"Every single one of your ancestors survived, and successfully passed on to you life"

by phil on Thursday Jan 29, 2009 12:40 AM
evolution as a way to appreciate life, evolution_old

I was surprised to hear some touching lyrics about a (sort of) evolutionary concept in a rap song on my playlist. This one, from The Streets, caught my attention:

For billions of years since the outset of time
Every single one of your ancestors has survived
Every single person on your mum and dad's side
Successfully looked after and passed on to you life.
What are the chances of that, like?
It comes to me once in a while
And everywhere I tell folk it gets the best smile.

This is a meme that really needs a name, because it seems to be something many people independently ponder. Awhile ago, I discussed how we have at least 300 million ancestors behind us, leading up to a worm. I cite the book The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution, where Richard Dawkins discusses 40 rendezvous with our concestors (common ancestors), such as Chimpanzees.

Here's the song On The Edge of a Cliff by The Streets:

Comments

rob said on September 18, 2010 11:12 PM:

chimps are not our ancestors, they are our cousins, we both have a common ancestor.