Human Variation and Race Post

1. Cold environments may have a pretty harsh affect on humans. This would be an example of developmental adaptation because of our ability to survive and live in cold weather. Over time, humans that live in colder climates have adapted in body shape. This environmental stress has a negative impact on the survival of humans because of our low tolerance for cold weather. We don't have fur or longer hair as other mammals do, therefore, it is harder on the body to adapt to the cold.

2. A short term adaptation that humans have come across is being able to retain body heat in cold weather.

A facultative adaptation would include getting goosebumps or skin coming closer together in order to retain heat in cold climates. 

A developmental adaptation can be the roundness and plumpness of people who have adapted to the cold environment. 

A cultural adaptation would include language acquisition. Living in a certain area where there is a specific dialect would call for adapting to that culture. 

3. The benefits of studying human variation are understanding the different ways that humans communicate and adapt to their environments. We also benefit by being able to utilize this information and learn about different cultures. 

4. Race is a large factor in adapting to climates. Eskimos and other native cultures have adapted in history but does not necessarily mean that the race themselves has adapted. They are only human. Environmental adaptation is a better way because you would be able to better understand the affects that the environment has on humans, not just one race. 

Language Blog

Language Blog

This experiment was difficult for me because there were very little ways to say something without the use of words or ASL. I found myself trying to make up ways to communicate with my hands which became pretty difficult. My hands were essential in communicating what I was trying to say to others. My partners became confused because they were trying to figure out what I was trying to get across to them. I felt I was slowing down the conversation with my lack of speaking ability. They did not alter their way of communicating; they simply tried to make clear what I was trying to say. The culture with a more advanced way of communication and with the ability to speak has the advantage because they are able to be more direct. The speaking culture may have a negative attitude towards those that cannot speak because they would question their intelligence and way of their culture. Individuals who are not from this country that do not speak our language and come from a small culture would have most difficulty communicating through spoken language. It ultimately affects the speaking culture because they may feel frustrated or uneasy when trying to get a message across those that do not understand.

I was able to last the 15 minutes, however, it felt very prolonged and uneasy. Without the use of emotion or facial features, it became a bit confusing for my partners. What made this experiment difficult for me was not being able to use hand movements. The previous experiment allowed for hand movements, however following that experiment made communicating quite difficult. My partners were affected because there were times that I would say something and they would be confused because of my lack of emotion. Non-speech techniques have proven to be very important at times because of their significant use in trying to get a message across. Without hand or facial movements, it would be difficult to communicate with many people. There are some people who cannot read body language and it can be important at times. Reading body language really helps distinguish what the other person is feeling. If someone is standing in a certain way or slouching, this may come off as lazy or bored. The benefits of reading body language are that you can fully understand what the person is saying to you and you can know their mood. 

Piltdown Hoax

The Piltdown Hoax was a forged discovery of bone fragments that were claimed to be ancient human by Charles Dawson in 1912. He "discovered" these fragments in Piltdown, England and brought in scientists to determine whether or not it was a valid find. The discovery of these fragments had a large impact on the scientific community because of its significance. This was believed to be the remains of an unknown human species that has yet to be discovered. The finding was deemed a hoax in 1953 when scientists and the ever growing technology at the time revealed that the fossil was in fact the fossil of an orangutan. Scientists reacted with astonishment and disappointment as findings by scientists that were deemed invalid were rare at the time.

One of the largest faults that humans contain is the need to feel superior and feel on a level of prestige and importance. The hoax proves to show that humans, while trying to do the best for science, integrate emotion and self indulgence when finding an important artifact. When Dawson knew he was onto something big, he had though of himself as an important figure in the scientific community. Perhaps the hoax was created as a joke, or merely a sleek observation on the actual "work" that scientists do everyday, discovering new things.

Some positive aspects of the Piltdown hoax may include the fact that the scientists who discovered the hoax did a very good job in researching and analyzing the fossil. Another is the advancement of scientific technology that enabled them to do so. They were able to prove that the fossil was in fact that of an orangutan through extensive research. Through microscopic examination, scientists were able to conclude that the teeth had been filed down and certain solutions were used to create the imitation of an early human skull.

I do not believe that it is possible to remove the "human" factor from science because at the end of each day that is exactly what we are. There are situations where emotion come into play and can affect our work. While the reason science exists is because we are trying to find definition in the term, "life" there is a part of us that must ask, "Should I?" Errors like this occur because we are human. There are times when I would want to remove the term "human" from science because science is merely observation and determination to prove facts. When the word, "human" is thrown into the mix, there are good chances that aspects of science may alter or be at risk because of our deep emotional states.

A good life lesson would be to do your homework. When you are presented with something found or obtained, it would be a good idea to know exactly where it came from, who gave it to you, and if it is real. That is the only true way to verify an item's importance and value.

Comparative Primate Blog Post

Comparative Primate Blog Post

The locomotor pattern of lemurs, spider monkeys, baboons, gibbons, and chimpanzees.

The Lemur- A. The Lemur inhabits the island of Madagascar in environments that can be described as overgrown forests. They reside in these areas because during the rainy season, there tends to be more food. Many lemurs live in the rainforest while some live in desert areas.

                       B.  The locomotor patterns for the lemur are distinct in the use of all four of their legs and also only two at times.  

                C.  Their long hind legs and long arms allow them to leap to great heights, this allows easy access to trees and large branches in which they reside.

The Baboon

A- The Baboon lives in Africa and Arabia. They inhabit savannas and occasionally can be seen in tropical forests although this is rare. 

B- Like the Lemur, they are quadrupeds and move on all fours. The Baboon is known to be very athletic and quick. They are fast runners and very agile.

C - The Baboon has adapted to its environment in that it can withstand hot temperatures and the hot savannas. 

The Spider Monkey

A- The Spider monkey lives in large tropical rain forests so they have much home range. They seek places that offer canopies for shade and some protection. 

B - They swing using long arms, legs, and tails. Their long arms and legs allow them to easily travel from tree to tree and branch to branch. Their fingers are also long and elongated to provide more accuracy when reaching great heights

C - They use their tails to hold themselves on branches for the use of hands and arms to gather food. Their fingers help them swiftly move through the branches while in danger.

The Gibbon

A- They habitat tropical and subtropical rain forests and spend most of their lives in trees because they have a great skill of navigating through long trees to escape predators. 

B-  They travel tree to tree by swinging underneath branches with the hand over hand motion. They often walk upright on two feet on tree branches. They stretch arms for proper balance.

C- Their long arms, strong arms, and weight easily allows them to travel through trees and find all food supply upon high tree tops. 

The Chimpanzee

A - The chimp resides in Africa in rainforests, grasslands, and woodlands. They prefer green lands and tropical environments.

B- Most times, they walk on all fours as the other. However, there are occasions where they walk as a bipedal. They also have the ability to swing from tree to tree.

C- They also sleep and eat in trees. Their long arms also help them to adapt to the tree environments. However, in recent studies, they are more able to adapt to different environments just we do. 

Analogy/Homology Post

Big Cats

1. A.) The Lion and Tiger both come from the Felidae family and are the largest of this species in the world. Both "big cats" possess a much, much larger size than any other species within the same family. This size is outstanding compared to other members of the same family, such as, the Lynx or domestic house cat.

    B.) The homologus trait of these two species would be their massive size and weight with both weighing, on average, between 400-500 lbs. The Lion and Tiger do share differences in structures because the largest tiger, the Siberian tiger, may sometimes outweigh the lion. Their structure while both very similar also differentiate at the same time because of their bone structure. These species exhibit differences because while the tiger does hunt, the lion's size has adapted to fierce and rapid hunting in the deserts of South Africa. A smaller size accounts for faster and more efficient movement. 

    C.) Generally, the ancestor of these two species comes from a common Panthera ancestor which was believed to be the largest of the Felidae family almost 30 million years ago. 

Little Cats

2. A.) The domesticated cat and the Bobcat are also a part of the Felidae family but are very much smaller in size. The cat and Bobcat both share many similarities and differences.

    B.) The analogous trait of each species would be the tail because while they both possess a tail, the tail of the Bobcat is much shorter. The similarities in structure are that they are both tails, however, for the domesticated cat, the long tail helps with balance and precision. The tail of the Bobcat is almost non-existent and has been shortened over thousands of years of habitat adaptation and stress through environment. 

    C. ) The common ancestor of these two species, the Eurasian Lynx and others, did possess a tail. Species as far back as the Sabre Tooth Tiger, possessed a tail, while not very large but still existent. From the beginning, the ancestor of the Felidae family must have possessed a tail in order for them to existent on all species and subspecies today. 

Protein Synthesis

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Historical Influences on Darwin 

Thomas Malthus

1. Thomas Malthus had a large influence on Darwin and the theory on natural selection. Thomas Malthus was a political economist who viewed living conditions as a large part of man's survival. Malthus believed that without the regulation of family sizes, famine and poverty would always exist and eventually overrun man. This relates to Darwin's theory on natural selection in a positive way because both ideas coincide with each other and are large factors in the process of natural selection.

2. Malthus believed in the critical point of the growth of population against the natural food supply. His main idea was that the growth of man would outrun the food supply and that eventually man would be stricken with famine and poverty. His thoughts on evolution included the ideas of humans only evolving if possible throughout the world. If there are enough resources and supplies then the human race could evolve. However, without the proper resources and supplies, the human race could not evolve. Darwin believed that the reproduction of humans was not as large of a factor as Malthus believed it to be. This ultimately aided Darwin in his theory and became a critical factor in determining his theory on natural selection. 

3. Yes, Darwin could have developed his theory on evolution without the thoughts from Malthus because the thought of food supply and human reproduction rates does not necessarily affect the process that eventually became natural selection. 

4. The church influenced his publication because the church believed that Darwin had neglected the ways of the church. Prior to writing the book, Darwin had quit the idea of becoming a clergyman for the church. 

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/malthus.html