Tweet from David Grann (@DavidGrann)

[Monte Davis]

The convergent evolution of human and cephalopod eyes was well known (and
zoologists had used film along with other visual stimuli to explore octopus
vision and intelligence) long before GR was written. What's new here is a
surprising parallel in the regulation of the genes that gave rise to more
complex eyes in both lineages, adding a new twist to what we mean by
"convergent evolution." I can't recall any prescience w/r/t that in GR.
Yes, there's a passing reference to an inherited Slothrop visage, and a few
lines about social Darwinism as a rationale for imperialism and associated
racism in AtD, but little more than that.

Actually, I've wondered occasionally why there *isn't* more about evolution
in Pynchon's books. Yes, there's more than enough physics, chemistry, math
and engineering to satisfy the criteria of Mendelson's encyclopedic
narratives and of [some updates on] Menippean satire. And I'd be the last
to claim that an author so polymathic has "omitted" anything. Still,
evolution has so much ideological and philosophical baggage of the kind he
loves to play with that I'm mildly surprised he hasn't done more with it.


On Wed, May 7, 2014 at 12:44 PM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:

> Okay, puncture my fan balloon. Why is this discovery not ANOTHER example
> of TRP's genius?
>
>  I see Gregori with his eyes.
>
>
> On Wed, May 7, 2014 at 10:03 AM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> *David Grann (@DavidGrann <https://twitter.com/davidgrann?refsrc=email>)*
>> 5/7/14, 9:30 AM<https://twitter.com/davidgrann/status/464034476687773696?refsrc=email>
>> BEST NEWS OF THE DAY: HUMANS AND SQUID EVOLVED SAME EYES USING SAME
>> GENES: buff.ly/1skdm7l <http://t.co/ontK1a1uVe> h/t @digg<https://twitter.com/digg>
>>
>> Download the official Twitter app here<https://twitter.com/download?ref_src=MailTweet-iOS>
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>
>
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