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SUMMARY:When ideas have sex: the collective brain - Dr Matt Ridley
DTSTART:20110215T200000Z
DTEND:20110215T211500Z
UID:TALK29317@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:18101
DESCRIPTION:What sparked the technological explosion that turned just anot
 her ape at the mercy of its environment into a planet-dominating space tra
 veler? Not big brains\, language\, culture or consciousness -- all those w
 ere present before.  Matt Ridley will argue that the secret lies in the in
 vention of the habit of exchange\, which gave technology a capacity to evo
 lve in a cumulative way\, just as sex did for genes three billion years be
 fore. The result of human exchange and specialisation is a collective brai
 n capable of achieving things beyond the capability of individual intellig
 ence. Matt is a journalist\, writer\, and businessman.\n
LOCATION:The Plant Science Lecture Theatre on Downing Site (www.scisoc.com
  for directions)
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