the-circles-of-life:Hydrolycus scomberoidesPayara ft. Tim Sosa Tim Sosa was raised in a religiousl

the-circles-of-life: Hydrolycus scomberoidesPayara ft. Tim Sosa Tim Sosa was raised in a religiously fundamentalist household — his parents wanted him to be a missionary. Today, he studies evolution as an act of rebellion. “I consider myself an evangelist for evidence and reason because I have this background in Christian mythology and apologia.” As a biologist, he’s interested in how animals change over time. Fishes are his ideal subjects due to their rapid evolution and worldwide distribution. “There are so goddamned many of them — there are roughly equal numbers of catfish and mammals.” “Part of what I study is how a fairly basic fish group, the tetras, can achieve really bizarre shapes. The payara is a great example of that.” Most tetras are about the size of a small aquarium fish, but the predatory payara from the Amazon grows as large as an adult human’s arm and bares a set of fearsome teeth. ”It was always in my mind as what’s possible for a tetra to achieve,” he admits. Using DNA evidence, he maps out how different species are related to each other. “It’s like building a family tree that goes back up to 100 million years to trace their invasion or extinction in different regions of the Earth through time.” He also observes how body shape changes in response to opportunities, such as new habitats and the presence or absence of competitors. Such observation is important to uphold the evidence and reason he holds dear. Tim thinks that people’s denial of science is fueled by parties with specific interests that dismiss evidence. In addition, the internet also acts as a double-edged sword. “It’s easier for people prone to magical thinking to find each other and form echo chambers. I think those echo chambers are how you get flat-Earth types.” This is where his missionary instinct kicks in. Though he’s aware not everyone’s good at persuasion, he thinks it’s important for those who can to be fearless in confronting nonsense. “You’re unlikely to change the mind of anyone who is committed enough to a ridiculous idea to fight you on it. Especially now, on the internet, almost every argument has an audience. The collective headspace of that audience is where the battle is really fought.“ — Tim Sosa is a Visiting Assistant Professor in Biology at Siena College. Get to know Tim, fish and evolution news, along with his occasional biology illustrations. Twitter — My main blog · Ko-fi · Patreon -- source link
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