Summary of Eric Cassell's Animal Algorithms

By IRB Media

Get the Summary of Eric Cassell's Animal Algorithms in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book.Original book introduction:How do some birds, turtles, and insects possess navigational abilities that rival the best manmade navigational technologies? Who or what taught the honey bee its dance, or its hive mates how to read the complex message of the dance? How do blind mound-building termites master passive heating and cooling strategies that dazzle skilled human architects? In The Origin of Species Charles Darwin conceded that such instincts are “so wonderful” that the mystery of their origin would strike many “as a difficulty sufficient to overthrow my whole theory.” In Animal Algorithms, Eric Cassell surveys recent evidence and concludes that the difficulty remains, and indeed, is a far more potent challenge to evolutionary theory than Darwin imagined.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Nov 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638157359

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

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Insights on Eric Cassell's Animal Algorithms

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

There is genius in the tiny world of insects. Their brains can be as small or smaller than a sesame seed, and yet they are able to perform extraordinary mental feats.

#2

Some animals, like the ones discussed above, have innate behaviors that seem to be difficult for them to perform without. These behaviors seem to be very hard-coded into the animals’ brains.

#3

Complex programmed behaviors exist across the animal kingdom, but the focus of this book will be on less advanced animals to avoid anthropomorphizing.

#4

Explaining the origin of complex animal behaviors, such as the behavior of honeybees or termite mounds, is difficult because such behaviors do not seem to be underlain by a simple set of rules.

#5

The idea that species cannot change stems from the idea of natural selection, which states that only the strongest survive. But this overlooks the fact that all living things develop from simpler forms through the process of evolution.

#6

The idea of animal instinct, which was first put forth by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, states that animal behaviors can be inherited. Darwin developed a theory that explained how animal instincts could be passed down through generations.

#7

Neo-Darwinism is the prevailing view in modern evolutionary theory. It states that evolution is based on random