Ghosts of Evolution - theme song with Connie Barlow, celebrating Deep-Time Eyes (v. 1.0)

Based on Connie Barlow's 2001 book, "The Ghosts of Evolution," this 5-minute video (LYRICS BELOW) offers a playful song and pictures to teach a key insight of evolutionary ecology: that some plants alive today still bear fruits and thorns that co-evolved in partnership with extinct (and sometimes giant) mammals of the Pleistocene and earlier eras -- even dinosaurs of the Jurassic. Ginkgo, Avocado, Mango, Maclura, and Honey Locust are featured, but Kentucky Coffee Tree, Saguaro, Pawpaw, Cherimoya, Durian, and Aralia are also pictured. For PDF of lyrics and for more songs celebrating evolution, visit Connie's website: http://thegreatstory.org. Here are the lyrics:

WALK-in' DOWN a CI-TY STREET, orange BALLS at my FEET
. . . Small CAR-ri-on-FEED-ing DIN-O-SAURS: they're TAK-ing a TREAT
They've been EAT-ing . . . GINK-GO FRUIT . . . since the MID-dle Jur-AS-SIC
. . . EAT 'em up DI-nos, ELSE THEY'RE SQUASHED by ALL of this TRAF-FIC

GHOSTS . . . GHOSTS . . . I'm SEE-ing GHOSTS of E-vo-LU-TION
DEEP . . . TIME . . . EYES . . . give me FOS-sil RE-so-LU-TION
GHOSTS . . . GHOSTS . . . I'm SEE-ing MON-sters EV'ry-WHERE
a-NA-chron-IS-tic FRUITS AND THORNS are GIV-ing ME a SCARE

LEARN to SEE a GI-ant SLOTH or BIG-TUSKED MAS-to-DON
. . . Take a TRIP to a LO-cal GRO-CRY STORE with DAD-dy OR with MOM
. . . Look for BINS of BIG FRUIT . . . WITH their . . . HU-mun-gous SEED
Just WHO COULD SWAL-low and POOP THOSE PITS,
Who COULD those BIG FRUITS FEED?

PON-der A-vo-CA-DO . . be-FORE it's GUA-ca-MO-LE
To PLANT THOSE PITS in a MOUND OF POOP takes a BIG BUTT, HO-ly MO-ly!
Who's LIV-ing THERE to-DAY . . . in the HILLS of pe-RU?
Whose AN-AL SPHINC-ter-could HAN-DLE-the-JOB-that GROUND SLOTHS USED to DO?
Or-may-be-it-was TOX-o-DON who CO-E-VOLVED that DARK GREEN en-IG-MA?
Chuck-ie D found TO-xy's SKULL AND BONES on the PLAINS of AR-gen-TI-NA

GHOSTS . . . GHOSTS . . . I'm SEE-ing GHOSTS of E-vo-LU-TION
DEEP . . . TIME . . . EYES . . . give me FOS-sil RE-so-LU-TION
GHOSTS . . . GHOSTS . . . I'm SEE-ing MON-sters EV'ry-WHERE
a-NA-chron-IS-tic FRUITS AND THORNS are GIV-ing ME a SCARE

What a-BOUT THOSE JUI-cy MAN-GO FRUITS e-VOLVED in TROP-i-cal A-SIA?
Who could SWAL-low-and-POOP-those-PITS-WITH-OUT-get-ting-MASS-IVE HIP dis-PLAY-SIA
****Well . . . CER-tain-ly . . . EL . . .E-PHANTS and RHI-NO-cer-OUS
But THEY'RE NOT GHOSTS at LEAST NOT YET ex-TINCT be-CAUSE of US.

GHOSTS . . . GHOSTS . . . I'm SEE-ing GHOSTS of E-vo-LU-TION
DEEP . . . TIME . . . EYES . . . give me FOS-sil RE-so-LU-TION
GHOSTS . . . GHOSTS . . . I'm SEE-ing MON-sters EV'ry-WHERE
a-NA-chron-IS-tic FRUITS AND THORNS are GIV-ing ME a SCARE

No SU-PER-MAR-ket-SELLS-a-MER-i-ca's GE-NUS mac-LUR-A
But HORS-es ATE those GREEN SOFT-BALLS, of THAT I CAN as-SURE YA
a-na-chron-IS-TIC THOSE . . . FRUITS BE-CAME when HOR-ses WENT ex-TINCT
. . . HERE-in-the a-MER-I-CAS, post-PLEIST-O-CENE I THINK
But the SPAN-IARDS BROUGHT the HOR-SES BACK and LOOSED THEM ON the LAND
Ma-CLUR-A TREES have a PART-NER NOW, they can MAKE a-NO-ther STAND

I'm seeing . . .

GHOSTS . . . GHOSTS . . . I'm SEE-ing GHOSTS of E-vo-LU-TION
DEEP . . . TIME . . . EYES . . . give me FOS-sil RE-so-LU-TION
GHOSTS . . . GHOSTS . . . I'm SEE-ing MON-sters EV'ry-WHERE
a-NA-chron-IS-tic FRUITS AND THORNS are GIV-ing ME a SCARE

The SAD-DEST PLANT has GOT TO BE our LOVE-ly HO-ney LO-CUST
Its MAS-SIVE SEED pods HAVE NO FRIENDS I can SEE in FOS-sil-FO-CUS
And WHAT a-BOUT its TRUNK OF THORNS? Now TELL me WHAT that's FOR?
. . . DREAM-ing TUSKS of MAS-TO-DONS strip-ping BARK to EAT once MORE
In a COLD . . . BLEAK . . . WIN-TER . . . when NO-thing ELSE is GREEN
Oh NO, those TIMES have-LONG SINCE PASSED; this IS the HO-lo-CENE

You can STILL find this AWE . . . SOME TREE be-DECKED in PODS and THORNS
. . . IN THE WILDS of the PRAIR-IE STATES . . . LOOK-ing SO for-LORN
So SHUT YOUR EYES in HOR-ROR . . . when IN a PARK-ing LOT
These HARD-y TREES were BRED BY US to HAVE NO PODS to ROT
Noth-ing MES-sy AT ALL . . . to SWEEP UP or CLOT . . .
No THORNS to POKE a PASS-ER-BY or SKEW-er a TOT.

GHOSTS . . . GHOSTS . . . I'm SEE-ing GHOSTS of E-vo-LU-TION
DEEP . . . TIME . . . EYES . . . give me FOS-sil RE-so-LU-TION
GHOSTS . . . GHOSTS . . . I'm SEE-ing MON-sters EV'ry-WHERE
a-NA-chron-IS-tic FRUITS AND THORNS are GIV-ing ME a SCARE
. . . are GIV-ing ME a SCARE . . . I SEE them EV'ry-WHERE . . .

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• ghosts of evolution
• deep time eyes
• deep-time
• anachronistic fruits
• thorns
• avocado
• ginkgo
• mango
• cactus
• saguaro
• maclura
• honey locust
• gymnocladus
• gleditsia
• ground
• sloth
• mastodon
• camel
• toxodon
• Pleistocene
• Holocene
• Charles Darwin
• durian
• cherimoya
• Paul Martin
• Connie Barlow
• fossil
• mammoths
• horse
• plant
• dispersal
• seed
• dinosaur
• Jurassic
• paleo
• pronghorn

[ghostsofevolution]

This video, posted February 2010, concludes with a dedication to Pleistocene ecologist Paul S. Martin. Paul was one of my primary scientific mentors, and as I say in this video, he gave me "deep-time eyes." Paul died on September 13, 2010 at the ripe old age of 80. His wife wrote in her email to me: "In true Paul fashion he wants it very clear that he will 'die'" and then be 'dead.' He will not pass-on, go gently, meet his maker, or go over to the other side." Bravo Paul!

[nashgallo]

What are those things at 2:39 m mom and I found some and have no. Idea what they are

[PatTheMaestro]

umm, very interesting!

[JuryDutySummons]

Interesting video and interesting concept that I've never considered previously. When a plan losses it's partner, it must adapt.

Thankfully the avocado got a new partner who doesn't mind the pit too much. :D

[SaganAppreciationSoc]

Very nice. Loved the hip dysplasia line!

[KMesecher]

Wow! Connie, you're rockin' and educating. Awesome!

[ProfessorTylerVolk]

Connie, this is the perfect inspirational (and dance) accompaniment to your book, The Ghosts of Evolution, which covers the ghosts and their present-day traces that you show here so deliciously. The ghosts you point to help build those all-important deep-time eyes.