Akademik

n.

Extremely rapid evolution, particularly as a result of man-made factors; extremely rapid change. Also: hyperevolution.

Will global warming speed the pace of evolution as plants and animals adapt to a hotter world? Scientists such as Andrew McAdam, a Canadian researcher at Michigan State University, say they don't know the answer to that question — but there is evidence that changes are already occurring.

A 10-year study he and his colleagues did near Kluane Lake reveals that, because of rising temperatures, red squirrels are now having babies in late April instead of mid-May. The change is at least in part genetic — the offspring of mothers who gave birth earlier in the season have daughters who do the same — making this the first mammal to evolve in response to climate change.

However, even if this doesn't prove the tipping point for hyper-evolution, prepare yourself for a weedier world. Weeds (as well as pests) may be able to adapt more quickly to a changing environment because they often have shorter life cycles and can go through many generations in rapid time.

—Anne McIlroy, "The New Climate Almanac," The Globe and Mail, February 17, 2007

When Tiger Woods showed up at an Electronic Arts campus in June for a progress report on the latest installment in the "Tiger Woods PGA Tour" video game franchise, his initial reaction wasn't quite what its designers were expecting. The golf great grew a little impatient upon viewing TV images of his swing and asked when he could see the game.

After a pause, the designers said he was watching the game. "They had to explain that this wasn't live action, that he was looking at computer graphics," EA chief visual and technical officer Glenn Entis says.

It was Woods' initiation to the hyperevolution that is changing the look and feel of video games, which are taking huge strides toward a long-standing goal of making characters and scenery appear as real as possible.

—Kevin Kelleher, "Game Face," The Hollywood Reporter, September 26, 2006

After studying 400 different species, Wilson and his colleagues think that evolution accelerates dramatically as relative brain size increases; "the average rate of change in body plan is correlated remarkably well with changes in brain size."

At a certain point, however, the pace of change based on learning begins to surpass the "improvements" made by physical evolution; changes start occurring so rapidly that "hyper-evolution" ensues, which is where humans are now, Wilson said.

—Robert Cooke, "The Brain As a Source Of Pressure For Change," Newsday, September 20, 1988