The Birth-Time of the World and Other Scientific Essays eBook

John Joly
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 264 pages of information about The Birth-Time of the World and Other Scientific Essays.

The Birth-Time of the World and Other Scientific Essays eBook

John Joly
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 264 pages of information about The Birth-Time of the World and Other Scientific Essays.

With regard to using the passing opportunity the entire seasonal development of life is a manifestation of this attitude, and the fleetness, agility, etc., of higher organisms are developments in this direction.  The higher vegetable organism is not locomotory, save in the transferences of pollen and seed, for its food comes to it, and the necessary relative motion between food and organism is preserved in the quick motion of radiated energy from the sun and the slower motion of the winds on the surface of the earth.  But, even so, the vegetable organism must stand ever ready and waiting for its supplies.  Its molecular parts must be ready to seize the prey offered to it, somewhat as the waiting spider the fly.  Hence, the plant stands ready; and every cloud with moving shadow crossing the fields handicaps the shaded to the benefit of the unshaded plant in the adjoining field.  The open bloom

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is a manifestation of the generally expectant attitude of the plant, but in relation to reproduction.

As regards economy, any principle of maximum economy, where many functions have to be fulfilled, will, we may very safely predict, involve as far as possible mutual helpfulness in the processes going on.  Thus the process of the development towards meeting any particular external conditions, A, suppose, will, if possible, tend to forward the development towards meeting conditions B; so that, in short, where circumstances of morphology and physiology are favourable, the ideally economical system will be attained when in place of two separate processes, a, ss, the one process y, cheaper than a + ss, suffices to advance development simultaneously in both the directions A and B. The economy is as obvious as that involved in “killing two birds with the one stone”—­if so crude a simile is permissible—­and it is to be expected that to foster such economy will be the tendency of evolution in all organic systems subjected to restraints as those we are acquainted with invariably are.

Such economy might be simply illustrated by considering the case of a reservoir of water elevated above two hydraulic motors, so that the elevated mass of water possessed gravitational potential.  The available energy here represents the stored-up energy in the organism.  How best may the water be conveyed to the two motors [the organic systems reacting towards conditions A and B] so

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that as little energy as possible is lost in transit?  If the motors are near together it is most economical to use the one conduit, which will distribute the requisite supply of water to both.  If the motors are located far asunder it will be most economical to lay separate conduits.  There is greatest economy in meeting a plurality of functions by the same train of physiological processes where this is consistent with meeting other demands necessitated by external or internal conditions.

But an important and obvious consequence arises in the supply of the two motors from the one conduit.  We cannot work one motor without working the other.  If we open a valve in the conduit both motors start into motion and begin consuming the energy stored in the tank.  And although they may both under one set of conditions be doing useful and necessary work, in some other set of conditions it may be needless for both to be driven.

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The Birth-Time of the World and Other Scientific Essays from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.