The Evolution of Human Science

Short story by Ted Chiang

"The Evolution of Human Science"

Short story by Ted Chiang
Language| English
Genre(s)| Science fiction
Publication
Published in| Nature[1]
Publication type| Magazine
Publication date| June 2000

"The Evolution of Human Science" (also known as "Catching Crumbs from the Table") is a science fiction short story by American writer Ted Chiang, published in June 2000 in Nature.[2][3] The story was also included in the collection Stories of Your Life and Others (2002).

## Plot summary

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The story does not have any characters. The progress in the future has split humanity into two classes: ordinary people and so-called metahumans, who are genetically modified and have a much more powerful intelligence than ordinary people do. The development of the metahumans' science becomes so advanced that it forces the ordinary scientists to switch to interpreting and decoding the metahumans' achievements, because common people are no longer able to create anything fundamentally new.[2][3] The science then becomes the means of seeking and establishing communication with the super-intelligent metahumans.

## Awards

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The short story was nominated for the 2001 Locus Poll Award.[4]

## See also

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* "The Colonel" by Peter Watts
* Superintelligence
* Technological singularity
* Transhumanism

## References

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1. ^ Chiang, Ted (June 2000). "Catching crumbs from the table". Nature. 405 (6786): 517. doi:10.1038/35014679. PMID 10850694. S2CID 205006786.
2. ^ a b Shenoy, Gautham (October 14, 2016). "Why you should be excited about Ted Chiang's Arrival into mainstream pop culture". FactorDaily. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
3. ^ a b McKee, Gabriel (January 2, 2007). The Gospel according to Science Fiction: From the Twilight Zone to the Final Frontier. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 4\. ISBN 978-1-61164-426-5. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
4. ^ "sfadb: Locus Awards 2001". sfadb.com. Retrieved April 29, 2021.

## External links

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* The Evolution of Human Science title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database

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Ted Chiang

Short stories|

* "Tower of Babylon"
* "Division by Zero"
* "Understand"
* "Story of Your Life"
* "The Evolution of Human Science"
* "Seventy-Two Letters"
* "Hell Is the Absence of God"
* "Liking What You See: A Documentary"
* "What's Expected of Us"
* "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate"
* "Exhalation"
* "The Lifecycle of Software Objects"
* "Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny"
* "The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling"
* "The Great Silence"
* "Omphalos"
* "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom"
* "It's 2059, and the Rich Kids are Still Winning"

Collections|

* Stories of Your Life and Others, 2002
* Exhalation: Stories, 2019

Related|

* Arrival
* Heptapod languages

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