Neanderthal

Evolution is an idea that has been toyed with by many other scientists for centuries, but is generally considered to be the “unifying theme” and the “binding force of all biological research” (Evolution: Theory and Science). Georges Cuvier and Jean-Baptiste Lemarck both had theories that kind of headed towards evolution, but they simply had pieces of the whole picture. The writings and theories of these two naturalists and others are what inspired Darwin on his travels. All this along with his…

Evan Johnson August 16, 2017 AP Environmental Science Period 5 Summer Assignment 1. A Panamanian town known as El Valle de Anton, used to have an abundance of a species called the golden frog. Then, when humans began migrating from region to region, the spread of a fungus called Chytrid began to take shape. As the fungus spread, the amphibian population began to dwindle. El Valle de Anton is important because it shows how a mass extinction can occur from the spread of a fungus, all because of…

Diets are influential of growth quality and leave imprints on enamel. Consumed substances can have selective effects on different regions of each particular tooth. This can be seen by looking at the topographical variances that are caused by mastication patterns from diets. Mastication forces are applied more heavily in certain areas, where areas of greater thickness endure greater mastication forces. Average enamel thickness, determined with more precise measurements, gave more detailed…

sequences that were subjected to BLAST searches in GenBank®40 showed consistent homology with human haplotypes. No mitochondrial DNA homology with apes, Neanderthal or Denisova cave sequences were found. The results showed that the mtDNA was human. The haplotypes were human. Blast searches showed that the sequences did not match Apes, Neanderthal, or Denisovan. Of the thirty samples twenty yielded whole mitochondrial sequences and ten yielded partial mitochondrial genomes. The thirty samples…

In Bryan Sykes book, The Seven Daughters of Eve, he recalls the experiences he faced and obstacles he overcame while piecing together the ancestral history of Europe. The meaning of the title of his book comes from the discovery that ninety-five percent of Europeans can trace their ancestry back to seven different woman. In order to do this, the mitochondrial DNA must correspond with that of one of the seven women: Ursula, Xenia, Helena, Velda, Tara, Katrine or Jasmine. Mitochondrial DNA,…

Many of us take for granted that our life today is better than it would have been a thousand years ago, and better still than ten thousand years before then. In his essay, “The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race”, Jared Diamond, noted scientist and author, argues the opposite. He suggests that the human race’s transition from bands of hunter-gatherers to societies based on farming was a terrible error, and one that we have yet to recover from. He bases his argument on two major…

The woman Eve is portrayed as the mother of all mankind. A mother that we all descended from and are related to. Eve was alive roughly 150,000 years ago originating in East Africa. We know this from the scientific breakthrough of genetic tracking. This sort of new science allows us to follow the journey that our ancestors had taken long before getting here. We are able to observe these families of Eve travel through climate changes, rivals, and many more hardships on their way to their…

(5) The softening of foods made it easier for the body to absorb needed nutrients. (5) One essential ingredient is beneficial for the human brain, omega-3 fats. (4) Archaeological evidence, some 200,000 years ago, gave a theory that Neanderthals certainly used fire to cook. (5) Evidence showed that, “Until the American Revolution, 98 percent of the population lived along rivers and oceans,” (4) and with that diets rich in fish had the brain food of omega-3 fats. (4) When migration went…

a prominent part of human society. Whether it’s slavery within the US, or the conflict between the Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds in the Middle East; there is conflict within these groups. However, when focusing on the evolution of humans, the term “Neanderthal” was often used by Europeans as a derogatory term for Africans. The use of this term may be the main source for denial and pushback of the discovery of Neandertal DNA within ours. If one is willing to accept the reality of…

Since the beginning of civilization, communities have always been formed. Neanderthals learned to survive in groups, no one man traveled by sea, and not one person can run a country by themselves. We all have our personal opinions, but not everyone is willing to sacrifice in order to see a “Greater Good”. It may not always be necessary, but at times it is better to be able to give up one thing, to make others better. Let’s look at school. You are in a group for Foods and your group is baking…