Ian Lynn Malcolm

The lady, or the tiger? Which door will you choose?

A logic problem? The basis of this story is a problem that has no solution. As a chaos theorist I do not believe that any problem is without solution even if the solution is less than desirable, which often times it is. The very groundwork of this piece is not something I believe in. There was an answer and the author neglecting to reveal it does not mean the problem was without solution as literature portrays it.

Personally, when life is analyzed and human nature regarded in a way the author intends I don't see a difference between the doors. The lady and the tiger are often equally dangerous. I lose the purpose of this exercise in my pessimistic views of nature and man. In a barbaric society violent death will come no matter the door choice; sooner or later it will come. The question is no longer a matter of moral dilemma but a commentary on society.

If I'm looking for an answer to society they will always choose the tiger. War and violence, bad decisions and repeats of mistakes are inevitable in human society. The extension of this story is a view of the justice system beyond moral and societal quandaries. Just under the surface this story is one of guilty until proven innocent by random choice. It revolves around the same idea of binding a woman; if she floats she's burned as a witch but if she sinks she's deemed innocent. Unfortunate for the woman she's dead from drowning despite her innocence.

Malcolm stood at the podium looking out over the crowd. this convention was jammed full of people. Even some stood at the back waiting to hear his delivery. While Malcolm loved attention he hated the types that attended most conventions. There were always those pompous few that seemed to come with no other intention than to belittle other scientists with their own, usually unresearched, theories. Ian had decided much earlier today that if any of them spoke up he was ignoring them. It served them right for acting as they did. The room went quiet and Ian stood at the podium with no notes, no overheads, slides or video show. He always believed those were a crutch. If a scientist was going to speak on a subject they should know the information without the need of accessories. His last thought before speaking was that may indeed be the reason why he like Alan Grant so much.

"Chaos Theory and Evolution opens a new view on history of life on Earth. While I do not wish to argue what caused mass extinction events I would like to discuss some interesting findings related to these events, whatever their cause. Through my research with Alan Grant, who regrettably has a juvenile Tyrannosaur needing his attention in the field, several curiosities can be noted in historic events that are easily explained through Chaos Theory.

The KT boundary shows a great loss of biodiversity. No matter what we believe to be the culprit for this event some very serious questions must be addressed. For example, we have to account for survival of species. Crocodiles, turtles and birds in the form of raptorids have all survived these events not to mention mammals. The Chaotic Survival Hypothesis explains these survivors when applied to KT and other mass extinction events. The theory as I propose it states that in any given circumstance where survival is pushed to the boundaries extreme forms will win out to continue through the event.

What this means for the KT event is that the rare species, such as mammals and the long lived species, those who have remained unchanged for millions of years such as sharks and crocodiles are more likely to survive. This is based in the theories of selection pressures on islands which are often catastrophically affected by small events. With the unchanged species we see a generalization tactic that manages events by being opportunistic while the same can be said for new arrival species which have not yet found a niche in the environment that is perfectly tailored to their survival.

Both of these genre of species show greater ability to cope in changing environments. Established species do not have the same flexibility as they have formed partnerships with others in the biome. Koalas can not exist without eucalyptus. If an event on the scale of KT were to occur and wipe out the tree species with it would go the Koala who is over specialized. Another Australian species suck as the Kangaroo which will readily eat a wide variety of matter from grasses to shrubs would not suffer and perhaps would thrive through a cataclysmic change.

Malcolm paused to take a drink of water. A hand had gone up in the crowd but it was rude to ask questions in the middle of a talk. Ian ignored him and began to speak again even when the question was voiced.

Where does mathematics come into all this. When dealing with extinct creatures some variables can only be guessed. I've proposed a procedure to account for the unknowns. A wide ranging comparison model between known attributes of surviving and extinct species. Through this comparison many anatomical and appointed behavioral can be eliminated as traits for survival or substantiated as plausible reasons for a species to survive a catastrophe. Fluid views of species modeled on a dynamic series of environmental changes obtained from rock and ice sediments is the key to unlocking the characteristics required to survive.

Currently, the focus of our research is on raptorids and trodons which Dr. Grant speculates were the main linages to give rise to modern birds. Analysis of these predators when compared to other similar sized predators of the time suggest a number of key features that ultimately lead to their survival through KT. One key feature that is flexibility within the ankle joint which gave the raptors greater maneuverability when hunting and reduced impact related injuries that would leave an animal lame. Finding suggest that this is one of many anatomical features that increased survival. The ability of the raptors to hunt by both sight and smell in packs and the migration patterns they express would increase the ability of any given animal to recover food in the dwindling resources post-cataclysm.

Malcolm had to pause again. He had memories of raptors so clear that they took his mind off the track of his topic. Clearing his throat he went on trying to blot them out.

Comparison of fossil records and field studies support these hypothesis es for raptorid survival which allowed for the evolution of modern birds. Similar studies are proposed for other species that have avoided extinction. Sharks are of particular curiosity since they have survived a number of extinction events unchanged. I now give the podium over to Dr. Sandstrom who will discuss the application of this new theory and model to shark survival over time.


Ian stepped down and walked out the side door. It was a relief to have one more speech under his belt. In all honesty he preferred one on one to crowds but academic life required crowds more often than not.

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