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eBook Category: Science Fiction
eBook Description: Nobel Prize winning biologist, Professor Casteris gives the commencement address at her alma mater, passing on sage advice to the new graduates, couched in metaphors of evolution and survival, asking them to take on their future, even as her own life has been shattered. After years of research, she's finally translated whale speech, and the message from our cetacean cousins is not what she expected at all.

eBook Publisher: Fictionwise.com, Published: Spaceways Weekly 156, 2000
Fictionwise Release Date: May 2006

31 Reader Ratings: Great Good OK Poor

Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [153 KB], eReader (PDB) [22 KB], Palm Doc (PDB) [8 KB], Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [8 KB], Microsoft Reader (LIT) [71 KB] - PocketPC 1.0+ Compatible, Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [78 KB], hiebook (KML) [76 KB], Sony Reader (LRF) [34 KB], iSilo (PDB) [7 KB], Mobipocket (PRC) [9 KB], Kindle Compatible (MOBI) [36 KB], OEBFF Format (IMP) [15 KB]
Words: 2314
Reading time: 6-9 min.
Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format:  Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud DISABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED

"Most people miss the underlying message in Darwin's theory of evolution. They get too caught up in that catchy 'survival of the fittest' line and don't see the real ramifications." Professor Casteris paused as she looked out at the crowd of mortar-boarded graduates, their family members and friends. She had only arrived that morning, flying in from the coast, back from sea less than a day. Half the luggage in her hotel room was taken up with the initial analyses' printouts from this last expedition, printouts which she had spent the entire morning studying. Standing there now she still felt more than a little at sea. She glanced to either side, at the banks of bored faculty members, the shards of brilliant colored silk from their doctoral hoods amidst the waves of their black robes. And then, the pause of her speech dragging overly long, she quite unexpectedly turned her back on her audience to look across the rear of the dais, her eyes sweeping the double row of deans, board members, and other speakers receiving honorary degrees there today. Her gaze came to rest on the university's president. Their eyes locked briefly; the president nodded. Casteris reached around and freed the microphone from its stand, continuing her speech, pacing a bit now rather than standing still behind the podium.

"One of the errors that you commonly hear is that humans are the pinnacle of evolution. This is the place to be, the goal of millions of years, the destination on that journey from the sea, from single celled organisms. Of course, the only animals you ever hear saying this sort of thing are other humans." A light breeze of laughter rippled through the audience; the school's president blinked, and with a smile Professor Casteris focused her complete attention forward again as she continued.