So, when I first start writing these evolution raps, about six months ago,
Some of the early drafts, they sounded kinda like this:
“Yo, yo, the
Ain’t no feces, dawg, believe me…”
And that’s all I could think of
So then I thought, this needs to be re-written
By looking at the similarities in development in different animals, researchers hope to identify ancestral relationships.
And sometimes people ask: “How does your show get written?”
Like this: performance, feedback, revision
And how do I generally develop my lyricism?
Like this: performance, feedback, revision
And how do human beings ever learn to do anything?
Like this: performance, feedback, revision
And evolution is really an algorithm that goes
Like this: performance, feedback, revision
So the of every living thing was written.
Like this: performance, feedback, revision
See, the are like a text with a thousand pages.
And revision occurs in the changes
That come from , and when they see the light
That’s the , that’s the
And is the
That’s about
In the , yes, what I’m saying
Is that a rap performance like this is the best illustration
Of the way
‘Cause the performance is necessary to change the words
A reconstruction of ambulocetus the 'walking whale'.
To decide which have an and which to
To the , in fact I just did that
When you failed to react, ’cause
And mutations occur when I improvise on stage
‘Cause up until this moment, everything I said was off the page.
But now it’s time for me to switch to
, you could examine his thesis
Even though are always trying to
people found for it up in an animal’s fetus.
And found evidence for it up in
Yeah, that’s the bones they found of a walking whale.
I’m kinda cocky with my tales, plus I see
Everytime ; You can
The way they sparkle, with my vocabulary
The proboscis monkey's nose is thought to be a sexually selected characteristic that females find attractive.
Plus they’re kind of impressed that I rap on the
So when I talk to my in my sleep, I’m like “Thank you very
Much!” ‘Cause you gave me the skills to leave mad descendants
Yes, are mad pretentious; I’m just tryin’ to smash these sentences
I’m tryin’ to dispel all creationist myths like I was
Because I think religion is pretty much just an
But I’m gonna have to take it to that place, and rap frickin’ awesome
Yes, you know I’m tryin’ to be the Hip-hop version of
Even though his attitude can sometimes be a
I think his powers of logic are
Plus he’s dealin’ with the central problem of modern life
It’s belief in versus in an afterlife
Which leads to things like animal and
Yeah, I’m tryin to come through kinda shifty
Like I was a purse-snatcher; you can call me the word-master
Most rappers next to me kinda look like
Or I’m just tryin’ to use Darwin
To get a that’s right, that’s how I rip it up
Homo ergaster skull (KNM-ER 3733) discovered by Bernard Ngeneo in 1975 (Kenya)
Creationists are trippin’ up; yes, I’m tryin’ to take it back
To the days of , you could try to follow me
But first you’d better study and base it
On ; otherwise it won’t be very worthy
Just ask ; yes, she had some
That she tried to give to all of us, yes, I’m tryin’ to abolish
All the creationist non-knowledge, and show them evidence
Like the bones of ; yes, this is how I’m just
Tryin’ to represent it for my fam; I learned about my origins
Up in the
And that’s how my show gets written and re-written
Like this: performance, feedback, revision
And anyone can use this algorithm to learn anything
Like this: performance, feedback, revision
But remember, you get the feedback, and you make the decision
Like this: performance, feedback, revision
You wanna know about evolution? This is the definition
Like this: performance, feedback, revision
The genetic code is essentially a
set of instructions present in living cells which can be ‘
translated‘ into the building blocks of molecules (
amino acids) to make proteins,
click on the eucaryote cell to see how. The code has 4 ‘letters’ (
nucleotide bases A, G, T and C) which can form three letter ‘words’ known as
codons (e.g. ATG, CCG). Each of these codons codes for one of 20 amino acids used to make proteins. The code is
degenerate, there is in-built redundancy as there are 64 different codons for only 20 amino acids i.e. many of the amino acids are coded for by more than one codon.
Although the human genome consists of only 4 letters, A, G, C and T (
nucleotides) there are 3 billion of these letters (the letters form words (
codons) which give instructions on how to make
proteins). As a ‘book’ all these letters and words would fill two-hundred, 500 page telephone directories and stack 61 meters (200 ft) high. It would also take a century to recite if we recited at 1 letter per second, 24 hours per day
Changes in your genome sequence are effectively random. They happen by chance with no anticipation of their effect. Mutations can be caused by errors in the DNA copying process during cell division, imagine a someone mispelling a word in a sentence or putting it in the wrong place, thereby changing the meaning of the sentence. Radiation, viruses and chemicals can also cause mutations
A mutation is a change in a DNA sequence. To find out more about DNA, nucleotides and genomes why not play the
DNA heroes game?
From the perspective of evolution, every living thing can be viewed as a performance of its genes, “testing” their suitability to the environment.
A
phenotype is any observable characteristic in an individual and can include things like height, eye colour and blood type
Natural selection is the process by which characteristics (e.g. in birds beak size or feather colour) that make individuals well suited to their local environment increase in frequency relative to those less well adapted. There is NO PROGRESS in evolution. Species are only as well adapted as per the conditions of the environment they exist in. It is quite possible that a species that was successful could go extinct when the environment changes as its characteristics are no longer suitable. Take for example the
changing colour of fur in deer mice or human
tolerance to milk. There are
three types of selection:
directional, stabilising and disruptive
In biological systems, such as an organism or even a whole ecosystem, feedback occurs because there is an optimum range in which one can function. Feedback systems are important in controlling body temperature; you feel thirsty and seek shade when it is hot, for example. A large number of foxes in a small space may lead to a decline in the rabbit population; this in turn means there is not as much food available for the foxes so they decrease in number which allows the rabbit population to expand once again.
“Survival of the fittest” in evolutionary theory is actually a short-hand for “disproportionate reproduction” of the most well fitted to the environment in question
Each ‘next generation’ consists only of the most (evolutionarily) successful genes from the previous generation within the context of the current environment i.e. if running fast and being skinny may be the key to survival in the savanna, but if that savanna were to disappear and become wetlands, swimming may be the key to survival
“Descent with Modification” was Darwin’s preferred short-hand for his theory. He did occasionally use “Survival of the Fittes” as well and it is a common misconception that Darwin coined this phrase. It was actually done so by
Herbert Spencer. Darwin writes: “
I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term Natural Selection, in order to mark its relation to mans power of selection. But the expression often used by Mr. Herbert Spencer of the Survival of the Fittest is more accurate.” Why not
find out how much genetic material you share with other organisms.
Rappers use performances to test their lyrics just like evolution ‘uses’ living things to ‘test’ their genes
In evolution, reproductive failure is the equivalent of getting “boo-ed off stage” by nature
Of course, some lines can change more easily than others, just as some genes undergo
rapid mutation while others remain relatively unchanged
to find out more about how genes spread why not play the
Ginger Dawn game? hint: it involves making as many redheads as possible
This next section of the rap was improvised instead of written; however, it was not all improvised in one pass. It was stitched together from about half a dozen recorded freestyles, the most appealing (successful and pleasing to the audience) of which appears here.
Darwrin’s original thesis-that all living things have descended from a single common ancestor and that the primary mechanism of change is natural selection-has been overwhelmingly confirmed by all modern science
Creationism is one of many religious beliefs which holds that human life, the Earth and the Universe are created by a supernatural being. Creationism aims to reconcile science and evidence (e.g. the fossil record) with the Genesis creation narrative
No creationist challenge to evolutionary theory has ever stood up to critical investigation
‘Evo devo’ is short hand for ‘evolution and development’. This field of research examines the early development of different organisms in order to uncover the ancestral relationships between them
Evidence in the context of scientific refers to observations and conclusions drawn up using the ‘
scientific method’. This often starts with a question, followed by further research which allows you to come up with various possible explanations or hypotheses. These hypotheses then need to be tested (experiment) and the resulting data needs to be analysed so you can form a conclusion
Technically ambulocetus was discovered by
paleontologist rather than archaeologists; the difference between the two fields is that archaeology is the study of the entirety of human history and society using what has been left behind (bones, buildings, tools, coins etc.) whereas paleontology is the study of prehistoric life and includes the study of fossils like that of ambulocetus. Transitional fossils may be rare, but not as rare as 100% accurate improvised rap!
Meaning ‘walking whale’,
ambulocetus existed 50 million years ago and was a marine
mammal which looked a bit like a furry crocodile or giant otter. Fossils found in Pakistan
suggest this marine mammal could walk and swim, hence it is known as a
transitional fossil and illustrates an intermediate stage or evolutionary transition.
Evidence is found both in its physical manifestations, such as fossils and physiology, and also in the predictions it makes about behaviour, a field known as ‘ethology’ or ‘
behavioural ecology‘.
The leading evolutionary theory for the origins of complex language and poetry is Darwin’s theory of
sexual selection. With this type of selection traits (looks / physical characteristics etc) in a population increase because they help an organism to
acquire more mates. Think of a peacocks beautiful tail which females are attracted to for example (
female mate choice); or a deers’ antlers and the teeth elephant seals use to defend territory and their harem (
male-male competition).
Comparative anatomy studies and psychology experiments have shown that the human eyes have evolved to communicate as well as see. Although other animals also have sclera (white of the eyes) in humans it is particularly noticeable as our iris is comparatively small. The contrast between the iris and and white sclera make it very
obvious to see what someone else is looking at which can be useful in cooperative tasks and signaling. There is some evidence that domesticated
dogs have learnt to pick up on these clear ‘eye’ signals as well.
In the context of human evolution, a group of living species which share an evolutionary ancestor are said to be of common descent. Modern humans and neanderthals have a
common ancestor (
Homo heidelbergensis) around 400,000 years ago while humans and chimpanzees have a common ancestor around 5-7 million years ago
See Dennett’s
TED talk on ‘Why babies are cute and Why cake is sweet’.
Anaesthetics are molecules (drugs) which cause a reversible loss in sensation and are often used during surgery.
Establised the
Richard Dawkins Foundation for reason and science which aims to: “to support scientific education, critical thinking and evidence-based understanding of the natural world in the quest to overcome religious fundamentalism, superstition, intolerance and human suffering.
Authors note: I have the utmost respect for Professor Dawkins, but shortly before recording this freestyle I met him at a festival and was treated somewhat dismissively, so this is obviously my wounded pride exacting its semi-conscious revenge, plus you have to admit the rhyme scheme is compelling.
Repetition is one of the hallmarks of freestyle, much like the
pseudogenes, dysfunctional copies of known genes that no longer code (correctly) for proteins i.e. they are no longer ‘expressed’ in a cell hence they are sometimes known as ‘junk DNA’
Project Reason is a good place to find out more about rational thinking
“Passive belief” because there exists no compelling evidence or scientific basis for the existence of an afterlife and yet the notion remains popular.
Human sacrifice is the act of killing a human being as part of a religious ritual and has been practiced by numerous cultures across the world
Homo ergaster was an early species of
Homo who lived between 2.5 to 1.7 million years ago.
Named ‘upright man’ for it’s
bipedal posture, this early and species of
Homo was incredibly successful who lived for over (approximately 1.8 million to ) and showed steps towards the typically ‘big brain’ of modern humans (their cranial capacity was about 900 cc while in modern humans it is about 1350 cc) and human limb proportions.
P
rimatology is the study of non human primates (monkeys and apes) and includes everything from anatomy to behaviour and communication to name just a few
Hrdy is an anthropologist and primatologist who has made
major contributions to evolutionary psychology.
Author’s note: The “theories” that my free-styling brain groped after but failed to recall are Hrdy’s original insight that promiscuity in primates (including us) may be a female evolutionary strategy for confusing paternity and thus preventing acts of infanticide by jealous usurping males.
The
Tiktaalik is an extinct species of fish alive around 375 million years ago. With the head of a crocodile and the gills of a fish, it shows an evolutionary transition between swimming fish and their descendants, four legged vertebrates, including amphibians, dinosaurs, birds and mammals.
Published in 1871 Darwin’s
The Descent of Manapplied the evolutionary theories set out in the
Origin of Species to human evolution as well as a final chapter on
sexual selection. The book set set off heated public
debate.
Baba – your powers of persuasion are frickin’ awesome! You make Natural Selection so easy to understand…even a caveman can do it (or a Young Earth Creationist). Brilliant!
Excellent!
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I see great potential here – what with the whole site and everything…
Kudos!
Haha, I love it!!
As an evolutionary geneticist I approve of this. Very, very nicely done. I bet kids love this. Keep it up bro!
Dr. D keepin’ it real. Now back to the street, kickin’ it with my homies.
Performance, feedback, revision! I love it. I’m a grad student studying evolution right now — and I think this is just fantastic! Some feedback for your next set of videos: I notice that the first two posted here are in minor chords. I propose you mix it up and add some major melodies as well : ) Great job!
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Thanks for the performance. My feedback:
1. McGrath demolishes Richard Dawkins in his book _The Dawkins Delusion_ and at http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Alister+McGrath+Dawkins+Delusion&mid=549F931037B345F89943549F931037B345F89943&view=detail&FORM=VIRE1.
2. In _The Language of Science and Faith_, Giberson and Collins show that Stephen Hawkings’ multiverse hypothesis, as an alternative to the idea that a Creator has fine-tuned our universe, is rather faith-based and irrelevant. (See pp. 189-90.)
3. Baba’s charming, informative presentation certainly has a creator–Baba! Why wouldn’t our fabulously rich universe and our intriguing existence on earth have one as well? I’ll have more comments, but I’d welcome Baba’s response–and perhaps revision!
Thanks for your feedback Dan. I wouldn’t revise my lyrics based on feedback from the likes of McGrath or Collins (unless Collins found a technical error in my take on genetics), but I will happily refer you to Biologist P Z Myers for a much more incisive response to McGrath’s criticism of Dawkins than I could come up with myself. Enjoy: http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/08/they_let_anybody_onto_the_facu.php
Keep in mind that the songs on this website are intended to summarize the current scientific consensus in regards to evolution, and if the findings of science are offensive to your personal religious beliefs, then so much the worse for your beliefs.
Baba
Also, here is a more rigorous but less entertaining evisceration of McGrath: http://homepages.shu.ac.uk/~llrdjb/shs/delusion.html
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You actually make it appear so easy together with your presentation however I find this matter to be actually something that I feel I might by no means understand. It kind of feels too complex and very wide for me. I am having a look forward in your next publish, I’ll try to get the dangle of it!
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I heard about you guys on NPR! Great work!
This has always been one of my favs off the Rap Guide to Evolution album. Now I have the visual. You can be sure my intro biological anthropology students will be watching this in class and humming during exams. Keep up the awesome work Baba!!!
Thanks Jin! If you use the video in your classroom please take a moment to fill out the survey and let me know how it was received!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/evolutionvideos
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