I am a Human Biology major entering my senior year of college. Over the course of my three years, I have taken many courses which discuss human evolution and variation.  I have taken courses that relate to evolution and variation directly and indirectly. One of the courses I took during my junior year was NSC 495: Capstone in Human Biology. During the first half of this course, we read a book called “Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us About Sex, Diet, and How We Live, by Marlene Zuk. We discussed how our diets have changed and whether we should be live the lifestyles our ancestors did, or if the way we live is right now is better. In particular, this class really got me thinking about why we live the way we do. During the first week, the podcast also talked about this idea of the paleodiet. Personally, I believe that we should not change our lifestyles completely to the way our ancestors did. They lived in that way in order to survive in their environment. Another course I took was Fundamental Genetics. Before taking this course, I heard many people complain about it, but this turned out to be one of my favorite courses! We learned about the variations and mutations in human chromosomes, sex-linked versus autosomal traits, and much more. I believe this course was essential because it provides a deeper understanding of why everyone is the way they are. In general, I would say that my major is highly revolved around the idea of human evolution and human variability. Another course I took was Microbiology. One of the things I learned about was the Human Genome Project, which researchers use to draw relationships between the structure of genes and their proteins. All three courses discussed different content, but they all eventually related back to a more common topic, evolution.

Also, I agree with Alters and Alters statement that, “evolution is a unifying theme among many sciences.” Evolution is a topic that I believe, will always be taught in our educational system and should continue to be taught. It provides answers to questions about why/how humans have come to be. Alters and Alters mentioned its importance very well, “it is a useful and often essential framework within which scientist organize and interpret observations and make predictions about the living world.” As mentioned in the article, human evolution and variability are very important in the healthcare and science field. It helps us understand the frequency, nature, and distribution of genetic diseases. If I did not learn about evolution in school, as a student that aspires to go to medical school, it would be harder for me to understand the differences in genetic diseases or the concept of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance.

Overall, I think my specific field understands evolution and human variability in more of a biological way. Before taking these courses, I did not think evolution was very important. Although, after taking all these courses, they have helped me realize how important evolution is. Combined, they can help come to conclusions and form a deeper understanding of human evolution and variability. The readings and videos have helped me better understand evolution from a biological viewpoint as well. The readings and videos did not make me think about my field in a different light but helped me tie together all the different information relating back to evolution and variability. A large portion of the content was information I have previously studied, but it was presented in the form of evolution and relating it to biological components, instead of the other way around. Therefore, I was very engaged in this week’s content.