evolution
The evolution of science, science fiction, and mankind throughout the years.
Superpowers: Could They Happen?
I've been fascinated with superheroes and superpowers ever since I was a little girl, creating my own and playing pretend. Though the one thing I've always wanted is for these powers to be real. So that's what I'm sought to find out; could these powers actually exist in the real world, what would these abilities do if they were real, what would they do to the human body and is having this power even possible for the human body to handle?
By Sammy Vick8 years ago in Futurism
The External Nose
Some are tiny and button-like, some look like a ski jump, others have bumps in the middle or wide nostrils, but they are all sone of the biggest mysteries in evolution. Why do we have an external proboscis that protrudes from our faces? This should be an easy question to find an answer to, but nothing could be further from the truth. A lot of research has been done on the shape of the nose and that is determined by the climates our ancestors lived in. In a paper published in PLOS Genetics, "Investigating the case of human nose shape and climate adaptation" byArslan A. Zaidi, Brooke C. Mattern, Peter Claes, Brian McEvoy, Cris Hughes, Mark D. Shriver, the authors put forth the idea that wide noses with larger nares are selected for in warm, wet environments, and long, narrow noses are selected for cold, dry climates. They examined nose measurements from a total of 140 women who were of West African, East Asian, northern European or South Asian ancestry. One doesn't have to leave Africa to find exceptions to their findings. Northern Ethiopians and Eritreans have narrow noses, and genetics have shown little admixture from Europeans or Arab groups, and instead have a common cluster of Y chromosome E3b, a haplogroup unique to the horn of Africa. Then there are the Fulani people of West Africa. They live in a warm, humid climate, but have narrow noses. This is the largest tribe in Africa, and they do not fit the mold these researchers have determined.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Futurism
Comparing Apes to Early Hominins
Sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists, and other scientists often use data collected by field researchers to draw comparisons between humans and apes. Jane Goodall's research with chimpanzees is legendary. Diane Fossey researched gorillas. Primate centers from around the world have given us reams of data—enough to last several lifetimes of compilation. Their groundbreaking research gave science all it needed to interpret this data to model early hominin evolution, instead of seeing it for what it was: a detailed view of ape life today. The data is valuable in that we now know apes almost as certainly as we know ourselves. The problem is, it is often used to extrapolate "facts" about the LCA (last common ancestor). The truth is simple; apes have been evolving for 5-8 million, as have we. Apes bear no more resemblance to the LCA than we do. We don't think the LCA had agriculture, architecture, or dashing commuters, so why do some researchers insist that apes give us insight to early hominins? Apes are not primitive. They are the current apex of their individual species, as we are of ours. It took millions of years for apes to get where they are. We evolved to speak, walk on two legs, and see the abstract. They evolved to be quadrupedal tree climbers that can live in their environment without destroying it.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Futurism
'Nature-Culture': Embracing Genetic Modification
From unprecedented globalisation to industrial refuse, the contemporary world has changed the face of the earth, prompting geologists to define it as the Anthropocene, “the age of humans” (Purdy, 2015: 1). Jedediah Purdy elucidates that as “a driver of global change, humanity has outstripped geology,” eliciting tensions and anxieties toward future conditions of the earth (Purdy, 2015: 1). Science fiction illustrates these feelings in futuristic stories, usually situated in a post-apocalyptic world where a revelation often portends that worse conditions await regarding environmental sustainability and human lives. Molly Wallace argues that such fictions intend to “suggest that the means to the apocalyptic futures are already in the works and […] to prevent the outcome imagined” (Wallace, 2016: 98). Science fiction accentuates present conditions in an imaginary future, resonating with Fredric Jameson’s claim that science fiction does not aim to “give us ‘images’ of the future […] but rather to defamiliarize and restructure our experience of our own present” (Jameson, 1982: 151). By positioning the present in unfamiliar contexts, one is able to dissociate from the present and thus gain a broader perspective, encouraging the chance to take preventative actions against the depletion and devastation of the earth. Perceived as both preventative and aggravating, genetic modification often features in science fiction novels, either as a necessary action to enable human survival or as a man-made evil that inevitably becomes humanity’s downfall.
By Harriet Weston8 years ago in Futurism
The Name Game
The photo above is an old shot of Willy Shoemaker, the jockey, and Wilt Chamberlain, the basketball player. Willy is not a dwarf of any kind. He is 4'11" tall. Wilt is not a giant. He is 7'1" tall. There is no argument—they are both Homo sapiens. What if you found their bones at an anthropological dig site? If you knew nothing about humans, you might think they represented two distinct species. After all, their skulls would have different volumes, and their postcranial bones would appear quite different from each other. This is what researchers face. Variation in a species can be enormous. There are so many classifications of hominins that it boggles the mind. Here is a list of some: Homo habilis, rudolfensis, antecessor, ergaster, erectus, heidelbergensis, floresiensis, neanderthalensis, gautengensis, cepranensis, naledi, tsaichangensis, rhodensiensis, georgicus, Denisovans, and Red Deer Cave People. This is not a complete list. There are many reasons that the taxonomy (classification) of Homo is so complicated. Some species coexisted, but they also cross mated, making all of these early hominins blends of each other. Each researcher has his own idea of who begat whom, and what makes a fossil Homo. Everyone has an opinion and no one agrees with anyone else. There is no standard among scientists, and the entire naming process is getting out of hand. Anyone who finds a fossil these days is claiming to have found our oldest ancestor, the oldest Homo, or the "missing link." Just look at the situation that recently occurred in South Africa. Last year, Lee Berger proclaimed Homonaledi, a fossil found by his son, to be this ancient Homo who was already a member of our genus while Australopithecuseines like Lucy were running around. You could hear the laugh go around the paleo world when the fossils were found to be a mere 250,000 years old.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Futurism
Korean Paleoanthropology
Rudyard Kipling once said, “There is too much Asia and she is too old.” He was right, from a paleoanthropological point of view. Asia is huge and trying to find vastly scattered remains of hominids is daunting. If you take the Koreas, however, they are a nice piece of a big pie that can be searched for delicious tidbits of knowledge. There are problems with paleoanthropology here, as exists in all countries, but the Koreas present some that are unique. Many descriptions and papers from here are written in Korean, which makes their availability for Westerners unaccessible. South Korean soil and climate are just not conducive to the preservation of bone fossils. It also lacks in tectonic activity (volcanos) which limits the ability of time dating fossils. The good news here is other methods of dating are surfacing. North Korea, unfortunately for all, has most of the Korean caves and limestone geologic structures. Information of any finds here are not forthcoming, and what little we have gotten is highly suspect. There are four theories of the peopling of Asia:
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Futurism
Paleoanthropology in India
The country of India is truly unexplored when it comes to hominin fossils. As can be seen from the photo above, it must have been a major corridor in the migration of hominids from the Arabian Peninsula to South East Asia and beyond to Australia. But where is the evidence? If the truth is told, there is a paucity of evidence that has been found in India. The most famous, and nearly the only fossils found are those from the Narmada Valley, located at nearly mid-point north, south, east, and west. The fossils are calvaria (skull caps) and a few postcranial bones. The remains indicate that these were a small pygmy type hominin, possibly the ancestors of the enigmatic Andaman Island group of "Negritos" or perhaps Homo floresiensis. The Andaman Islands are populated by Negritos who are very small. It is not known when the Islands were first inhabited by anyone. Estimates go from 70kbp to 2kbp, but it is possible they are older than some think. At least one island has kept intruders out completely. Answers are not forthcoming yet, and genetic evidence is only available from islanders accepting of researchers.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Futurism
Evolution Without Darwin
Darwin suspected it, but he would roll over in his grave if he knew how his dogma on adaptation and natural selection is changing. His original teachings are still not accepted by fundamentalist religious people. The new thinking would make them both apoplectic! Evolutionary thinking is finally beginning to mature past Darwin's explosion onto the science scene, after 159 years of stagnation. Forty years ago, there was another explosion in the science world. Stephen Jay Gould published a paper called The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist Programme. What it proclaimed was heresy in biology. Simply put, Gould said that not all adaptations are adaptations, some things are by-products that an organism can put to use, but they were not naturally selected. He likened these abilities to the spandrels in the church of San Marco. A spandrel is a triangular shape created when a dome is added to a rectangular room with arches between the arch and the wall. Artists used these spaces for artwork. Gould saw traits that were like spandrels—the body is a restricted form (the rectangle), and the dome was an adaptive trait. In between were usable by-products—the spandrels.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Futurism
Is It the Supernatural or Just Mere Coincidence?
Have you ever wondered is there more to life than just living? Is there something or someone watching over us? Is there something out there? Do things happen coincidently or purposely? Is there a purpose for our lives? Is there meaning to life? What are we existing for?
By Courtney Chai8 years ago in Futurism
The Real Hobbit
If there ever was a species that rocked the scientific world, it was Homofloresiensis. It was so tiny, so small brained, so out of time and place. Found on the Island of Flores in Indonesia in 2003. How did it get there? It had to be by boat of some kind. How does it fit in our family tree? That is something no one has been able to figure out yet. It was the WTF reaction by researchers as well as its diminutive size that complicated its acceptance into the species Homo. The keyboarding went quantum. It was a pathological anomaly. It had this disease or that syndrome. You name the disorder, floresiensis had it. The most common choice was Down's Syndrome, which is very rare among primates. Only two known cases have ever been found. When more bones and tools were found, we were asked to imagine a tribe of Down's Syndrome dwarfed hominins sailing off to Flores and establishing themselves as hunters. Really.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Futurism
Evolution of the Big Brain
Our brains are truly the one thing that has separated us from everything else that has lived on this planet, and it was happenstance. It evolved serendipitously, as a side effect of our environmental lifestyle, and the tale is a glorious tribute to the beauty of evolution. Let me be clear. We did not need a big brain to survive. Nothing else has one, and all life here progresses fine without one. Its usefulness allowed us to conquer every environment. So what did we do that was so right?
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Futurism
Neanderthal and the Denisovans
The southern Iberian Peninsula near Gibralter was the last outpost of Neanderthal. They languished there until as late as 24kbp (thousand years before present). This area offered several survival elements They had warmth, seafood, and cliffs. With so much game gone at this point, they probably relied on food provided by the sea and cliffs. The cliffs also offered security from intruders. Climate had undergone drastic changes. A volcanic eruption 40kbp began a series of extremely cold seasons. This caused a loss of game animals and the calving of icebergs that also lowered temperatures. This is seen as the match that broke the camel's back for our cousins. Some researchers believe that Neanderthals couldn't make warm enough clothing, but that seems ridiculous. These were a people long used to living in colder temperatures. After all, aren't they built for the cold with their shortened arms, legs, and stocky bodies, just like Arctic people today?
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Futurism
