Sunday, November 13, 2016
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Notes on "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond
Chapter 1 Up to the starting line
The spread of humans around the world:
1) Separate from chimpanzee— 7 million years ago
2) Bipedal—4 million years ago
3) Our prohuman cousins—Australopithecus afarensis (3 million years), Homo habilis (2.8 million years), Australopithecus africanus (2.5 million years), Australopithecus Sediba (2 million years), Homo naledi (2 million years), Homo erectus (1.9 million years), Homo neanderthalensis (250,000 years), Homo floresiensis (18,000 years)
4) 1st wave of Out of Africa—Homo erectus around 1 million years ago to Java, Indonesia
5) Colonization of Europe—0.5 million years ago
6) 2nd wave of Out of Africa—Homo sapients around 50,000 years ago: appearance of Cro-Magnons and extinct of Neanderthals in Europe, arriving at Australia/new Guinea ~40,000 years ago, arriving at Serbia ~20,000 years ago, colonizing America ~13,000 years ago
Chapter 2 A natural experiment of history
December 1835, Chatham island, hunter-gather Moriori people were extinguished by agricultural Mori people
The contribution of environmental factors: climate, geological type, marine resources, area, terrain fragmentation, and isolation.
Environmental difference—> subsistence—> population and social complexity
Why strong nation always invade weak nation even for poor resources?
Chapter 3 Collision at Cajamarca
November 16, 1532 at Cajamarca, Peru
Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro vs Inca Emperor Atahuallpa
168 vs 80,000 soldiers
guns, amours, horses, germs, writing, organizations
Chapter 4 Farmer power
domestic plants, animals—> more foods, more people, more germs and diseases—> more complex society—> more specialists (king, priest, soldier, artisan, bureaucrats)—> more technology and explorations
Chapter 5 History's haves and have-nots
When and where the first plants and animals were domesticated?
Independent domestication centers: South west Asia (wheat, pea, olive, sheep, goat), China (rice, millet, pig, silkworm), Mesoamerica (corn, beans, squash, turkey), Andes and Amazonia (potato, manioc, llama, guinea pig), Eastern US (sunflower, goosefoot)
Chapter 6 To farm or not to farm
competition of farming, hunter-gather, and herder, farming became dominant because:
1) decline of wild food availability
2) increase production of domesticable wild plant
3) innovative technologies for collecting, processing, and storing foods
4) rising food production and increasing population density
5) famers displace hunter-gathers
Chapter 7 Ho to make an almond
artificial domestication vs natural selection
Chapter 8 Apples or Indians
Why agriculture never arise independently in some fertile areas (California, Australia)? local people and available wild plants.
Why all major domesticated plants derived from thousands years ago? Our ancestors have tried all? The domesticated ones are enough for food supply?
Advantage of Fertile Crescent— climate (mild wet winter, long dry summer), available easily domesticated plants, high percentage of hermaphroditic selfers.
Advantage of Fertile Crescent over other mediterranean zones– high diversity of wild plants; greatest variation of climate with high percentage of annual plants; wild range of altitudes and topographies within a shot distance; variable domesticated mammals: goat, sheep, pig,cow; less competition from hunter-gatherers.
Size of the seeds/Abundance/Production/
Chapter 9 Zebras, Unhappy marriages and the Anna Karenina principle
Why major livestocks were domesticated in Eurasia but not America, Australia, or Africa?
1) large area and ecological diversity with more candidates
2) lost candidates due to human invasion with advanced techniques
3) Suitability: dirt, growth rate, mating habits, disposition, tendency to panic, social organizations.
Chapter 10 Spacious skills and tilted axies
Why domesticated crops and livestocks spread faster in Eurasia than that in Africa and America?
Climate are similar in 30-40 degree latitude for survival and breeding.
Chapter 11 Lethal gift of livestock
Why Indians were eliminated 95% by germs?
increased population density (farm, city)—> increased domesticated animals—> increased epidemics
Chapter 12 Blueprints and borrowed letters
Sumerian, Egyptian,Chinese, and Mexico developed their own writings, all other writings derived from them.
Why? Food production and connections
Chapter 13 Necessity's mother
I read this book for the 2nd time, truly finished the whole book this time. It is an enjoyable reading. After reading many different books on human evolution and anthropology, I think this is the one I like the most so far, with clear and well organized ideas and arguments, also cautious conclusions.
I am most interested in the question "Why Europe, not China?" about the modern science origin. I quite agree that unity may inhibit the competition, which is the basic for science and technology. That is true of China for the past 2000 years. Yet, it's complicated. There are many other factors, say a few, the dominant golden mean doctrine of Confucianism, the contempt of commercials, and strong parental control.
The author argues population growth is the start of civilization and the advantage of one state against the other. This may be true in the beginning, in China's case, before 15 century. The continued population growth after some point will slow down the progress for short of resources unless the problem is solved by technological change. It happened that China didn't seek this solution to explore overseas to get more resources to support more people, but let the heaven to solve the problem by famine and war. Why? just a haphazard incident. If the Ming emperor didn't stop the oversea fleet building and commerce with Arab and Africa and Europe then, it will be another result now.
The spread of humans around the world:
1) Separate from chimpanzee— 7 million years ago
2) Bipedal—4 million years ago
3) Our prohuman cousins—Australopithecus afarensis (3 million years), Homo habilis (2.8 million years), Australopithecus africanus (2.5 million years), Australopithecus Sediba (2 million years), Homo naledi (2 million years), Homo erectus (1.9 million years), Homo neanderthalensis (250,000 years), Homo floresiensis (18,000 years)
4) 1st wave of Out of Africa—Homo erectus around 1 million years ago to Java, Indonesia
5) Colonization of Europe—0.5 million years ago
6) 2nd wave of Out of Africa—Homo sapients around 50,000 years ago: appearance of Cro-Magnons and extinct of Neanderthals in Europe, arriving at Australia/new Guinea ~40,000 years ago, arriving at Serbia ~20,000 years ago, colonizing America ~13,000 years ago
Chapter 2 A natural experiment of history
December 1835, Chatham island, hunter-gather Moriori people were extinguished by agricultural Mori people
The contribution of environmental factors: climate, geological type, marine resources, area, terrain fragmentation, and isolation.
Environmental difference—> subsistence—> population and social complexity
Why strong nation always invade weak nation even for poor resources?
Chapter 3 Collision at Cajamarca
November 16, 1532 at Cajamarca, Peru
Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro vs Inca Emperor Atahuallpa
168 vs 80,000 soldiers
guns, amours, horses, germs, writing, organizations
Chapter 4 Farmer power
domestic plants, animals—> more foods, more people, more germs and diseases—> more complex society—> more specialists (king, priest, soldier, artisan, bureaucrats)—> more technology and explorations
Chapter 5 History's haves and have-nots
When and where the first plants and animals were domesticated?
Independent domestication centers: South west Asia (wheat, pea, olive, sheep, goat), China (rice, millet, pig, silkworm), Mesoamerica (corn, beans, squash, turkey), Andes and Amazonia (potato, manioc, llama, guinea pig), Eastern US (sunflower, goosefoot)
Chapter 6 To farm or not to farm
competition of farming, hunter-gather, and herder, farming became dominant because:
1) decline of wild food availability
2) increase production of domesticable wild plant
3) innovative technologies for collecting, processing, and storing foods
4) rising food production and increasing population density
5) famers displace hunter-gathers
Chapter 7 Ho to make an almond
artificial domestication vs natural selection
Chapter 8 Apples or Indians
Why agriculture never arise independently in some fertile areas (California, Australia)? local people and available wild plants.
Why all major domesticated plants derived from thousands years ago? Our ancestors have tried all? The domesticated ones are enough for food supply?
Advantage of Fertile Crescent— climate (mild wet winter, long dry summer), available easily domesticated plants, high percentage of hermaphroditic selfers.
Advantage of Fertile Crescent over other mediterranean zones– high diversity of wild plants; greatest variation of climate with high percentage of annual plants; wild range of altitudes and topographies within a shot distance; variable domesticated mammals: goat, sheep, pig,cow; less competition from hunter-gatherers.
Size of the seeds/Abundance/Production/
Chapter 9 Zebras, Unhappy marriages and the Anna Karenina principle
Why major livestocks were domesticated in Eurasia but not America, Australia, or Africa?
1) large area and ecological diversity with more candidates
2) lost candidates due to human invasion with advanced techniques
3) Suitability: dirt, growth rate, mating habits, disposition, tendency to panic, social organizations.
Chapter 10 Spacious skills and tilted axies
Why domesticated crops and livestocks spread faster in Eurasia than that in Africa and America?
Climate are similar in 30-40 degree latitude for survival and breeding.
Chapter 11 Lethal gift of livestock
Why Indians were eliminated 95% by germs?
increased population density (farm, city)—> increased domesticated animals—> increased epidemics
Chapter 12 Blueprints and borrowed letters
Sumerian, Egyptian,Chinese, and Mexico developed their own writings, all other writings derived from them.
Why? Food production and connections
Chapter 13 Necessity's mother
I read this book for the 2nd time, truly finished the whole book this time. It is an enjoyable reading. After reading many different books on human evolution and anthropology, I think this is the one I like the most so far, with clear and well organized ideas and arguments, also cautious conclusions.
I am most interested in the question "Why Europe, not China?" about the modern science origin. I quite agree that unity may inhibit the competition, which is the basic for science and technology. That is true of China for the past 2000 years. Yet, it's complicated. There are many other factors, say a few, the dominant golden mean doctrine of Confucianism, the contempt of commercials, and strong parental control.
The author argues population growth is the start of civilization and the advantage of one state against the other. This may be true in the beginning, in China's case, before 15 century. The continued population growth after some point will slow down the progress for short of resources unless the problem is solved by technological change. It happened that China didn't seek this solution to explore overseas to get more resources to support more people, but let the heaven to solve the problem by famine and war. Why? just a haphazard incident. If the Ming emperor didn't stop the oversea fleet building and commerce with Arab and Africa and Europe then, it will be another result now.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Notes on "Seven Skeletons" by Lydia Pyne
1. The old man of La Chapelle:
When: Aug.3,1908
Who: Amédée Bouyssonie, Jean Bouyssonie, Louis
Bardon
Where: La Chapelle-aux-Saints, France
What: Neanderthal skeleton (50,000 years)
Characteristics: adult male, severely curved
spine, bent knees, jutted head, large brow ridge, complete in burial, Neanderthal
Publication: L'Homme Fossile de La
Chapelle-aux-Saints by Marcellin Boule (1911)
Fiction: La Guerre u Feu by
Boex brothers
Reevaluation: osteoarthritis by William Straus
and A.J.E. Cave (1955)
2. Piltdown man:
When: Feb.14,1912
Who: Charles Dawson
Where: Piltdown, UK
What: fake fossil of ancient human (500,000
years)
Characteristics: mix of a "human skull
of medieval age, a 500-year-old lower jaw of an orangutan and chimpanzee fossil
teeth"
Exposed: 1953
3. Taung child:
When: 1924
Who: Raymond Dart
Where: Taung, South Africa
What: skull of a child (2,500,000 years), Australopithecus
africanus
Characteristics: the position of the forman
magnum indicates its bipedal
4. Peking man:
When: Dec.2, 1929
Who: Wenzhong Pei
Where: Zhoukoudian, Beijing, China
What: human-like skull(750,000 years), Homo
erectus
Characteristics: heavy brows and large chinless
jaws
5. Lucy:
When: Nov.24, 1974
Who: Tom Gray and Donald Johanson
Where: Hadar, Ethiopia, Africa
What: partial skeleton of an old female hominin
(3,250,000 years), Australopithecus afarensis
Characteristics: fragments including jaw,
cranial, spine, ribs, humerus, radial, ulnar, pelvic, femur, tibia
Publications: Lucy, the beginnings of
humankind by Donald Johanson, 1981; The quest for human
origins by Donald Johnson, 2009
6. Flo:
When: 2003
Who: Thomas Sutikna
Where: Lian Bua, Island of Flores, Indonesia
What: Small female skeleton (18,000 years),Homo
floresiensis
Characteristics:adult female, 3 feet tall, 35-65
pounds, small cranium about the size of chimpanzee's
7. Sediba:
When: Aug.15, 2008
Who: Matthew Berger and Lee Berger
Where: Malapa Nature Reserve, South Africa
What: human like skull(2,000,000 years), Australopithecus
sediba
Characteristics: link between ape and human?
Though it's a fast way to pick up some legacies
in paleoanthropology, I am disappointed with little scientific discussions
about the famous skeletons.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
舊地重遊
讀卡爾維諾的《看不見的城市》，感慨於他對城市精緻深入地描繪，也觸動我最近在幾個城市舊地重遊的思考。參觀這些城市的間隔都在十年左右：舊金山，聖迭戈，慕尼黑，維羅納，威尼斯。
如果不參考以前的照片，十年前的這些城市在我的記憶裡多是灰色的輪廓，即使我記得一些色彩，那也是罩了一層紗，像夢遊一樣。但是我會記著些許鮮明的細節，如果在實地得到驗證，表明我的確曾經來過這裡。第一次在這些城市停留的時間從一天到三年不等，然而如果不加入人的因素，十年後這些城市在我的記憶裡都佔有相同的空間，除非我在城市的街道裡一遍遍尋找可能的記憶。在遊歷過兩百多個城市之後，站在任何一個城市的任何 一條街道，你都會有一種似曾相識的感覺，但是如果你仔細觀察，總能找到一個城市區別於其它的特點。我之所以這麼糾結於記憶，並不是要生活在過去，而是每一次回憶都會有不同的人生體驗，舊的記憶不斷被新的經驗所修飾改變，歷史只在發生的那一刻是真實的。
舊金山
十年前，我陪著老母親遊覽舊金山，在這裡停留兩天。記憶裡只有金門大橋，漁人碼頭，姚明蠟像，市政廳，亞洲藝術博物館，中國城，吃煮螃蟹，穿越金門公園，以及在紅色的金門大橋下的遊船上，母親的滿頭銀髮被海風吹到腦後，她興高采烈地指著一群白色的海鷗笑。至於我們住在哪家旅館，吃的什麼早飯，穿的什麼衣服，在哪家飯店吃的螃蟹，金門公園裡有什麼花在開，我已經不記得了。如今再到漁人碼頭，就像從來沒來過一樣，除了碼頭的那群海獅似曾相識。舊金山這些地方沒有太大變化，只是它們的細節在我的記憶裡消失了。這也為未來的記憶留下空間，或許我會說，舊金山是金子做的城市，所有的雕像和房頂都是金子的，後來大地震把城市毀了，金子也成了記憶。現在重建的城裡只生活著老年人，年青人都搬到附近的新金山了，因為他們付不起房租，房價是被新移民抬高的。金門大橋本來是金子做的，大地震後重建變成現在的樣子。中國城本來是兩百年前修鐵路的中國勞工聚居地，現在已經被墨西哥人佔領了，他們是這裡的新富。雖然招牌還是中國字，店裡已經看不到中國人了。如今巨人體育場旁邊的碼頭是以盛產精靈寶魚而留下記憶的，連帶著體育場裡巨大的可口可樂瓶，十年後也許這個遊戲已經不存在了，但是這個記憶難以磨滅。
聖迭戈
聖迭戈是我遊歷美洲的第一個城市，因為參加學術會議在那停留四天。藍天大海，航空母艦，日本壽司，以及巨大的會議中心和幾萬科學家都令我興奮。那年見過的同事朋友也都印象深刻，包括北大醫學院和夏威夷大學的兩個教授。然而細節呢？站在自己的牆報前，我還記得牆報的黑色背景和題目；一個年輕的華人學生向我提問，他小個子，很清秀；一個剛獨立的華人女副教授在招聘助手，她穿深色西裝，很嚴肅；一個美國華人科學家談起我們都認識的一位瑞典科學家，他個子高大，圓臉微胖很和善；另一個抱著小孩的美國華人科學家笑著說我沒有做功能實驗。也許我還去了動物園，看到很多鹿。最近再遊聖迭戈，能夠印證的只有航空母艦，我不能確信那是曾經參觀過的航空母艦，除了它還在原來的位置，我不記得一點細節。我也不知道十年前看到的動物現在是否還在那裏，即使在，我也認不出來。上次看了很多鹿，這次看了很多考拉。現在的動物都有了名字，可惜我沒有記它們的名字，所以下次來我還是不知道上次看到的是哪一隻。這次停留兩天，我發現找一家合意的咖啡店吃早餐很不容易，晚上吃的中餐十分差勁，立交橋下成群的流浪漢散發著騷臭，整個城市都是毫無特色的建築，所有新印象整體顛覆了我記憶裡明朗的聖迭戈形象；也許這正是一個城市的真實的兩面，你記住什麼完全取決於你當時的心情。晚上在酒吧邊喝酒邊吸著胡卡水煙，開始感慨十年的變遷，於是短信給當初在這一起玩的朋友，他已經不確信是否曾經跟我在這一起玩過了。
慕尼黑
慕尼黑是我在歐洲呆過時間最長的一個城市，也是記憶最深而變化最小的一個城市。在中央火車站還能找到那家時常光顧的郵票店；在奧運村還能沿著以前散步的小路走到附近的研究所；在研究所還能看到那扇時常在晚上唯一亮著燈的窗子。Scheidplatz地鐵站橘色的站牌和記憶裡一樣顯眼，百年研究所白色的樓房和夢裡一樣沈靜，樓前的黑楊看不出粗壯了多少，小花園裡的鞦韆還在那裡悠蕩。當年購買食品的亞洲店還在賣同一個牌子的方便麵，站在有軌電車駛過的街道上你會感到時間的停滯，如果不是自己已經變老。當然也有一些變化—中央車站附近新開了很多店鋪，從文字看有中國的，印度的，土耳其的，阿富汗的，北非的，中東的；城裡又多了一個博物館，正在展覽反叛一代的藝術；烤豬腿還在，但沒有第一次吃時的味道了。馬可說，一個沒有變化的城市最容易被記住，但是城市本身會因沒有變化而衰落消失。慕尼黑好像是個例外，也許他內在的變化我們在外表是看不見的。我們記住某個場景往往是因為有人的互動，三年的生活會積累大量的記憶，碎片連起來就是故事。看到體育館我會想起和誰一起滑冰，游泳，打乒乓球；看到電影院劇院我會想起和誰一起看的什麼電影歌劇；看到博物館我會想起和誰一起欣賞古典繪畫，現代藝術，或是科技進步；看到酒吧飯店我會想起和誰一起喝酒吃飯聊天；也有自己一個人經常散步的地方，逛商場的地方。儘管這裡不是我生活過最久的城市，卻是我生活最豐富的城市，因為在那個年齡，那個地方，遇到了那麼一群人。
維羅納
我去過義大利的大部分城市，最喜歡的卻是維羅納，也許她是我遊覽的第一個義大利城市，也許是那一刻她正合我的心境，從此便刻在記憶裡。那一年的復活節，我住在山上的一個教堂裡，禮拜堂裡大概擺放了一百多張雙層床，住著往來的世界各地的青年行者。教堂在山頂上，山的對面有一個巨大的十字架，十字架的周邊裝著成串的霓虹燈，黃色的燈光在夜裡格外明亮。早晨吃過簡單的麥片粥，我就下山來到城裡。太陽還沒有出山，整個城市籠罩在霧中，我沿著阿迪傑河，穿過靜靜的小巷。街上空無一人，和夢境裡一般：石路，古橋，蜿蜒河水滔滔；白牆，紅瓦，瀰漫霧氣昭昭；鐘聲悠遠，鳥鳴環繞。圓形劇場和朱麗葉舊居本是這裡的名勝，我的印象卻不深。十年後舊地重遊，再沒有當初的感覺。
威尼斯
威尼斯是水上的城市，馬可波羅的故鄉。在《看不見的城市》裡，卡爾維諾借馬可之口描述了她遙遠又親切，若有若無的印象，不忍輕易回憶。這正是坐在船上看遠處風景的感覺，起起伏伏，時隱時現。我十年前在這裡的記憶也是如此。水上巴士從羅馬碼頭到利多碼頭要沿著運河和海灣走半個小時。夜裡的水一片漆黑，兩岸林立的樓房裡飄出隱約的燈火，黃色的路燈在黑暗裡流動，只有發動機的聲音和水流過的聲音劃破寂靜的夜。早晨的威尼斯籠罩在霧氣裡，在開往穆拉諾和布拉諾的船上，遠處傾斜的鐘塔若隱若現，這神秘朦朧感在電影《威尼斯疑魂》有完美的紀錄；站在船頭，吹著腥咸的海風，看古老的建築在霧靄裡飄移，有種無名的傷感。聖馬可廣場，狂歡節的面具，小巷裡的貢多拉，穆拉諾的五彩玻璃，布拉諾的蕾絲織品，和船上的記憶比要淡得多了。最近重遊水城，還是如此。
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