Biology – Odd STEM

Hello, World

“…hundreds of millions of years.”

In software development, it’s something of a tradition to write a “hello, world” program when learning a new programming language.[1] It’s often just a simple program that prints the words “Hello, world” on the computer screen, to prove it can be done. Getting this proof of concept to run, can tell us multiple things: the programming environment is set up correctly, the program source code is correct, and the steps to run the program from the source code are effective. It can also be a confidence builder as well as fun. But the general concept of it is far more than any of that.

First, a little bit of background. The specific idea of a “hello, world” program was popularized by inclusion in a book called The C Programming Language by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie.[2] This was before the graphical user interfaces (GUIs) we are used to. Instead of a mouse, icons, or a touch screen, the computer’s user interface typically consisted of just typing at a keyboard and reading from a scrolling text-only screen or even reading from a line printer. A program using this type of text-only interface is called a console program or console app when using a monitor (use of a line printer for the main source of output is much less common nowadays). While a GUI environment can boost our productivity, a text-only program is often simpler than its GUI-based counterpart. So it can be easier to create (or understand) a traditional console program when (e.g.) first learning a programming language.

The “hello, world” practice is so embedded in computing tradition that the cargo software tool for the Rust programming language creates a “hello, world” program when asked to create a new program project. The developer then modifies the given source code for whatever purpose. Microsoft Visual Studio software does something similar when creating a new console program in the languages C# or VB.Net. The term “hello, world” program might even be used metaphorically to describe when an experienced developer is trying something new, like when first using an unfamiliar software library to add functionality to an existing program.

Performing a very simple task is a key aspect of a “hello, world” program. Printing a few words to the screen is assumed to be simple enough to not fail, or the problem will be somewhat obvious if that simple program does fail. On the one hand, seeing the simple expected output shows that the environment is set up correctly. But on the other hand, assuming the environment is set up correctly, it shows that the user can in fact write a short program. Interpreted that way, the “hello, world” program can be seen as the next step in this simple example of the software development process, with setting up the environment being an earlier step. In fact creating the “hello, world” program could be seen as a slight change from having an empty source code file and therefore the first step in incremental changes to the code. Similarly, each new incremental change to the working source code that still works, can be seen as a variation on the “hello, world” program. In that case each working incremental change becomes its own “hello, world” program. An example of this was given previously, in the case of first using an unfamiliar software library with a given program.

The software industry seems to like small working changes. For example, the existing practice of repeatedly providing imperfect software to the end users to get feedback to guide further changes is called iterative development. The process of refactoring, which is reorganizing the source code without changing its behavior, is based on even smaller, simple changes. In each of these examples, one change or development cycle could be considered a kind of “hello, world” program, assuming the code was working before and after, at least when adding code. A relatively simple change was applied to a functional system. Doing a web search can show that other disciplines make use of incremental changes too.[2]

But as much as we humans would like to take credit for the idea of incremental changes to working systems, nature has been doing it with life on Earth for hundreds of millions of years. It’s no surprise, then, that the term evolutionary software development is also used. But did nature invent the idea of the “hello, world” approach? Yes, since nature can’t just be put on hold while changes are made to a species. So the “system” of a given species must be working before and after a change in that species. An unsuccessful species change is one that is not suitable for the given environment, in which case the species members with that change die off. Or if the environment changes such that the current version of the species is not adapted for it, then the species must also change to keep up or else migrate or face possible extinction. But nature is constantly making minor changes to species anyhow, maybe most of which are not noticed. Maybe the changes help the species adapt more, maybe less. Those species members without the change, don’t get its advantage or disadvantage. Maybe the degree of advantage or disadvantage of a species change for a given environment would need several generations to have a significant effect on the population.

A species needing to adapt to a changed environment is similar to when the environment for software changes, and the software must then be either upgraded or replaced/discarded. Maybe there are new security requirements or other new requirements, such as the need for new functionality or compatibility with external upgraded software. When developing the new version of the software, the developers likely started with the source code of the previous version of the software and changed it little by little. Each working change then became its own “hello, world” program, showing the change could be kept. Unfit changes were hopefully not kept.

So it seems that nature, software engineering, and other disciplines have used the “hello, world” approach for building systems such as a species, a software system, or some other product. In each case, it can seem daunting to start with practically nothing and end up with the finished product. Life itself is said to be a miracle. So the next time you are asked to do the impossible, in terms of scale, consider taking the incremental “hello, world” approach. You might not have hundreds of millions of years, but the process can still work for us humans on big projects.

References

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22Hello,_World!%22_program

[2] https://www.rosemet.com/agile-in-non-software-projects/

Witches’ Brew

“But what if there’s more to it than that?”

Like other aspects of culture, witches have stereotypes that are fueled by tradition, fiction, and modern media. A well-known aspect of witch stereotypes is the brewing of potions or witches’ brew, often in a large black cauldron. The purpose of a potion could be to cure illness, obtain immortality, or try to “induce love”, according to Wikipedia.[1] Other historic purposes for witch’s brew can be found on the web as well. The ideas for tradition and fiction are often based on truth. In fact, the mixing of natural ingredients in potions eventually helped bring about modern medicine. Could there be any truth to other supposed uses of witches’ potions, beyond potential use as medicine?

The Top or the Bottom

“We may still need something closer to our scale…”

We humans like to think of ourselves as the dominant lifeform of Earth, having the power to help or hurt any and all life on the planet. Mainstream science depicts us as naturally intelligent beings using technology to help us do things, harnessing nature as we see fit. Do we have it backwards? Is nature harnessing us? What if we are the technology?

Human Design and Reproduction

“Is the quality a defect?”

Every species – whether brought about by evolution or divine creation – has a biological design that strives for the survival of that species. Part of that biological design is reproduction, which is necessary for the survival of our species too, assuming humans will never be immortal. What if someone never reproduces? Biologically, such people seem at first glance to not be contributing to the survival of our species. Are they deviating from our design?

Zero Impact

“…living like other animals may become a right belonging to each individual.”

It’s no secret that humans have significantly affected Earth’s natural environments. Some people say we are even destroying the Earth, which at times can be hard to disagree with. Consequently there is support for the idea of decreasing, eliminating, or even reversing human impact on Earth. What if we achieved zero further impact? What would that look like?

The Monster Under the Bed, Coronavirus Conspiracies, and the Best Pizza Ever

“…not something as trivial as the whereabouts of a lost sock.”

As a young child, I was afraid there was a monster under my bed, that would grab my feet and pull me into its lair. Over the years, I have learned that I am not the only one to have imagined such a thing. It seems so common, that it’s a cliché in American culture and even others.[1] But how or why is that even possible? What could I have in common with all those other people to cause this experience? What does it mean for humanity? Continue reading “The Monster Under the Bed, Coronavirus Conspiracies, and the Best Pizza Ever”

Our Underestimated Past

“Were the people of past generations crazy? Delusional?”

The month of January tends to be a time for reflecting on the previous year, in addition to planning for the year ahead. A lot can change in one year. In fact the world seems to be changing at an accelerating rate. The past century has seen the invention of digital computers, people walking on the moon, the rise of the Internet, cell phones for billions of people, medical care that is better than it has ever been, etc.[1] Younger generations are said to be advancing over the previous generations because of growing up with computers and mobile devices. With all our modern advances, past generations seem to intellectually pale in comparison. Is that really the case? Continue reading “Our Underestimated Past”

Elaborate Food Tubes

“Evolution generally causes changes that are useful in some way.”

Of all the fall American holidays, Thanksgiving seems to place the most emphasis on eating. With so much food going into our mouths at this time of the year, it can be hard to ignore the need for waste to come out the other end. Some anatomical diagrams would have us believe that our food goes through us from one end to the other, as if simply going through a tube. We are of course more complex than that, but when did it all start? Not the first Thanksgiving, but when did we start the process of food going in one end and waste coming out the other? And how did we get to how we are today?

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Anxiety, Dandelions, and Witches

“While I’m (potentially) jumping to conclusions, as a bonus I could throw in conspiracy and global warming.”

Most people have occasional anxiety, especially with modern life being as complicated as it is. I myself sometimes have anxiety for no apparent reason, even when avoiding caffeine. On one particular occasion in the past year or two, I noticed having anxiety at a time when a couple people I know were having allergy symptoms. So I wondered if there were some kind of connection. Continue reading “Anxiety, Dandelions, and Witches”

The Spirit of the Forest

“Can a forest really behave as a whole in a way that seems intelligent and also protect itself and its contents?”

I rarely get to visit a large forest, but I have noticed even a small forest of a few acres seems to have a “presence” about it, like a hint of consciousness. Being in a forest can even give me the feeling of being watched. I don’t think this watchful presence feeling is from specific plants or animals in the forest, but maybe all of them together, possibly in combination with the land features as well. Or maybe it’s something else in the forest, something not visible.

Continue reading “The Spirit of the Forest”