Evolution: the cake

9 thoughts on “Evolution: the cake”

1. That is weird and fascinating, and I hope, delicious.

   Anyone know what prompted this labour of love?

2. Brilliant!

3. I thought the cake was a lie.

   Looks delicious, though.

4. Would the creationist version use instant cake mix?

   1. …or something along the lines of Gary Larson’s cartoon of God in the kitchen, and thinking that his creation might only be half-baked. A rather generous metaphor for creationism, I think 😉

      1. I think the cake mix is ‘Poof’ brand, if I remember correctly.

         I like the Trilobite cookies. And they go good with premordial soup.

         http://www.ooblick.com/weblog/2007/02/08/pz-steals-my-thunder/

         Hey, some can take it; some can’t. 😉

5. Reminds me of W B Yeats’ cyclical history in 2000 year “gyres” (which I think links up with the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius):

   “Turning and turning in the widening gyre
   The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
   Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
   Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
   The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
   The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
   The best lack all conviction, while the worst
   Are full of passionate intensity….”

   But seriously doesn’t this encourage the view of evolution as “progress”, the Great Chain of Being, with Man, proud Man, at the Top?

   And I think it was Gould who pointed out that these evolution dioramas ignore the fact that all the earlier stages keep on evolving in their own directions.

   And doesn’t it concentrate on animal evolution and ignore plant evolution (not to mention the other Kingdoms)?

   1. So bake your own damn cake!

      😀

   2. Yes indeed it portrays man at the top, but you will note that this is modeled after a certain Mr Darwin and was intended rather as a nod to him. Wit is an asset that eludes many.

      I would love to see a cake that fully represented the great evolutionary ‘shrub’ so favoured by Gould and championed by my good late friend Lynn. But we humble researchers only had it in us to make a spiralling upwards, expanding upwards, 32egg and 5kg cake. Our deepest apologies for not fulfilling your dearest hopes and expectations.

      Plant (and prokaryotic) evolution is not ignored – indeed as an active researcher in the evolution of the earliest plants and protists, I would have hardly let this one pass me by. If you would care to watch the (carefully crafted) video, you will find representatives of the Archaea, the Cyanobacteria, the Red Algae and land plants.

      Hope this helps.

      L

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