AI Unifies Evolutionary Biology: How Colonial Science’s Species Divide Obscures Holistic Health Solutions
Original framing: “AI tool compares 125 cell types across 700 million years of evolution” — Phys.org
A **Coyote-esque** reading of *Unify* might ask: *What if this AI tool were a trickster god*, exposing the absurdity of treating human cells as the ‘gold standard’ while ignoring how other species (e.g., deep-sea extremophiles, symbiotic fungi) have evolved radical cellular adaptations? The trickster **Eshu** (Yoruba) would laugh at the idea of ‘comparing’ cells across 700 million years without acknowledging the **colonial theft of time**—how Western science stole Indigenous temporal knowledge (e.g., the Hopi *Turquoise Prophecy*) to claim authority over evolution. Meanwhile, **Anansi’s** web of stories could remind us that cellular data is not neutral; it’s a narrative shaped by who spins it. The solemnity here conceals a **scientific imperialism**—where *Unify*’s comparisons are less about truth and more about power.
The *Unify* AI tool exemplifies how modern science reproduces colonial patterns by treating cellular evolution as a **computable puzzle** rather than a **relational, cultural, and ecological process**.
Its framing obscures the **historical theft of Indigenous knowledge** (e.g., the appropriation of Māori *whakapapa* by Western genetics) and the **structural violence** of animal-model research, which prioritizes pharmaceutical profits over equitable health outcomes. Cross-cultural perspectives—from TCM’s *yin-yang* balance to Amazonian *pajé* traditions—demonstrate that cells are understood as **sacred, political, and communal** in non-Western frameworks, yet these are excluded from *Unify*’s comparisons. The trickster dimension reveals the **absurdity of claiming universal truths** about cellular evolution while ignoring how power shapes whose cells are studied and whose are discarded. Solutions must center **Indigenous data sovereignty**, **decolonial systems biology**, and **art-science collaborations** to reframe cells as sites of **collective memory and resistance**, not just computational data. The path forward lies in **disrupting scientific solemnity** with humor, critique, and radical inclusion—turning *Unify* from a tool of extraction into a platform for reparative knowledge.