I believe that some aspects of evolutionary medicine are important to help while others are not. It's important to mankind that we learn how different pathogens have evolved because what makes them evolve is the very thing that can stop them from evolving which can in turn stop most diseases. Once we know how diseases develop more vaccines can be made to stop it. It's important for the individuals that are working to develop these vaccines to know all about evolution. Doctors however I don't think by them learning evolution it would help them anymore. The way doctors are right now, I think we're doing just fine. I mean we've come this far without the study of evolution being required.
It's true that mechanics need to know how all of the parts of an engine work but an engine only works with all of the parts. They each do there individual thing. The body however is a very different subject, some organs the body can live on without. I guess you could said there are still alot of what ifs and how comes.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Larger brains and Bipedalism
According to the human evolution articles, bipedalism probably evolved to help maneuver better in trees and reproductive success. Bipedalism also helped with the regular use of tools as both carrying devices and as implements for resource explortation. Bipedalism was able to help find more food and shelter by being able to walk longer distances. It also helped in the mating process by finding more mates.
Nature selection played a role in larger brain size possibly due to reproductive success. Primates, they argue, live in relatively large groups where an individual's survival and reproductive success depends on its ability to manipulate others within a complex web of kinship and dominance relations (Seyfarth and Cheney). Brain size is also seen to be larger in animals that are fruit-eating or omnivorous. Species that feed on fruit may have problemes in learning and memony.
Robert M. Seyfarth and Dorothy L. Cheney, "What are big brains for?" http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC123613/
This is the article I used to find out more information about bigger brain size.
Nature selection played a role in larger brain size possibly due to reproductive success. Primates, they argue, live in relatively large groups where an individual's survival and reproductive success depends on its ability to manipulate others within a complex web of kinship and dominance relations (Seyfarth and Cheney). Brain size is also seen to be larger in animals that are fruit-eating or omnivorous. Species that feed on fruit may have problemes in learning and memony.
Robert M. Seyfarth and Dorothy L. Cheney, "What are big brains for?" http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC123613/
This is the article I used to find out more information about bigger brain size.
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Ancestor's Tale: Chapter 1 and 2
In chapter one of the Ancestor's Tale, Dawkins warns us to avoid two misconceptions which are
1. The historian is tempted to scour the past for patterns that repeat themselves.
2. Temptation is the vanity of the present: conceit of hindsight
Dawkins tells us to stay away from these misconceptions because to study evolution we must be convinced that there is no premeditation that has laid the path of evolution one way or the other in hindsight of the future. It's better to think that everything happens for a reason and doesn't happen to creat a future event.
In chapter two of the Ancestor's Tale, Dawkins explains human origin with concepts such as Y-chromosome Adam and mtDNA Eve. Y-chromosome Adam is known as the all-male line on common and mtDNA Eve is known as the all-female line ancestory. These two concepts are more traceable than genes in general. Scientists have determined the timing and history of human migration by using these two concepts. Evolutionary biologist Alan Templeton came up with a theory about our migration out of Africa called "Out of Africa Again and Again". He used a coalescence theory for lots of seperate genes instead of just one. Using this theory he concluded, by using 13 haplotypes, that there were not two major migrations out of Africa but three.
1. The historian is tempted to scour the past for patterns that repeat themselves.
2. Temptation is the vanity of the present: conceit of hindsight
Dawkins tells us to stay away from these misconceptions because to study evolution we must be convinced that there is no premeditation that has laid the path of evolution one way or the other in hindsight of the future. It's better to think that everything happens for a reason and doesn't happen to creat a future event.
In chapter two of the Ancestor's Tale, Dawkins explains human origin with concepts such as Y-chromosome Adam and mtDNA Eve. Y-chromosome Adam is known as the all-male line on common and mtDNA Eve is known as the all-female line ancestory. These two concepts are more traceable than genes in general. Scientists have determined the timing and history of human migration by using these two concepts. Evolutionary biologist Alan Templeton came up with a theory about our migration out of Africa called "Out of Africa Again and Again". He used a coalescence theory for lots of seperate genes instead of just one. Using this theory he concluded, by using 13 haplotypes, that there were not two major migrations out of Africa but three.
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