Saturday, July 4, 2020

Dollo's Law

Daddy Steve: Duncan is our resident Gloomy Gus here in Gregoropolis.  He's been in an especially despondent mood lately...

Duncan: >Sigh<  Woe to me.
Frederick: There's lots of stuff to be happy about!
Harriet: Sure there is!  You have a new outfit for summer; new clothes always make me happy.
Duncan: >Sigh<

Frank: What's got you down, old bean?
Wesley: Yes, please tell us.
Duncan: I feel like I never make any progress in my life.  I always seem to end up in the same old place.

Wesley: Maybe Patrick and Ravi can give you some advice.
Frank: Yeah!  They're a couple of brainy kids.  I'm sure they can think of a way to turn that frown upside-down.

Duncan: So my problem is that I never seem to make any progress.  I just end up right back to where I started.
Frank: Lay some words of wisdom on him!

Patrick: Hmm...I've got it!  Dollo's Law!

Frank: What do bananas have to do with it?
Patrick: Bana--? What?!? No, not Dole! Dollo! Louis Dollo.  He was a Belgian paleontologist.
Ravi: Dollo's law of irreversibility states that "an organism never returns exactly to a former state, even it finds itself placed in conditions of existence identical to those in which it has previously lived."
Patrick: Exactly.  It always keeps some trace of the intermediate stages through which it has passed.

Frank, Wesley, and Duncan: ???
Duncan: Oh, well, uh, thanks...
Patrick: Any time.

Wesley: Perhaps Kaveh could translate that into something we can understand.

Kaveh: Well, I think what Patrick is saying is that even if you feel like you are always ending up at the same place, you're really not.  All of your experiences give you additional wisdom and perspective.  They help you navigate through the world a little better; even if the path seems to be the same.
Duncan: I guess that does make sense.

Wesley: It sure does.  What do you think, Frank?
Frank: I think I'm going to navigate back to a very familiar place: the refrigerator!  I'm hungry!


4 comments:

Dee said...


Poor Gus! but those two brainyacks! Dollo's Law, so clever I'm surprised they are not off at Uni working on their second degree , never mind the first one!
But thank goodness for Kaveh to explain it in idiot.. I mean laymans terms but lets be honest here.... it's Frank who really understand how it all works LOL ...

Sasha's Vintage Boutique said...

Frank never has food far from his mind! Your kids are uncommonly wise!

NeverUschi said...

That was educational! But I think it's true you don't really understand a theory unless you're able to translate it into simple terms. (I can tell this is tricky - I frequently have to explain German tax law to honest and down-to-earth citizens.)

And I agree with Dee: Frank knows what it's all about.

Sharon said...

Erm...okay! I think I get that ;)
You have such a handsome bunch of lads there...and they have brains too!! Can't be bad!
x