Bio I:
- Evolution Intro
- TED Talk: Big History
- IA: Bird Beaks and Evolution (start data collection): Worksheet
- HOMEWORK: due may 17th/18th
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/are-we-still-evolving.html
http://discovermagazine.com/2004/jun/useless-body-parts/article_view?b_start:int=0&-C=
2) Post commentary including: opinion about the first article (using proper vocabulary - elaborate please) and top 5 useless body parts (in your opinion).
Bio II:
- Review drawings: IB Drawings
When the author brought up the point that our evolution had suddenly stopped, I figured that I had never thought that. After so many years of evolution it is funny to think that we haven't evolved in 50,000 years. Also, I thought that the point that the author brought up, that we are all the same species, makes sense.
ReplyDeleteTop 5 Useless Body parts:
-5th toe
-Body hair
-Armpits
-Wisdom tooth
-Male nipple
Luis Gragnani
ReplyDelete“Are We Still Evolving?”
The question, are we still evolving, is very interesting. There is no definite answer to this, but several attempts to answer it have been made, to know concrete result. The most obvious answer would be to say that no, humans are no longer evolving, because we are one and only race. That can be said because, theoretically, everyone has the capacity of interbreeding with any other of the opposite sex. Besides, our main “evolutions” were the development of equipment to aid in our daily lives. In all, except some few extremely rare, cases, “survival in the West no longer depends on a person’s gene”.
Other experts are the opposite. They affirm that our evolution has speeded up over the last 10,000 years after the development of agriculture. Some scientists even go so far as to assure that 7% of our genes “appear to be under recent evolutionary pressure”. One of the examples they use to convey their point is the gene FOXP2, the gene that has been implicated in the development of speech and language. Some recent studies even show that other genes, such as those that correspond to eye color, have recently evolved (such as the HERC2, which may be responsible for blue eyes). Along with these studies, others have been made to gather information on how nature deals with “problems”: the results, however, are very astonishing, as it seems that nature deal with the same issue at the same time in different ways.
The most logical answer, and the safest too, is that our evolution “comes down to a matter of degree”. It does not seem likely that we are “not evolving at all”, but at the same time, we are not evolving rapidly enough to “differentiate into one or more new species of human”.
Five least important parts in our body:
• Extrinsic ear muscles – scientist predict that these muscles allowed for humans to move their ears in a similar way to how dogs move theirs. However, these muscles and this function are no longer useful in any way. The muscles still remain in some people, that is why they can learn how to wiggle their ears.
• Third eyelid – the tiny fold on the inner corner of our eyes is the remnant of this third eyelid. Humans no longer need it, as it was used for protecting the eye and sweeping out debris. Even if it did serve any purpose, the actual size of the third eyelid does not make a difference at all anymore.
• Appendix – it is so pointless today that around 300,000 Americans have an appendectomy annually.
• Body hair – pointless to the extreme. It has no clear purpose and it causes a great deal of trouble to some people. Also it is the cause of extreme pain if one of your colleagues decides to be funny and pull some of your hairs…
• Coccyx – the only remnants of what could have been a tail. Humans no longer need that, as we don’t need a tail. Besides, it may cause a great deal of suffering if the coccyx is hurt in some way.
andres rodriguez 16/05
ReplyDeleteI believe that humans are still developing and evolving, it might not be on a physical way, but mostly in a mental way, as we become smarter and more resistant to certain conditions and we have managed to achieve what once seemed impossible, or the technological advances we create everyday
the most useless body parts are:
1-belly button
2-extincic ear muscle
3-subclavus muscle
4-erector pili
5-pyramidalis muscle
In my opinion, humans are still evolving and we are never going to stop. However, I think that stopped evolving physically, but some organs will continue to develop, and evolve. I think that the organ that will change the most is the brain. Humans are creating more and more things, and so getting smarter and smarter. So as we will need to know more, our brain will be more capable in the future, not bigger, but more capable.
ReplyDelete1-wisdom teeth
2-appendix
3-coccyx
4-extrinsic ear muscle
5-erector pili
I think we human beings are still evolving. Our body usually tries to adapt our environment by some ways, such as changing its first system. For example, my mother’s friend usually pulled out her eyebrows repeatedly, and in time, her eyebrows stopped to grow; it was because her body sensed that “eyebrow” was not necessary for her. So still now our body is trying to be better and better to fit present environment, in other word, evolving.
ReplyDeleteAnd in my opinion, unnecessary parts of our body are;
-appendix
-earlobes
-body hair
-male’s nipples
-Adam’s apple.
João Pedro Esteves
ReplyDelete“Are We Still Evolving?”
I believe the article was well written and researched. Although it may be interesting,I particularly found it shocking, especially when the author quotes Steven Pinker's statement: "Reality is what refuses to go away when you do not believe in it, and progress in neuroscience and genomics has made these politically comforting shibboleths (such as the non-existence of intelligence and the non-existence of race) untenable." In other words, Pinker is going away from the "don't go there," and holding the position that different ethnic could differ biologically or perhaps even be "smarter than others." Although the author him self tries approaching this controversial topic in an impartial way, I found presenting a sole one-sided view. The side I found him supporting was that of Pinker where he believes there is a certain biological difference. A clear example can be found when he mentions: "While Jones acknowledges that natural selection still operates in parts of the developing world, particularly Africa, where selective pressures favor mutations that benefit people in their constant struggle with lethal diseases, in the developed world human evolution is, he maintains, "genuinely over." Therefore, he suggests that the African population is "underdeveloped." Moreover he later on states the following: "Jones says, beneficial mutations dispersed through random genetic drift much more rapidly in the past when we lived in small, isolated groups than they do today in our huge, increasingly intermixed global population." Again, there is a hint that certain ethnic groups, or as the author oftenley refers to as "races",are inferior by diminishing the beneficial mutations. Finally, under the "An Evolving Brain" section, Tyson mentioned Bruce Lahn's studies that "variants of two genes known to play a role in brain development—microcephalin and ASPM—appear to have undergone strong recent natural selection," later on emphasizing that "these presumably beneficial mutations are common in Eurasian populations but rare in African." Although he clearly states that in the end of the paragraph that this might have anything to do with intelligence, his other examples and arguments used throughout the article clearly support and favor the European (especially the Ashkenazi population). This population he claims to have "advantage in intelligence" by giving examples of American Nobel Prizes which in my opinion reflect the level of education and not intelligence since the American Jews are mostly financially stable (financial elite class). Another example he uses defending typical European traits is seen in the following statement: "No one knows why natural selection has favored blue eyes. They may be merely a by-product of selection for paler skin, which enables better absorption of vitamin D (essential for healthy bones and teeth) in cloudier northern climates than darker skin does." Notice how he emphasizes the "essential for healthy bones and teeth." Well, in final analysis, I believe the article provides reliable and interesting research, but presents a completely biased point of view that could possible be discarded with more studies.
Body Hair- Lets face it we have clothes...as Luis said can be extremely painful when around a "special" class mate as Filipe.
Wisdom Teeth- We don't really use it, and only about 5 percent of the population has a healthy set of these third molars.
Male Uterus- I don't think I need to explain mcuh here... anyways, it is a remnant of an undeveloped female reproductive organ hangs off the male prostate gland.
Neck Rib- appear in less than 1 percent of the population and often cause nerve and artery problems.
Thirteenth Rib- 8 percent of the adults have the extras. Needless to mention, not really necessary.
I think this topic is really interesting. We have stopped to evolve genetically, but we are developing ourselves. I think human can evolve and still we are evolving.Just we are developing mentally more than evolve ourselves. Human beings are get used to use tools and develop them. We just become to know how to use tools better than before and we become easier to survive without evolving our selves. However in my opinion, people are still developing physically for surviving, too.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, unnecessary parts of our body are::
-wisdom teeth
-Appendix
-Thirteenth rib
-Coccyx
-Male nipples
Susan Han
ReplyDeleteI think that we hominids are evolving at a very slow rate, but still are changing genetically and physically, too. Yet most of us no longer depend on a person’s genes. These days, medical cares and technical reliance are taken for granted. Even though humans are adapting to the changes, they are living longer, or in a better physical forms than they actually deserved by the help of medical technologies such as medicine, anti-virus, and recovering medical cares. Nonetheless I agree with the scientists that highly asserts on an idea that we are still evolving because of gene mutations and natural selection. What I mean by that is that these days more and more people are marrying with what we call “different races.” This help humans evolve in a way of exchanging psychological and physical traits such as language, memory, eye color, immune system, or height, and they are used as products of natural or artificial selection. According to my ‘theory’ I don’t think that hominids genetically stopped evolving. Yet, I don’t think there will be another human species.
Useless body parts
1. Wisdom teeth
2. Appendix
3. Gall bladder
4. Tonsils
5. Male nipples
I believe that we human beings stopped evolving physically because there hasn't been any significant physical change in humans for thousands of years. Although I think that we are still evolving mentally because humans are each time smarter, able to create and develop new things. I also believe that the physical change is something that takes much more time to happen, that maybe will only happen thousands of years from now.
ReplyDeleteThe five most useless body parts are:
1. appendix
2. coccyx
3. body hair
4. wisdom teeth
5. extrinsic ear muscle
The question if we humans are still evolving is apparently a very difficult one to have a specific answer. The article shows how its is in a way "impossible" for us to evolve since we are one, single species but this doesn't mean that we cant and haven't changed over time. I think that even though we don't actually change physically we do, in our own way, adapt to the environment we live in. We might not change physically, but we can see in history that we have adapted and we can adapt to different cultures,living conditions, habits, environment, etc... All of this is, in a way, we humans "evolving". It might not be a permanent change where we end up altering our physical appearance, but we do evolve and change psychologically and emotionally as we get older to "fit"better our environment and the way we live.
ReplyDeleteUseless body parts:
- Neck bone
-Thirteenth rib
-Male nipples
-Darwin's point
-Male Uterus
Although I had never questioned such topic before, I can't help but feel interested by it. The question "Are we still evolving?" certainly may lead to different perspectives and therefore, different conclusions on the topic. I personally believe that we are indeed evolving, but not in a drastic way; instead, we are changing in a so slow rate that no one is able to perceive such difference. Obviously there are some insights that show the "evolution" of our human species, although I am not sure we can classify them as products of evolution. For example, if we compare the lifespan nowadays, with the lifespan of 2000 years ago, we can certainly see a clear difference between the generations. Therefore, if we classify this adaptation, or even improvement as evolution, then we should agree that we are still evolving. Also, what I realized from the article, is that nowadays, we don't have the same need as we previously had, to adapt ourselves to some environment, once we rather change the place where we live in. Nevertheless, I definitely believe that we are still changing, being it either physically or psychologically.
ReplyDeleteUseless body parts:
- Darwin's point
- Male nipples
- Male uterus (???)
- Thirteenth rib
- Erector pili
PS: Can we consider teeth as body parts?!
Caio Menini
ReplyDeleteAre We Still Evolving?
Before reading the article I tried to answer the question, and believe that somewhere in the way we have been evolving. Throughout the years, men have been discovering new ways to facilitate their actions and thoughts. Like the article mentions, " We made clothes rather than grew more hair; we crafted better weapons rather than became stronger..." the quote shows a future not known by man. It is difficult to predict whether we changed because we could have changed from what we were supposed to become. In addition, that humans have been so dependent on what we have constructed that we are not able to analyse how our genes and physical traits could be affecting our “evolution”. The article states under Genuinely Over that “survival in the West no longer depends on a person’s genes”. This shows that the article is trying to convey a message to where we could have changed, but it’s too soon to show it. However, it is possible to agree that the article is very biased, always giving counter points, but also, always emhpasizing his own thoughts, to where humans have changed. However, that the author tries to impose ideas that aren’t helping with evolution in species, but in “races”. He starts to separate several times Africans and Europeans, showing that Europeans have many times shown to portray better qualities, such as blue eyes and better brains, than Africans. The article is very persuasive to a point where humans are now finding specific things that are changing in our body, but that we can’t prove whether they can be implied in Darwinism. Showing a difference to how humans will adapt to different environments, and compare it to other humans in other environments will not determine which “race” is better, but that humans are also able to be studied under Darwin’s Theory. Therefore, that we should embrace the fact that the study of humans is still very broad, and that the article is therefore trying to reach a conclusion but without going against the thought of others.
-Coccyx
-Male nipples
-Body Hair
-Male uterus
-Neck rib
Jennifer Kim
ReplyDeleteI don't think it would be ever possible to not to evolve for 40,000 or 50,000 years, considering that so many things around us went through dramatic changes. In my opinion, just as the Jews have advanced themselves in the intellectual parts, humans are evolving, even if these parts are so tiny and subtle that it's hard to notice the changes right away. If people develop some kind of immune system against a disease and this gene is passed down onto the next generations, I think this is a form of evolution because people are adapting themselves to the environment in order to ensure their survival. Since we're the subjects of evolution, we might not notice our own changes. However, just as we could see the traces of evolution from previous species of ‘humans,’ people in the far future might develop technologies to notice the subtle differences that are being created among ourselves.
Useless body parts:
1. neck rib
2. fifth toe
3. extrinsic ear muscles
4. erector pili
5. coccyx
Alexandra Fuxa
ReplyDelete"are we still evolving?"
actually, I had never stopped to think about that. The author said that we had stop evolving physically around 50,000 years ago, which makes sense if you look back into the past. I think that even though we don't show huge physical changes, humans are still evolving mentally. Our kind gets smarter all the time, specially since technology has had a boom in society. Physical changes, on the other hand, take way longer to develop than the mental development.
Useless body parts:
-wisdom teeth
-coccyx
-little toe
-male nipples
-body hair
Rodrigo Fernandez
ReplyDeleteI happen to believe that humans haven't evolved as of late simply because there's been no need. As technology progresses were are less and less at the mercy of the elements. If it's cold we put on extra layers of clothing, we don't just simply die because we have a low cold threshold. As the article said we are now able to keep over 90% of all newborns alive until reproduction age, so its inevitable that all traits, good or bad are passed on to the next generation. This process prevents natural selection from happening since we non longer have to be the fittest to survive.
5 Useless Body Parts
-Ear Lobes
-Armpit hair
-Chest Hair
-Appendix
-eyebrows
Hikari Fukashiro
ReplyDeleteAre We Still Evolving?
We human beings have evolved throughout thousand of years in order to survive. Natural selection would be a good answer for our evolving, adapting and survival. In my opinion, we, humans, are still slowly evolving with time, both mentally and physically. The environment in which we live is constantly changing and consequently forces us to adapt to the conditions. I think the article is a great source with accurate information, which shows different points of view. However, I disagree with the racial difference as mentioned, “The notion that races could differ biologically in substantial ways harks back to eugenics and Nazi atrocities. Particularly when it comes to whether some ethnic groups or races may be "smarter" than others, the unspoken agreement among researchers has traditionally been, and perhaps sensibly so, "don't go there." I think that racial differences have no link to our evolving and that there is no smarter race than others. Nevertheless, I think that evolving has to do with the conditions each specimen lives in, especially the environment.
Useless Body Parts
1. Body Hair
2. Wisdom Teeth
3. Appendix
4. Thirteenth Rib
5. Coccyx
Sofia Haddad
ReplyDelete"Are We Still Evolving?"
When I read this question, I was surprised by how long the article was because I imagined that the answer for it was simple, just a yes and a brief explanation. However, after reading the first section I realized how controversial this topic is. In the section "Reigning Paradigm, what most interested me was the idea that "survival in the West no longer depends on a person's genes". When Peter Tyson proposed the theory that maybe we aren't evolving anymore, since we still are "just a single specie" I realized that nowadays we don't allow natural selection to proceed due to all the things we create to adapt to places, conditions, and all possible situations. As it’s said in the next section, "we made clothes rather than grew more hair; we crafted better weapons rather than became stronger; we handed down learned behaviors through language rather than discovered them anew". However, I don't believe this aspect impedes humans from being changing over time.
Also, in the same section, I was a little shocked after reading the part where it says that some races or ethnic groups can be smarter than others. Nonetheless I still think its wrong that some scientists refrain from continuing with the research because of past atrocities that happened due to ideas related to this issue. I believe that even though it's dangerous, this possible racial genetic difference could be significant and influence a lot modern science.
In the section "Speeding Up" experts say that evolution is happening and in a faster rate. The ideas present in this part are more similar to what I thought before. I didn't think we were evolving faster, however I had the idea that we were evolving differently, according to the place we lived. Also the mixing of different races and mutations always cause an exchange in genes, therefore modifying the new human being that is later born. Therefore, I don't believe humans have stopped or will ever stop evolving, but I believe there’s a possibility that this might later be an issue, since the modifications in the populations from different regions could soon become so significant and differentiate the two populations so extensively that it could result in the formation of a different human specie.
Useless Body Parts
- Wisdom Teeth
- Male Nipple
- Body Hair
- Appendix
- Male Uterus
Useless body parts:
ReplyDelete- wisdom teeth
- appendix
- male uterus
- neck rib
- tonsils
As presented in the article, there can be different and controversial opinions and answers to the question of humans evolving. I personally believe that humans are evolving and to me the most logical explanation for such would be natural selection. Through the necessity of adaption for survival humans became predominant with specific traits for their own benefit. Along the years certain traits simply became extinct or took over even more, demonstrating some sort of evolution. Also, I think that the constant change the world suffers has adapted humans to know how to change them, which they once did not do. I believe that humans are undoubtedly evolving, in most part psychologically than physically (which has not become as apparent along the years).
I think we human beings are still evolving and developing. Also, it said brain size has decreased over the past 10,000 years. But I think we became intelligent and can make a right decision than before. It is because nowadays, people prefer to use the convenience products, and create high-technological products for making comfortable life. Even our brain became punier and smaller-brained than before, I think our brain will be more capable in the future. Through this article, I could know that everybody`s genes are making it to the next generation, not only those who are best adapted to their environment.
ReplyDeleteUnnecessary parts of our body are:
-Wisdom teeth
-Appendix
-Male nipples
-Body hair
-Coccyx
JY
ReplyDeleteActually, I thought of this question long time ago, but I don't have conclusion yet, because I still don't know whether I should consider degeneration as evolution or not. I know that coccyx and appendix are disappearing, because humans don't need them anymore. Those two are disappearing, because we don’t need them. Now, I could consider that evolution, because evolution is defined as change for better adaptation. However, if evolution = devolution, then devolution = evolution as well. I think that doesn’t make sense, because evolution is to move forward and devolution is moving backward, and moving forward = moving backward? No, I don’t think so, and that’s what makes me so confusing right now
Anyway, what I know for sure is that humans rarely depend on their genes to survive. I was glad that my opinion was supported by this article. But I want to add that occasion where people are not dependent is only when people don't have to depend on their physical characteristics, such as teeth, strength, or nails. In nature, exception of human, better adaptation and genes led to survival, which is also known as natural selection. In human society, there is no "predators" that literally kill and eat us. That's because we are living in such a big group, and we can use tools, for example, guns, to protect ourselves. So you can live even though you may be a disabled person. However, i DO think that there is a natural selection in humans as well. For example, features of better physical look, and intelligence. Person with better looking and intelligence (money) is likely to have "mate" and "offspring". In the other hand, a person without those features, has less chance to marry, so they can't spread his/her genes. Ultimately, there will be more smart and handsome people, because nature “chooses" them. Even the article says that "Every population has a strong selective pressure for intelligence". However, I do not know whether intelligence is dependent on genes or not, so I cannot make conclusion. But the article mentions that Jews have a genetic advantage in intelligence, and that it arose from selection pressure for success in financial occupations, which means intelligence DOES depend on genes. Another example is that we have many other ways to test our genes, such as thumb crossing, or eye color. However, those don’t necessarily effect our survival. So, as a result, I think humans are having devolution, not evolution. What I think about evolution of human being will be proceeded with our own power. Maybe in future, we will have some kind of communicating device in our body, so we actually can talk through telepathy. That is evolution, because we can do a new thing! Also, the completion of human genome project will lead to evolution of human, by controlling genes that we are no aware of. Who know, that we have a wing-gene and we can fly in near future?
Useless body parts:
EXTRINSIC EAR MUSCLES - We don't need to move our ears, like dogs do.
WISDOM TEETH - We don't need it, and it is hard to brush, and it hurts when we have to take it out. According to dentists, i don't have any wisdom teeth, means i am more developed one than any other person.
COCCYX - we don't even have a tail. As i mentioned before, physical characteristics does not effect us that much.
MALE NIPPLES - We know why it is useless. But i'm not sure it can be gone or not, because i heard that nipples are formed before gender is decided in women's womb.
BODY HAIR - I don't want it. I mean, I don't need it. We have cloth, we is more effectively traps heat.
(continue) Lastly, people argue that there is no change in outer appearance of human beings. However, it is important to remember that human physiology not only depends on a single gene. Most of our physical traits are determined by multiple genes. So, even when a single gene has been mutated, the effect might not be obvious for the moment. But consider long terms, like hundreds and thousands of years. There will be enough mutations which would have been accumulated to affect the physiology of human beings. Evolution is not a sudden process. It is a nature’s grave experiment and accumulation of its knowledge for an organism. So when what we call ‘an evolution occur’ thousands of years later, it is important to remember that the change did not come from a single gene. And this is why people believe that the evolution has ceased, even though in reality the evolution is only ‘dormant.’ They are still going on, but just accumulating instead of expressing.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do believe in the evolution of human beings, I do not comply with one of author’s argument, which says that some races are smarter or better than the others due to their mutation in some genes. There are studies that European are smarter than Africans due to a single gene change, but we know that ‘smartness’ is not a product of mutation of a single gene. Multiple factors affect the intelligence of a species or particular race (in this case) but it is right to say that there are more human factors instead of genetic factors in that case. Intelligence, I believe, is something we develop. People may have been born with different intelligence, but I believe they are all at certain range. People build and accumulate knowledge and apply them as they get older, and education is certainly a big factor. This cannot be denied, as we have seen a girl not able to speak human language and act like human because she was raised in wild with animals. This is why European seem smarter than African; only small population of Africans were educated while the majority of Europeans were educated. Therefore, the conclusion reached by the study is flawed because it is a confirmation bias which started with a prejudice that Europeans are smarter than Africans. I also think that Jewish people are not particularly smarter than any other race, although they are relatively very active academically. I believe this has something to do with their mindset and the education system. They were encouraged to read books over to do any other things, and they were encouraged to debate for whatever topic it is whenever possible. Again, the power of education comes in, and it can be said that since Jewish people were raised in better educational system, they are relatively more successful.
Still, I firmly believe that the evolution of human beings is still going on. But it is true that there are no concrete scientific evidences in both sides. Although theoretically and with slight evidence we can say that the argument of one side is flawed, those evidences are not enough to completely let down the argument. This is why I’m very excited and looking forward to see the result of the International Haplotype Map project. We will see what the records would say.
5 top useless body part:
1.Appendix: This has lost its function completely yet only causes death of 300,000 americans annually.
2.Wisdom Teeth: This has also lost its function, which was used to chew hard things. Lots of food today is very soft, including meats. And we do not have to consume so much hard food because we do not eat many vegetables (compared to early human stage.) We do not need this teeth and it, like appendix, only causes problem by hurting people from growing in inadequate place.
3.Coccyx: We do not need this organ for balancing because we use two feet to balance ourselves.
4.Extrinsic ear muscle: We do not have excellent ability to detect the sound by moving our ears.
5.Male nipple: No need to explain. Males don’t feed milk to their children.
Yeunji Lee (Part 1)
ReplyDeleteA simple question and a complex answer. True. But is the answer controversial? No. As the author has stated in the conclusion, scientists generally agree that the humans are still evolving, and after reading the article, that is exactly what I believe. The answer is long and complex, but definitely not controversial. Those who argue against the evolution of human being have flawed arguments, which can be refuted by the counterparts in every single point with scientific evidence.
Those who argue against the evolution of humans give three following reasons to support their argument:
First, they argue that the survival of human beings no longer depends on genes. Unlike animals, who need to contest against each other in terms of life and death, humans may survive even when they are weak because we do not contest in like other animals. We may contest in terms of social life and status, but this does not affect the survival of human beings. Therefore, it is not true in human’s case that the fittest (physically) will survive. However, mutation is still ongoing for the more beneficial trait in each area. For example, in Africa, many people are sickle cell anemia carrier, which is not at all beneficial if they are not living in Africa. Since sickle cell anemia is resistant to malaria, which is very fatal disease spread throughout the Africa, being a carrier actually help the survival of the African people. Therefore, it can be concluded that survival may depend on genes, especially when there is a negative factor, although when there is not obvious factor, human survival hardly depends on genes.
Second, people argue that there are less factors of mutation nowadays to allow people to evolve. Since mutation is more common in old cells, even though it is random, when old couples bear a child, the child is more likely to possess mutated genes. Also, the more children the couples have, the more likely the children have mutated genes since it is random process. Because nowadays humans have less kids and less old couples, the chances of babies with mutation is rarer than before. However, they fail to consider the amount of population today compared to the population in the past. Anyways, we have great (really great) amount more people today than they had in the past. This is one factor that increases the chance of mutation. Along the line, people have also failed to consider that this kind of trend was formed in last 50 years at most, which is a tiny tiny piece of time compared to the 40,000 years of human history. When we are considering evolution and mutation, we cannot look at a single or a couple of generation. It must be at least dozen or multiples of that to see evident features. Given that human generation is very long, it is too early to say that because of those two reasons humans have stopped evolving.
ah miss don't post the last one uploaded with anonymous, I was just testing something... post the first two please, thank youu
ReplyDeleteYeunji
Felipe Capano
ReplyDeleteI think that we might evolve by either need, such as more hair growth if cold, or by discarting unnecessary bodyparts such as ear-lobes, cocxis, eye-lashes, etc.
I think that the five least usefull bodyparts are nipples(men), eyelashes, eyebrows, ear-lobes, and cocxis, and many others.
I think we are still evolving, but its speed is becoming slow and inconspicuous. Moreover I think not only our appearance but also our characteristics have been evolving, and I agree with these evolutions occur in each regions or countries. It is because each regions and countries have different environments so our bodies and characteristics have to adapt each environment. For example, in Asia there are a few resources in their region so there are a lot of people who have great technology.
ReplyDeleteUseless body part
1, wisdom teeth
2, body hair
3, appendix
4, coccyx
5, earlobe
I think that humans are still evolving, and if not in their physical appearance, then at least in their mentality or emotions. I think that humans have become much friendlier and much more succeptible to emotions than they were some 40,000 years ago. Also I think that it is impossible to deny the research of some hard-evidence controversial claims, just because they are not accepted by the public like the Gene that codes for intelligence, which is lower in africans. I understand that different people may have different oppinions on the same subject, that is why I think that people that believe that evolution only applies to physical traits, which havent significantly changed, then they are also correct in their views.On the other hand even though we havent changed as a species, we can see mutation when we look at eachone of us, as no one has the same DNA, we are still able to mate within the species, which is one of the essential parts in determining evolution, but the different people in our species may be of a very different race which I regard as a different species in a way.
ReplyDeleteI think that its good that the author of the article was so daring in his oppinions because too many people nowadays regard such topics with too much sensitivity and get offended too easily, even though its a proven fact most times.
useless body parts
1-COCCYX
2- SUBCLAVIUS MUSCLE
3- MALE UTERUS
4- NECK RIB
5- DARWINS POINT
Before I read this article, I had never thought about this point before when in fact humans didn’t show any biological changes in 40,000-50,000 years. However, I believe that our body undergoes small changes over a long period of time, which are hard to even be noticed. I also think that no major changes were evident in our body because our environment also did not change as much. Before, one environment to another was completely different, forcing human race to evolve noticeably in order to survive. Therefore, I think that human organs such as the brain are evolving over the years with the small changes in our environment but that is hard to be detected. I agree to the fact that we are now the same species, and the other points in this article were very interesting as it made me think of things that I have never considered before.
ReplyDeleteUseless body parts:
1. Appendix
2. Wisdom teeth
3. Coccyx
4. Extrinsic ear muscles
5. Body hair
Filipe Torquato
ReplyDelete"Are We Still Evolving?"
It seems easy to answer this question, however after reading the article i was surprised by what i had read. In my oppinon humans are not evolving in a speed that can be observed by science, for evolution and mutation take extremely long to take place. However we can see some traits that have been changed in humans from passed times. like the wisdome teeth were some people are born without them while others choose to remove them becuase they are not needed by us humans and most of the times even create more problems to us in our daily life.
1. wisdom teeth
2. appendix
3. coccyx
4. Earlobe
5. Man Uterus
Useless body parts:
ReplyDelete-coccyx: I fell twice on it and it hurts a lot!!
-body hair: and that is why I depilate
-male uterus: new for me!
-wisdom teeth: it is always removed by the dentist!
-male nipples: they are useless but it would be weird to see a man without them..
Are we still evolving?
The first thing that comes to my mind is yes! That is because I think of the monkeys we evolved from and how intelligent children are today, able to manage a computer 3 years old. Reading the article I started thinking about other aspects of evolution. I found amazing the observation that we humans stopped evolving given the facts that "We made clothes rather than grew more hair; we crafted better weapons rather than became stronger; we handed down learned behaviors through language rather than discovered them anew." That makes a lot of sense, and so I started thinking that we are evolving but at the same time we are not! Maybe we are losing some psychological traits we had before but gaining others. I also started thinking that because we human being invented so many things to make our lives easier, we became lazy, consequently making us lose some abilities or physical characteristics we had before. The article says that "the number of offspring that people have in industrialized nations shows little variation. In the past, a single powerful man who procreated with abandon could significantly influence the composition of the human gene pool, at least regionally," and I thought the opposite before reading the article, but it makes a lot of sense. After reading the whole article I was very confused and didn't know the answer for the question, and so I came to the conclusion that in some extent we are and have always been evolving, but in some aspects we are losing traits and characteristics we had before, which may come to be negative or positive.