less constant during the intervening years since its inception, the concept of “why” has undergone significant changes. During the late 1800’s, one offshoot of evolutionary theory rose to prominence: the concept of devolution, or backwards evolution. At this time, England was in the midst of the Victorian era, when the virtues of self-worth and self-sufficiency were heavily valued and appreciated (Brown, 2007). Strong work ethics, combined with beliefs that social barriers could be overcome if one worked hard enough, allowed for increases in social mobility for lower class citizens. Consequently, those perceived as “paupers” were despised due to the perception that their poverty was due to an unwillingness to make an honest living. Simultaneously, Europe’s imperialistic policies and aggressive colonization of other continents contributed to a sense of European superiority over all other beings. In 1877, American anthropologist Lewis H. Morgan published his treatise titled Ancient Society: or Researches in the Lines of Human Progress from Savagery, through Barbarism to Civilization, where he promised to guide the reader along the path of human progression, “bring[ing] forward additional evidence of the rudeness of the early condition of mankind, of the gradual evolution of their mental and moral powers through experience, and of their protracted struggle with opposing obstacles while winning their way to civilization. ” B S J Imagine for a moment that you are on a relaxing vacation in a small yacht, spending your time idly watching the horizon, taking comfort in the endless seas of water before you. To help pass the time, you decide to go fishing, hoping to catch a monstrous fish that will surely be the stuff of legends. After a few moments, you feel a sharp tug and you pull excitedly. However, what comes out is anything but prize- worthy. A hideous nightmare emerges from the other end: a misshapen blob full of spines and teeth stares back at you, almost daring you to even try to eat it. Small, indistinct, blobby growths jut out of its body, as if the fish were in the terminal stages of cancer. This eldritch horror is the deep sea angler, a disturbingly ugly fish that, since 2003, has been scaring children watching the heartwarming adventures of a clownfish looking for his son. Its unique characteristics arise from adaptations to living in the depths of the sea. For example, the small “cancers” described before are actually individual males that have permanently melded with the female, becoming little more than blood-sucking reproductive organs. Such events are known as degenerative events, characterized by the destruction or loss of certain physiological structures, and their evolution has long been the subject of debate. Figure 1. Barnacle Attachment and Maturation. Thoracica are typical barnacles that grow on secure surfaces. Rhizocephala are the parasitic barnacles that utilize specialized stylets to inject cells into the crab host. The dichotomy between primitive and civilized states would bleed its way through all aspects of society, biology not excluded. By this point, Charles Darwin’s then controversial book, On the Origin of Species, had largely become accepted in the biological community. However, misconceptions still abounded. Late 19th century society was categorized into varying hierarchies based on superiority, and biology was to be no exception. During this time period, one model of evolution rose to prominence and has since been characterized as being similar to a Christmas tree (Zimmer, 2000). In this model, all living things were ranked in an ascending ladder of life, with the most primitive of protozoans occupying the bottom rungs while humanity was at its apex. In 1883, devout Christian Henry Drummond declared that as an organism, “thou shalt evolve, thou shalt develop all B erkeley S cientific J ournal • S ave or D estroy • S pring 2012 • V olume 16 • I ssue 2 • 1