Friday, September 30, 2005

Damn them all to hell

Gorillas have been observed using simple tools.

Doesn't seem like too big of a deal; heck, I remember a few years ago when a bird was observed using simple tools to retrieve food from crevices too deep for its beak to reach.

But it makes you wonder about the surprises evolution might have in store on down the line, namely whether another species could evolve a level of intelligence equal to humans — and if we would be in competition with them as dominant species of the planet.

It might sound hare-brained — and probably because it is. Plus, if any such evolutionary intelligence were to happen, humans would have an obvious advantage, namely thousands of years of survival experience and the ability to influence the development in a way to decrease, if not eradicate the threat.

It is an intriguing idea to consider, however, that so much thought has gone into the possibilities of an invasion from extraterrestrial species when there may be a greater terrestrial threat given the trickiness of the space travel it would take to stage a cross-galaxy attack.

Though I'm not ready to believe in Gorilla City just yet.