I thought I knew some science. This one completely threw me. And the names of those single-celled organisms! Apoikozoa doesn't sound English at all. However, I can imagine that the roads that led us here are narrow and the thread that binds life together is tenuous indeed.
While it may seem that we are the only species with our level of intelligence and as such intelligence may not be a requirement for adaptation and survival, I think that other organisms may have just enough intelligence to avoid untimely death from avoidable circumstances, even though they cannot build a civilisation.
Furthermore, examining the intricate way in which proteins assembled to form the cell and considering the fact that no other sequence of combination would have resulted to life, suggests that everything is just the way they are because they are the best possible way they could be.
I don't know what I'm talking about but your tree of life quest is indeed fascinating and I'm glad I spent some time reading it. Well done.
Heh well they're not technically English. In this case, Greek, but usually Greek or Latin when it comes to scientific nomenclature. All I knew was 'zoa' which you find often in biology since it means 'animal'.
And yeah I'm careful not to call humans the most successful creature. Many animals dominate the planet and simply use us and our habits to their advantage; ants, spiders, mites, rats. If crops disappeared, humanity would pretty much be doomed. If humans disappeared, crops would do pretty darn good! Perhaps that is a form of intelligence, philosophically speaking
Yeah I have come across 'zoa' a few times in biology. You're are right. We are not the most successful even though we now dominate. Thank you for replying my comment.