Throughout this course, we learned about many different concepts. All of these different concepts revolve around evolution. The process of evolution involves concepts such as gene flow, genetic drift, natural selection, and mutations. In the lecture, it was mentioned that patterns of gene flow are influenced by culture which involves technology. Since technology is advancing more and more as time continues, gene flow will be impacted which, therefore will continue the process of evolution. However, there are also ways in which evolution is slowed down. This includes language, culture, ideology, and economics. An example of gene flow restriction is differences of religion. Another concept that was mentioned was genetic drift. Genetic drift is becoming less common because of the growth of populations. The lecture also mentioned mutations. I liked how the concept was presented by mentioning that even though mutations take effect slowly, they “gradually change the genetic composition of populations.” This shows that the process of evolution is always evolving. It is not always noticeable right away, but it is a never-ending concept. Natural selection is another concept that is involved in the process of evolution. Natural selection is focused on environmental impacts which includes culture. Throughout this lecture, the concept of culture has been mentioned repeatedly. This shows that culture is an important aspect of evolution no matter which parts it is involved in. 

Some of the biological traits evolving in humans right now includes disease resistance, missing wisdom teeth, and brain size. Disease resistance is a very important aspect of evolution. The process of evolution is being able to survive and have offspring that will survive and so on. If disease resistance was not a trait evolving in evolution currently, there would not be many humans left. Missing wisdom teeth can be classified as a biological, environmental, behavioral, and cultural trait. As brain size increased, jaw size decreased. From what I have learned throughout this course, we slowly have adapted to softer foods, allowing us to survive without wisdom teeth. The changing of brain size has been an ongoing process, so I believe that is still happening today. So far, the brain has evolved and gotten bigger and smaller as well. At this point evolution could go either way. All of these traits that have gone through evolution and continue to go through evolution make us who we are and allow us to continue our lives ensuring us with quality characteristics. 

The article, “Taming the New frontiers in Gene Editing,” questions the ethical standards of gene editing. This article focuses on human evolution through technology. CRSIPR-Cas9 allows scientists to edit genes in embryos more efficiently than ever. This efficiency includes better pricing, and less time restrictions. This article mentioned that evolution is now “under human control.” While this scares some people, others say it is the key to a better future. This way, the process of evolution is just sped up as long as it is used for the right purposes.