Page 33 - Psychoceramics and the Test of Fire

Archaeontogeny

modern DNA testing and stochastics can identify the pivotal changes
occurring hundreds of thousands of years ago that separate Homo
sapiens from his forebears. You will, in essence, update Haeckel’s
embryological dictum ‘ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny’ by reverse-
engineering that phylogeny from the genome. That would avoid the
non-linearity of embryo development sinking Haeckel’s theory. Other
projects have traced the history of human evolution through
mitochondrial DNA mutations: but you alone have seen the potential
of this line of inquiry for uncovering human origins.”
The professor barely nodded in approval. “That’s almost right,
Andy. In fact, I’m convinced that very subtle changes do occur in the
embryo in the third trimester prior to the final configuration of our
species. But they can only be inferred, as they take place
neurologically at the level of what is now called ‘firmware,’ a stage
where the structures of the nascent mind find a home in the still-
connecting synapses of the fetal brain. No sonogram can detect it in
vivo, and autopsy will never find it—or any aspect of mentation—in
dead tissue. I acknowledge Haeckel as inspiration, but he was limited
to rather crude sources of information. Now is the time to carry on,
to unlock our hidden history. If Homo primitivus, as I call our now-
lost ancestor, can be inferred from the recapitulation encoded in
every human cell, then I am certain I can find him and describe his
significant differences with us.”
I shook my head admiringly. “Now I know why you were named
the best lecturer at Runyoke five years in a row, Gene. You really
make me want to crack a book and bone up on this stuff!” I looked
at my watch. “Charybdis definitely wants you on board. Off the
record I can say that you have the inside track for the award this year.
Would you be interested in our backing?”
Cutter stood. I knew, despite his taurine neck and shoulders, that
he was seven inches shorter than me, so I remained seated.
“That depends, Andy. You’ve got lawyers and I don’t. But I do
know a lot of wise old heads in our law school, and I’ll have to run it
by them. Is there an application form? This has to have no strings
attached and not much red tape: I won’t be tied to restrictive
conditions, and I don’t want anyone looking over my shoulder
counting pennies.”
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