Thursday, December 8, 2011

Underfables: Experimental Error

Experimental Error


          Once upon a time, the planetary biosphere got fed up. “Those pesky asteroids,” said Gaia. “I evolve into something nice, then boom! A rock falls from the sky and I’ve got to start over! Well, enough is enough! But what to do?” The planet mulled this over for a millennium and said, “I know! I’ll eat the asteroids! But how?” Gaia surveyed her latest creations. There were swimmers, burrowers, walkers and flyers, but none were fit for outer space.

            The planet said, “I’ll have to experiment. Let’s start with...  oh, I don’t know... a dinosaur. That one; the clever little biped. Can it throw rocks?” The biosphere paid close attention, and soon the dinosaur was throwing rocks. Gaia said, “Good,” and continued to experiment.

            Eventually there were rock-throwers in outer space. They were about to mine the asteroids into oblivion, but one of the rock-throwers got mad at the others and threw a big rock at Gaia. When the dust settled, the dinosaurs were all dead.

            “Oops,” said Gaia. “What went wrong? Oh, too aggressive. How about a mammal this time?”


            Moral: Most experiments fail.


               Commentary on the Underfable:
               "Oops," said Gaia. Explains a lot, doesn't it?

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