biology

Rebecca D. Costa

Rebecca D. Costa is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Rebecca D. Costa rather than just read about it. In short: Rebecca Dazai Costa (born April 11, 1955) is an American sociobiologist, futurist, and author. She is an expert in the field of fast adaptation.

Key takeaways

Rebecca D. Costa belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Rebecca D. Costa to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Rebecca D. Costa from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Rebecca Dazai Costa (born April 11, 1955) is an American sociobiologist, futurist, and author. She is an expert in the field of fast adaptation. Costa is widely known for her controversial book, The Watchman's Rattle, which offers an evolutionary explanation for modern problems such as government gridlock, terrorism, addiction, a decline in education, etc. National Public Radio's EarthSky said, "Rebecca Costa is a sociobiologist who spots and explains emerging trends in relationship to human evolution, global markets, and new technologies." Her work has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and Larry King Live. Costa is the recipient of the Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Technology Award.

The Watchman's Rattle On October 12, 2010, Vanguard Press, a division of Perseus Books Group, Inc., published Costa's book: The Watchman's Rattle. Acclaimed Harvard University naturalist, Edward O. Wilson, contributed the foreword to the book. The Watchman's Rattle received critical acclaim from Richard Branson, Dr. James Watson, Donald Trump, Bill Bradley, and others. The book earned a "Highly Recommend" by the New York Journal of Books, and The New York Times speculated whether Costa would be "Oprah's Next Star." Media Partner of ABC Television Group, GreenRightNow.com recognized The Watchman's Rattle as one of the best "green" books of 2010. Bart Alexander, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer for Molson Coors, said that The Watchman's Rattle "is a wakeup call book about what political, economic, and social challenges the world may be facing." Inc. Magazine said The Watchman's Rattle is "a fascinating study on how the brain works and how, in the face of complex challenges, our society can survive despite our intelligence being outpaced by our problems." The book was distributed in 20 countries. In November 2012, the paperback edition of The Watchman's Rattle was released by Perseus Books Group, Inc.

On the Verge On September 6, 2017, Costa's book On the Verge was published by RosettaBooks. The book examines the role predictive analytics and human foresight play in "pre-dapting" to future events. The book received critical reviews from Jim Lehrer, Alan Dershowitz, Senate Majority Leader, George Mitchell, John Sculley, Christine Todd Whitman, Tom Daschle, Craig Newmark, Governor Bill Richardson, and others.

The Costa Report The success of The Watchman's Rattle led to a nationally syndicated weekly radio news program called The Costa Report in 2011. The program was praised for its nonpartisan coverage. Newsmakers ranging from Vice President Walter Mondale and theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, to former Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, Bob Woodward, George Schultz, and Steve Forbes appeared as guests on The Costa Report. The program was syndicated by the Genesis Communications Network (GCN) and VoiceAmerica. The final episode of The Costa Report aired January 4, 2018.

Television In 2011, Costa agreed to host an internet television program on the emPOWERmetv Network. The program was titled Countermeasures, with host Rebecca Costa, and was loosely based on The Costa Report radio show. Following an 8-episode pilot, Costa was offered a contract for a full season, but declined stating "The time needed to research, write, and oversee a weekly television program is more than my schedule can accommodate."

Public speaking In 2012, Costa joined the American Program Bureau (APB). She is a popular public speaker at business, healthcare, education, government and technology conferences. Executive Director of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security said "Rebecca Costa blew us away with her socio-biological explanation of how our complex environment drives humans into gridlock and indecision. She artfully connects the dots from genetics to complexity to evolution to gridlock." Executive Vice President of Abbott Laboratories, John Landgraf said, "(Costa) really made me stop and think about our business in a different light." Costa has been a speaker at Dole Food Company, IBM, Walmart, NASCIO, Abbott Laboratories, Big Data Alliance, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Tableau Software, National Retail Federation, G20 Summit, North American Spine Society, Colorado Health Symposium, etc.

Personal life Rebecca Costa lives on the coast of the Pacific Northwest. She has two children by marriage. She is an enthusiastic supporter of the Boys and Girls Club, American Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity.

References

External links Official Website Appearances on C-SPAN

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Rebecca D. Costa

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Rebecca D. Costa claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Rebecca D. Costa before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Rebecca D. Costa ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Rebecca D. Costa

In research: Rebecca D. Costa appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Rebecca D. Costa in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Rebecca D. Costa is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1955 births, 21st-century American women, 21st-century American women writers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Rebecca D. Costa outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Rebecca D. Costa in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Rebecca D. Costa means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Rebecca D. Costa out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rebecca D. Costa in simple terms?

Rebecca Dazai Costa (born April 11, 1955) is an American sociobiologist, futurist, and author. She is an expert in the field of fast adaptation.

Why does Rebecca D. Costa matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Rebecca D. Costa?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Rebecca D. Costa.