Final Blog- Environmental Stress

For my final blog post I chose the cold as the environmental stress. This stress effects us more directly as we are a tropical species, our bodies have adapted better to warmer climates. The cold can bring about changes in our homeostasis in the forms of  shivering, frost bite, hypothermia and even death. It was important for our early ancestors to quickly adapt to changing climates, not just for survival but it was important for migration.

 The quickest and initial method of relieving the cold, is the ability to shiver. This is done by muscles contracting and expanding quickly in order to generate heat. This action also conserves heat in the body.  The start of this action might be signaled by goosebumps or the raised hair follicles on our bodies. This response is leftover from the time when our ancestors had fur, the point being the raised hair gives us an added layer of warmth. Although since we no longer have hair you just see raised skin. Excuse the image finding a proper representation of movement is somewhat difficult in a photo.

A developmental change to the environment would be the way our body stores body fat and it's overall shape. Someone who live in colder climates will tend to be more heavy and have a rounder body. This shape is the most effective at storing both heat and fat. Providing internal organs with a protective layer.  The extra layers would be effective than the skinny body we would see in someone who lives in a hot environment.

Clothing is major part of how we stay warm. As mammals it is important for us to stay at a certain temperature. Although like our ancestors we no longer have fur. Clothes allow us to regulate our body temperatures through the effective layering of material. Someone may only wear a sweater and or scarf when it becomes a little chilly outside. Those who live or work in the arctic may have more in terms of special gloves, goggles, boots, and heavy jackets.

 Environmental studies provide scientists an important look at how our world is affecting us as a species. Within each climate and region we have differences that allowed us to survive and adapt.  While race may provide some answers as to why these changes took place race varies from person to person, while an environmental adaption will be constant within those people. Studies such as these help us unlock more about ourselves as a species as well. It might give us insight into our ancestors would have survived such conditions.

 

Language Blog

   Using language be it spoken, written or gestures is a very important part of social development and helping a species thrive.

  Having being limited to facial expressions, hand gestures and body language didn't feel very difficult at all. I was still very much able to express mood and intent with no words. My volunteer began asking me more questions than normal however, because I wasn't able to be very specific they had to piece together some parts of the conversation. I never really noticed how much is said with our expressions and hands. In a meeting of cultures I feel the most advanced in terms of communication would have the bigger advantage. Being able to coordinate with others, like planning an attack or hunting strategy guarantees their survival as they would be stronger in number. In our society those whose main forms of communication are ASL put them at a slight disadvantage to the rest. Even though most interaction is done with social media and technology basic tasks such as going to the market or going to school can hinder them. Without words it may be harder for them get attention and express a specific need. I can imagine someone who may have a food allergy having trouble explaining the situation in a diner or restaurant. Likewise those trying to engage with someone who may be unable to speak will most likely have a hard time understanding.

 This exercise I felt was a bit more challenging. Changing the tone of our voice is a natural reaction to certain events. Being angered may cause you to change expression and without being able to tell if that person was angry it would also be hard to establish the cause. I was not able to complete to full 15 minutes before I finally had to change tone in order to express urgency. My partner also couldn't tell if I was being sarcastic or not and at one point became frustrated. They described it to texting or messaging someone. You read the message but you have to spend the extra time trying to figure out if that person is being serious or not. The people who have difficulty reading body language I think might be men. It is a common joke that men for some reason can not understand their spouses/girlfriends when they are upset. Does it remain true for everyone I don't think so, but you can easily see how it would be a problem. Building relationships and social interaction sometimes involve reading cues in body language. A salesman might pick up on the nervous and uncertain behavior of a buyer. A police officer will read the person they are trying to arrest in order to determine if they are hostile or not. Without those certain cues these situations become unpredictable and dangerous.

However there is one benefit in not being able to read body language. During a fight or battle no matter what the species being able to hide injuries is an excellent way to hide weakness. If something has an injured leg, limping would immediately signal to enemies that there is a vulnerable point of attack. So being able to conceal this would be very beneficial.

Piltdown Man

   The Piltdown Man was a series of discoveries and claims of an ancestor between modern man and ape. The discovery made at the time was monumental as Britain had yet to find any hominid remains. After many discoveries in France and Germany, Britain was beginning to feel the pressure. Then in 1908 at a gravel pit in East Sussex, England Charles Dawson had found a fragment of what was a first he claimed was a fossilized coconut. Then after several other finds in the same area he believed them to be the remains of a fossilized ancestor of apes and man. After some time roughly in 1912 he had brought the remains to Arthur Smith Woodward, who was working for the geological department at the British Museum. It was then the two set out to find other remains of the Piltdown man accompanied by many others, which included laborers and even a goose named Chipper. (Which if you read into some of the more comical theories of the forgery they name Chipper the mastermind.)

Despite the attempts of Woodward and the other excavators it was only Dawson who had found fossils. Even with this knowledge many in the scientific community questioned the legitimacy of the skull, The skull presented had only bits and pieces intact, and those left behind were not enough to distinguish if the jawbone even matched the upper portion of the skull.

 Arthur Keith was at first convinced by the discovery of such a skull but after the revealing of the canine teeth in a later dig they were inconsistent with the supposed diet of the species. Keith had noted that the sharpened canines would not allow for the side chewing movments found in humans and apes. In as early as 1913 a zoologist and a french paleontologist were claiming the skull in fact belongs to a man and the bottom jaw to an ape with the teeth filed down. The final exposure as a fake came in 1953, when technology had advanced to the point where they were able to do specific analysis. They found that the aging on the skull was actually caused by a chemical solution mainly iron and chromic acid.

 The main fault of this skull being exposed so long fter its discovery, 50 years or so. Can be contributed to human emotion. Feelings of jealousy and desperation was the cause of so many British scientists claiming that this skull was in fact the real deal. They refused to believe it was a hoax and that Britain would be the birthplace of modern man. That is why it is important for many to come together to test and establish findings and theories. It is an unfortunate part of our nature that I feel can not be removed. For us to question our own origins I feel it is also necessary for us to find them ourselves. Not for gloating or showboating purposes but for the few who say it can't be done. Or for the people like in this case fail to accept evidence no matter how much is given to them.

Comparative Primate Blog- Diet

 Primates vary in shapes and sizes, and in the same regard so does their diet. Most if not all primates inhabit the tropical and subtropical regions of various continents. Each have adapted to live and thrive in that area.

 Looking at lemurs we can see that they are mainly from the island of Madagascar, which is comprised of the mainland and several smaller islets. It had split from India 88 million years ago. Madagascar due to its climate is popular choice for growing both coffee and raising cattle. The business in turn increases the human element.

 The fact that lemurs are endemic to this area puts their survival at risk. Deforestation threatens both the population and their food source. The practice of cut and burning vegetation for both space and to produce fertile land has decreased their available food sources. Most lemurs consume insects and fruit, and some of the larger species will eat plant material the diet is highly limited. This however does not mean that a hungry lemur will only eat what is in their normal diet. They been known to consume small vertebrates and even the ring tailed lemur  who has a diet of mostly fruits and leaves will eat small birds and chameleons when hungry enough. They are considered opportunistic eaters and will consume most anything. However human influence has greatly increased and caused a shift their diet as seen in the picture below.

The Second type of primate the Spider Monkey are found in tropical forests and are native to both South and Central America. The lowland forests in where live receives high amounts of rainfall. The trees of these forests are rather large and the long limbs of the spider monkey help it to reach the fruit and nuts it prefers. These amazing primates consume the fruits whole and when they are excreted they are still whole and are fertilized in the process. Like Lemurs when there isn't enough food they have been known to consume various things including bark. 

Unfortunately due to their popularity as a food source and the effects of human interference 2 of the seven species are critically endangered while the other are listed as endangered.

Baboons which are found primarily in Africa, which has various climates and landscapes. Most noted for being hot and humid. They have a wide range when it comes to diet and will eat fish, fruit, insects, hares, and small antelopes. They have been observed eating goats and and sheep as well. There has been a myth of baboons raiding villages and stealing human babies, but it has not been proven.

As you can see  baboons have extremely large canines, thus making them an intimidating animal. Interestingly the canines are larger on males then females and while they do look like carnivores their teeth have no relation to their diet. The teeth are used for display purposes for both territorial fights and to ward off predators such lion, leopards, and hyenas.

Gibbons or lesser apes are native to the subtropical and tropical forests. China, India, and Indonesia. China and Indonesia being one of the largest concentrations of human populations are constantly threatening all species. As such they have adapted like other animals and have changed diets. The Gibbons which are omnivores eat a wide varieties of plants and fruits. 

Gibbons also eat insects and plant shoots on occasion. 

Perhaps the most unique when it comes to diet and method is the Chimpanzee. They are native to Africa and have been observed as being the closet relatives to humans. Their diet like the other primates listed is very diverse, yet unlike they others listed they been known to use tools to gather their desired meal. It has been observed that chimpanzees will sharpen sticks into spears using their teeth to capture a bush baby from its resting place inside trees. They also use sticks to fish out termites or use rocks to destroy the mounds. The level of intelligence shown allows them to be pickier with their diet and obtain whatever it is they want. 

Analogy/Homology Blog post

  

    Analogous traits, or evolutionary responses due to environmental changes and stress can be seen throughout the animal kingdom. Once such example are sharks and dolphins, and while neither share a common ancestor both posses dorsal and pectoral fins with a similar body shape. Sharks being fish and dolphins mammals is clear sign of an analogous trait they both share. The streamlined body is essential in helping them to move quickly and muscles designed to propel them at amazing speeds.

However when we take a closer look at both these species the differences become clear. Such as both the difference in skeletal structure and its composition, cartilage for sharks and bones for dolphins.

We can see they both share the elongated spine which allows for the body to take its torpedo like appearance. Not surprisingly however, despite the appearance of a dolphins flipper it has the same skeletal structure as many other mammals; and unlike a shark it is able to move its flipper with limited range of motion. Such bones like the radius and ulna for example are present in mammals. When we look at a shark it has the appearance of a typical fish fin, complete with all those tiny little bones.

Going back to the ancestors of both species it is apparent that sharks have not really changed much since their first appearance around 450 mya, but the dolphin evolved from something different. It is also no surprise they both developed similar traits as these are the most effective means of movement in water. 

Homology a trait passed through a common ancestor and seen in different species and is and is a sign that there is a genetic relationship. Like the dolphin example above whales also posses a bone structure with a likeness to our own. So humans and whales share a homologous trait. Looking at the bone structure in the hand of a human and the fin of a whale again we can see how closely related they are. Even though this image has other animal examples I would to only focus on the 2 on the far left.

Of course due to the different living environments each species had to evolve its signature characteristic. Having our current arm shape wouldn't allow a whale move very fast in the water, and us having flippers of course would halt our ability to use tools. 

The above image features the common ancestor of man and whale. It wouldn't be hard to imagine this animal taking to the water and evolving into the whales we see today or even over time walking upright and becoming us. The fossils dug up of these interesting creatures have told us so many things about our origins.

Decode me!

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Good Luck!

Week 1 First Blog

  1. Select one of the five individuals listed above who you would argue had the most influence over 
Darwin’s development of his theory of Natural selection. This could be a positive or a negative 
influence.

   The most important person to effect the work of Charles Darwin was Thomas Malthus. The work Malthus had accomplished had shown Darwin how natural selection could be explained. Although Malthus was attempting to provide evidence for the control of the human population both Wallace and Darwin were able to apply his observations to all living things. It was a positive influence as Darwin now knew what factors to look for in order to explain exactly how a species would be able to thrive and sustain later generations. 

Briefly (but completely) describe the contribution this individual made to the scientific community. 

You must provide one link to an online source of information besides your textbook. No Wikipedia 

sources! ( 10 pts)

Malthus was best known for his work in deciphering the economic state of humankind. He was known to take records of birth, death, age of marriage and other significant details. He also gave birth to the misunderstood word of Malthuism, in which it is believed society will evetually starve due to increasing populations and lower food productions. 

http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Malthus.html

From the bullet point list above (under “How does evolution work?”), identify the point (or points) 

most directly affected by this individual’s work and thoroughly explain how this point was 

influenced by your selected individual. Again, this could be a positive effect, meaning Darwin built 

upon the knowledge this information provided, or a negative effect, meaning that Darwin 

demonstrated that this individual’s idea(s) were incorrect and the mechanism of natural selection 

was an alternative explanation. (10 pts)

A vast majority of the points surround the ideas that Malthus had observed. Specifically how resources are limited and that a species has the ability to reproduce exponentially. As an economist and someone who studies populations these factors directly relate to Malthus' works. This is also the reason why I chose him as an influence as I felt he had the greatest positive impact on Darwin. Darwin was able to take his knowledge even further and apply it to all living things. 

 Could Darwin have developed his theory of natural selection without the influence and ideas of this 

individual? Explain. (10 pts)

I believe at one point he would have. Darwin had known about natural selection but it was only the "how" that Malthus had given him. It was sort of a push I would say.

How did the attitude of the church affect Darwin and his eventual publication of his book On the 

Origin of Species? (10 pts)