 How does Taphetta's initial response to Halden's evidence represent a greater dynamic between species?
In repose, Taphetta the Ribboneer resembled a fancy giant bow on a package. Taphetta rattled the head fronds together in a surprisingly good imitation of speech. "It's more than a legend," said Sam Halden, biologist. "There are at least a hundred kinds of humans, each supposedly originating in strict seclusion on as many widely scattered planets. Obviously there was no contact throughout the ages before space travel— and yet each planetary race can interbreed with a minimum of ten others ! "It is impressive," admitted Taphetta. "Outside of your own world, there's nothing like your species, except superficially, and that's true of all other creatures, intelligent or not, with the sole exception of mankind. Actually, the four of us here, though it's accidental, very nearly represent the biological spectrum of human development. There's a corresponding span of fertility. "But I thought it was proved that some humans did originate on one planet, that there was an unbroken line of evolution that could be traced back a billion years." It's reasonable to assume that, if men were set down on a hundred such worlds, they'd seem to fit in with native life-forms on a few of them. That's what happened on Earth; when Man arrived, there was actually a manlike creature there. "But there are other worlds in which humans who were there before the Stone Age aren't related to anything else there. "And so, to account for the unique race that can interbreed across thousands of light-years, you've brought in the big ancestor," commented Taphetta dryly. "Something had to distribute one species so widely and it's not the result of parallel evolution—not when a hundred human races are involved, and only the human race." Still, Taphetta the Ribboneer was an experienced pilot and could be very useful.
 Like Taphetta, ribboneers are highly aware of their superior intellectual status, and are skeptical when presented with 'lower level' information
 Like Taphetta, ribboneers are highly aware of their superior intellectual status, and are skeptical when presented with 'lower level' information  Like Taphetta, ribboneers possess lower reasoning capacities than humans, and are insecure when presented with 'higher level' information  Like Taphetta, ribboneers are the most brilliant species, and are initially defensive when presented with information that contradicts what they believe to be true  Like Taphetta, ribboneers are the quickest species to evolve, and are enthusiastic when presented with information that could further their advancement