Defense Against Dark Information -- Assignment for Oct

Defense Against Dark Information -- for Oct. 8 ("rampaging replicators")

Read the following, available in the Reserves section of Shields Library or in my office (Plant Environmental Sciences 1312), by next week. If I didn't write it, I don't necessarily agree with it, but read it and see what you think. Estimated reading time (in a quiet place without interruptions): 40 minutes. Allow additional time to answering the reading questions and think a little about the discussion questions.

"Experts fear network paralysis…" and "Peers rally in support of accused scientist" -- two recent news stories on Dark Information from Nature
"Rebuilding America's Defenses" (only the short, marked sections are assigned, because of their relevance to course themes, but the full PNAC report is available on the web) at http://freedom2008.com/blog/archives/PNAC/PNAC.pdf
"Genetic structure of human populations" (Science 300:1877b; just get the main result, from the table)
"Strong inference" (how to think like a scientist, from American Biology Teacher)
"The Selfish Gene" (a short excerpt from a highly influential book -- first use of the term "replicator", a key concept in this course -- the title is sometimes misunderstood; for example, the best chance for a "selfish gene" in a nonreproductive worker bee to make it into the next generation may be to make the worker sacrifice herself to protect the reproductive queen, who is likely to have the same gene as her daughter)
"The Electric Meme" (for now, read only up to section headed "Genes and Germs" -- some examples of replicators other than genes)

Reading questions -- written answers due at beginning of class:
1) The table in "Genetic Structure of Human Populations" is relevant to one particular point in "Rebuilding America's Defenses." Which point?
2) According to "Strong Inference", what type of experimental result would let us draw a definite conclusion about a hypothesis?
3) According to Dawkins, what happens to replicators with relatively low longevity/fecundity/copying-fidelity and why?
4) Darwin and Wallace developed similar theories of evolution at about the same time. Who provided a key idea to both of them?

Questions to think about (to be discussed in class)

If a software security flaw lets a destructive "worm" invade your computer and wipe out vital information, should the software company be liable? What would be the likely consequences of making them responsible for damages?
Can we reduce the risks that US scientists working on dangerous pathogens will accidentally or deliberately release them, while still ensuring that we will have enough scientists working to develop effective warning systems and cures?
Can we infer anything about the attitudes of the US Defense Department towards "advanced forms of biological warfare" from the PNAC report?
Given the genetic diversity within populations, could a well-informed (but perhaps evil) person consider biowarfare a "politically useful tool"?
Is the scenario in the excerpt from The Selfish Gene a manifest fact, inferential fact, hypothesis, theory, or none of these? If a hypothesis or theory, what's the next step in the scientific process? What about the "meme" concept?