On the Importance of Being Lazy
How does that news grab you: New research suggests evolution might favor ‘survival of the laziest’ found at https://phys.org/news/2018-08-evolution-favor-survival-laziest.html ).
That’s what I call important news! Laziness to the Fore! Who could possibly resist such critical new findings?
I knew it all along – just never told anyone. Laziness is the ticket to happiness and longevity! Just ask Mr./Mrs. “Ming,” AKA (in Latin) Arctica islandica. The Mings had been rather lazy for five hundred years already and had no intention to change their lifestyle. You might say “they were happily living ever after,” except for some unforeseeable event to occur centuries later ( https://canadafreepress.com/article/a-new-ming-dynasty ). That’s when scientific curiosity yanked them out of medieval times into the 21st century, rather abruptly.
Figure: Lazy clams; Anadara aequalitas bivalves. Credit: Neogene Atlas of Ancient Life / University of Kansas.
The new discovery involves a group of the Mings’ relatives, depicted nearby; you might call them Mr./Mrs. “Shell” – also known as the bivalve Anadara aequalitas. They are one of many species in the group more generally described as ark clams. There is not much to find about the Shells’ habits and longevity. I suspect the latter is nowhere close to that of their Ming cousins. Perhaps the Shells’ Latin name can provide a clue.
Anadara aequalitas
The Latin name of the Shells’ already raises a feeling of relaxation in me. Who could possibly resist “aequalitas” (Latin for equality or evenness), anywhere or anytime?
As the article in Phys.org explains,
“If you’ve got an unemployed, 30-year-old adult child still living in the basement, fear not.
A new large-data study of fossil and extant bivalves and gastropods in the Atlantic Ocean suggests laziness might be a fruitful strategy for survival of individuals, species and even communities of species. The results have just been published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B by a research team based at the University of Kansas.”
Clearly, laziness is good.
Looking at the supplementary information available for the article, the authors appear to have sampled some 40,000 live and dead (museum samples) bivalve and gastropod specimens for their work. However, when removing all duplicates (no specimen or sample identifiers are given), that number gets reduced to less than 2,000 unique records, presumably a more representative set of data and certainly more manageable. From Table-S3, we learn that the actual number of bivalve specimens studied appears to be 271 only. And looking at Figure-S1 in the supplement (bivalve part shown nearby), the number of bivalve sample dots between the latitudes 10 deg. N and 40 deg. N, in total, looks to be in the neighborhood of 50 or less.
Number of bivalves vs. latitude [deg. N] in the study; source: https://figshare.com/articles/Figure_S1_from_Metabolic_rates_climate_and_macroevolution_a_case_study_using_Neogene_molluscs/6989288
Clearly, laziness is good.
As the publication’s title may already suggest, i.e. Metabolic rates, climate and macroevolution: a case study using Neogene molluscs, it’s all in the metabolic rate. That means the rate of conversion of food by the body. A fast metabolic rate is commonly associated with more food/energy requirements than a slower, perhaps more efficient one.
Rate of Metabolism
The rate of a body’s metabolism is generally considered to be inversely correlated with its longevity. Wikipedia describes metabolism as the set of life-sustaining chemical transformations within the cells of organisms. The three main purposes of metabolism are the conversion of food/fuel to energy to run cellular processes, the conversion of food/fuel to building blocks and the elimination of wastes.
For example, shrews are said to have an extremely fast metabolic rate and can eat 1/2 to 2 times their own body weight in food daily. In contrast, slower metabolic rate organisms, like ruminants and other herbivorous animals like elephants need much time to digest their food and have a much greater longevity.
Clearly, laziness is good.
I’m working hard at it; my Dearest says I’m progressing well…
About The Author
Dr. Klaus L.E. Kaiser is a professional scientist with a Ph.D. in chemistry from the Technical University, Munich, Germany. His website is at http://www.convenientmyths.com/
Dr Kaiser has worked as a research scientist and project chief at Environment Canada‘s Canada Centre for Inland Waters for over 30 years and is currently Director of Research at TerraBase Inc. He is author of nearly 300 publications in scientific journals, government and agency reports, books, computer programs, trade magazines, and newspaper articles. Dr. Kaiser has been president of the International Association for Great Lakes Research, a peer reviewer of numerous scientific papers for several journals, Editor-in-Chief of the Water Quality Research Journal of Canada for nearly a decade, and an adjunct professor. He has contributed to a variety of scientific projects and reports and has made many presentations at national and international conferences.
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Alan Stewart
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Science with a smile. Good as usual Klaus. I heard once that people more rotund (being PC) tend to be more cheerful. Then there was Cassius in the Bard’s Julius Caesar with his ‘mean and hungry look.’ Assassination plotting is hard work.
Cheers all
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