Rare mutation: Razorius Gilletus Vectrus

If you haven't read the recently posted essay "Razorius Gilletus – On the Origin of a Next Species?", you probably won't understand much of the following. Anyhow, I'd want to share my find of the Razorius Gilletus Vectrus, a variation on an extinct razor species I recently bumped into while traveling in Asia.

The Gillette Vector is a two bladed razor, introduced on Azian markets some years ago, with a design very similar to the ancient Gillette Atra, which was introduced in the late seventies. Production of the original Atra halted more than a decade ago, as not many people are buying two bladed razors anymore.

Apparently the Gillete corporation felt their ancient Atra razor could still thrive in Asian countries like India and Thailand, where the budgets for buying razors are a less and the razors of the Gillette brand have to compete with cheaper local models. Hence they decided this would be the perfect habitat for a revival of the almost extinct Atra razor, which is now called Vector.

Vintage advertisement for the original Atra model.

This story of the Gilletus Vectrus remotely reminds of that of the Polar bear, which is thought to have diverged from a population of brown bears that became isolated during a period of glaciation in the Pleistocene, but managed to adapt for cold temperatures, snow, ice, and open water, allowing it to occupy a narrow ecological niche – which is ironically now again under pressure due to global warming.

Apparently, the movement of species to habitats that are friendly to their constitution and allow them to survive, is a basic evolutionary principle that is valid both in the biosphere as well as the technosphere.

Related post: Razorius Gilletus – On the Origin of a Next Species.