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ACCUMULATION. “However, genetic evolution is clearly also cumulative, involving the gradual accumulation of beneficial genetic modifications over time to produce complex adaptations, such as eyes or wings. Human cumulative cultural evolution bears a clear parallel with this form of cumulative genetic evolution. Indeed, the gradual accumulation of cultural innovations results in complex cultural adaptations, such as telescopes or airplanes, that resemble and rival complex genetic adaptations.” http://www.pnas.org/content/114/30/7853.full View in LinkedIn

MULTIFUNCTIONAL. "Augmented reality device turns your arm into a keyboard." https://lnkd.in/dtJ_uVc View in LinkedIn

CUMULATIVE OR EVOLVING? “Is “cumulative culture” synonymous with “cultural evolution”? In principle, evolutionary change can be noncumulative, involving changes in trait frequencies over time such as occurs with genetic drift or local adaptive changes in gene frequencies. In this sense, nonhuman, noncumulative cultural change can justifiably be called cultural evolution.” http://www.pnas.org/content/114/30/7853.full View in LinkedIn

"WORD LENS Translates Words Inside of Images. Yes Really. Ever been confused at a restaurant in a foreign country and wish you could just scan your menu with your iPhone and get an instant translation? Well as of today you are one step closer thanks to Word Lens from QuestVisual. “It tries to find out what the letters are and then looks in the dictionary. Then it draws the words back on the screen in translation.” https://lnkd.in/dk9hhKg View in LinkedIn

FITNESS INCREASE. “Models of the evolution of culture show that cumulative culture is particularly effective at increasing mean population fitness beyond the population fitness of noncumulative cultural species.” http://www.pnas.org/content/114/30/7853.full View in LinkedIn

ENHANCE AND AUGMENT. “Aside from Musk, another notable personality who’s concerned with ensuring that humanity is not surpassed by AI is Braintree founder Bryan Johnson. In October 2016, Johnson committed $100 million to his company, Kernel, whose main objective is developing technology that will enable programming of our neural code. This will entail the building of a neural prosthetic to enhance and augment human intelligence — not just allow human-machine interface, but also go further by reducing our cognitive deficiencies to eventually allow us to fight off neurological diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.” https://lnkd.in/d98S_7K View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this two weekend consideration of the tricky subject of culture and evolution. One can argue that any society, glued together by very diverse modes of communication, develops an arsenal of cultural tools that may, or may not, be distinguished from genetic evolution, that help that group adapt, evolve and succeed. Culture may simply be a complex form of adaption that interlaces with genetics in ways to be discovered. Is the monarch butterfly’s migration map, which changes annually according to conditions,and is transmitted to the next generation, genetic or cultural? View in LinkedIn

WIDESPREAD ANIMAL CULTURE. “Studies attribute additional orca behaviors, such as migration routes and song repertoires, to culture. Other research suggests that a finch’s song, a chimpanzee’s nut cracking, and a guppy’s foraging route are all manifestations of culture. Between 2012 and 2014, over 100 research groups published work on animal culture covering 66 species.” http://www.pnas.org/content/114/30/7734.full View in LinkedIn

LANGUAGES or more simply, communication is found in all life forms, often in chemical messages, such as quorum sensing in bacteria; one can argue that communication is the fountain of cultural evolution, and thus, culture is to be found in all communities of creatures, right down to viruses. Run with that one! View in LinkedIn