It's been rumoured that linas@linas.org said:
>
> It's been rumoured that Rick Becker said:
> >
> > Cross-snip:
> >
> > any feedback?
> >
> > Return-Path: <owner-evolution@udomo.calvin.edu>
> > X-Sender: bharper@pop.service.ohio-state.edu
> > Date: Tue, 30 Dec 1997 21:23:02 -0500
> > To: evolution@calvin.edu
> > From: Brian D Harper <bharper@postbox.acs.ohio-state.edu>
> > Subject: RE: ABCD... Fibbonacci and gold
> > Sender: owner-evolution@udomo.calvin.edu
> > X-UIDL: a7773610dac96e190af997000c45b1cc
> >
> > At 09:37 AM 12/30/97 -0800, Greg wrote:
> > Come to think of it, I saw a little math show for
> > kids with my daughter several years ago. The
> > history of the Golden Section was discussed in
> > some detail with many examples from ancient Greek
> > architecture. They then showed a multitude of examples
> > where the pattern emerges in biological forms. The
> > leaf pattern was one example but there were several
> > others that I can't recall now. Is the Golden Ratio
> > an example of the Archetype that Richard Owen searched
> > for?
?? I thought archtypes as an intellectual concept, had
died in the last century.
> > Or is the arrangement beneficial to the plant
> > in some way so that one could imagine it being selected
> > for some time in the past?
No, it would not have to be selected for; it occurs quite
naturally as the solution of certain reaction-diffusion
differntial eq's. The diffeq's themselves arise from
the flow of hormones accross cell boundaries, so the
question is, did this diffeq provide something beneficial
to the plant? The answers can sometimes be guessed:
less energy consumption, greter resistnace mold/mildew,
minimized surface area, etc.
--linas