Glacier Mice

alexpotato wrote: post #5

glimshe wrote: post #2

TIL. Life never ceases to amaze.

Also a reminder that a lot of life is basic physics and a simple state machine. e.g. even the development of eyeballs started with a slightly photoreceptive skin cell and then evolution hill climbing took care of the rest.

But that's fine too. If the complexity of the natural world is just emergent behaviors, then emergence itself never ceases to amaze. Because one wouldn't normally expect that our "cold" physical laws could lead to the variety of life.

Re: Glacier Mice

#8

Post by chrisweekly » Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 1:42 PM UTC

glimshe wrote: post #7

alexpotato wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also a reminder that a lot of life is basic physics and a simple state machine. e.g. even the development of eyeballs started with a slightly photoreceptive skin cell and then evolution hill climbing took care of the rest.

But that's fine too. If the complexity of the natural world is just emergent behaviors, then emergence itself never ceases to amaze. Because one wouldn't normally expect that our "cold" physical laws could lead to the variety of life.

I highly recommend the book "Deep Simplicity" by John Gribbin.^1

It explores precisely this topic: the emergence of unexpectedly rich, complex behaviors from very simple rules given feedback and sensitivity to initial conditions.

1. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/71851/deep-simplici...

Re: Glacier Mice

#9

Post by ck2 » Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 1:47 PM UTC

reminds me vaguely of "Sailing Stones"

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_stones

Re: Glacier Mice

#10

Post by nyanmatt » Sat, Aug 29, 2026, 1:53 PM UTC

comrade1234 wrote: post #3

Here in Switzerland when children order shrimp at a restaurant I tell them that they come from the shrimp mines in the glaciers.

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