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“Evolution of species?”
Reiner was somewhat curious. If one were talking about the laws of species evolution, undoubtedly, it should be in the field of evolution. However, the mages of Immortal Throne had only recently understood the bloodline factors and genetic patterns. How could they deduce a similar theory of evolution so quickly?
With such a mentality in mind, he looked at the thesis in the middle of the table.
The contents of this thesis were projected into the air for everyone to browse freely. Reiner noticed that, aside from Hannah, only Bel and Igor were seriously reading it. The rest of the people just glanced at it and lost interest.
Perhaps it was because their respective specialisations were different, making it difficult for them to make comments.
Thinking this way, Reiner looked at the thesis and roughly figured out why this thesis had been sent to the committee specifically which evaluated theses with potential innovation and overturning ideas.
Mr. Potsdam’s theory belonged to the evolutionary school, one of the two opposing schools in Immortal Throne regarding the origins of life. This school’s viewpoint was that organisms were not initially as people saw them, but evolved from simple organisms to complex organisms, from monotony to diversity, and are constantly evolving.
As for the other school, they believed that organisms were inherently as they were, and humans were the masters of the world from the beginning. These two schools had been arguing since the Ancient Magical Empire era. However, recent research indicated that the theory of biological evolution was more convincing.
Mr. Potsdam Baptiste, a mage, had long resided in a half-plane defined as safe, studying the ecology of wild animals. Over the course of ten years of observation records, he gradually formulated a viewpoint on biological evolution.
That was, organisms were influenced by the surrounding environment, and the evolution of species would change with different environments. The more frequently used organs, the easier they would evolve, and these traits evolved to adapt to the environment could be inherited.
Potsdam gave a simple example, that of the human brain.
The more one thinks, using the brain for an extended period, the smarter a person becomes. On the other hand, if one is lazy, abandoning thinking, the person becomes more foolish. From the observed perspective, this theory seemed quite practical.
“Use it or lose it…”
Reiner muttered upon seeing the conclusion of the thesis.
“Although I haven’t checked information on similar species, based on the data presented in the thesis, I think this viewpoint, if not revolutionary, is at least subversive. What do you all think?” Hannah asked, seeing that everyone else had finished reading the thesis.
“I have no objections,” said Lord Percival first. Then, Roger and Savros nodded in agreement.
Igor thought for a moment but ultimately didn’t say anything.
Bel frowned slightly, as if wanting to speak but stopping himself. Eventually, he sighed and shrugged.
“Since everyone has no objections, let’s go with your original plan, Hannah…”
“Wait a moment, Lord Percival.”
Reiner’s voice interrupted Lord Percival’s concluding statement, causing everyone to look at the young man sitting at the corner of the long table.
“…What’s the matter, Reiner?” Lord Percival was stunned for a moment, then asked.
“Regarding this thesis, I don’t think we should make such simple comments.”
Reiner’s words raised Lord Percival’s eyebrows.
“During the thesis review, shouldn’t we conduct similar experiments on the viewpoints and conclusions, or at least find phenomena in past records that can be explained by the content of the thesis? Making an evaluation without other theoretical support seems inappropriate.”
Reiner said, having read the manual for thesis reviewers. It explicitly stated how thesis reviewers should judge theses, with the most important point being practical knowledge gained through experiments. They couldn’t rely solely on the content mentioned in the thesis for evaluation.
In fact, Reiner’s previous theses had also been commented on by reviewers after experiments. Even the most challenging genetic theses had gradually been proven recently by some mages of Immortal Throne through research on other organisms.
Therefore, Reiner believed that being part of this committee for groundbreaking theses made it even more crucial to be cautious. Drawing conclusions without careful verification not only meant neglect on the part of the thesis’s author but also disrespect for the job itself.
“Hannah, what do you think?” Lord Percival didn’t directly respond to Reiner’s words but turned to Hannah, the first reviewer of the thesis.
“Well, although what Reiner said is true, it’s quite difficult to directly confirm this thesis. From the perspective of practical observation, I don’t think there’s a significant problem.”
Hannah was also a bit troubled. Originally, the thesis brought up in this discussion was difficult for the first reviewer to grasp. She had intended to leave the decision to her superior, Percival. Now that Percival had agreed, her review opinion would be guaranteed. However, she didn’t expect Reiner to intervene, making her situation more difficult.
“I think this theory is too biased and emphasizes only one part. If the prolonged use of an organ can lead to evolution and inheritance to the next generation, how do you explain the completely different physiques between parents and children?”
Reiner calmly asked, raising his deep voice.
“Moreover, according to this conclusion, over the thousands of years, species would have evolved every organ in their bodies to perfection. The world would not be as it is now. This is a logical deduction that one can arrive at with a little thought.”
“This…” Hannah was momentarily speechless. She looked at Lord Percival, trying to get support.
“Hannah, since Reiner said so, why don’t you go back and find more information to verify it? Don’t rush to a conclusion without other theoretical support.”
Lord Percival did not continue to support Hannah but instead asked her to reevaluate the thesis.
“…Okay, I understand.”
Hannah reluctantly put away the thesis, glanced at Reiner with a complex expression, unsure about her brewing emotions.
“Let’s continue.”
Lord Percival acted as if nothing had happened, signaling the meeting to proceed.
In the discussion of the next few theses, Reiner made suggestions for improvement in the areas where they were lacking. When the meeting ended, it was already lunch time.
After the final summary, Lord Percival thought for a moment, then softly reminded Reiner.
“Reiner, as the assistant reviewer, your main responsibility is to record the discussion and organize the final results. Do you understand?”
“Of course, I understand.”
Reiner nodded slightly. He naturally understood the implied meaning in Lord Percival’s words.
That was, to tell him to stay out of other people’s business.