As we approach the end of this semester, we are able to look back on all of the information we learned about in this course. I, personally, am not a huge fan of science, nor have I ever been efficient in science-based classes. However, I found this course very interesting and found myself very interested in how humans came to be as we are today. It shocked me to see how we evolved from primates, hominins, and Neanderthals. This course provided me a lot of insight on why humans function/look/behave/etc. the way we do- and it all stems from how we evolved from our ancestors due to natural selection and natural evolution processes. Despite being so advanced now, humans are still evolving everyday and scientists continue to study how we do, daily.
One way that humans are still evolving is by genes. Scientists study our genetic makeup every day and have noticed that the frequencies in important genes are changing. This can alter the way mutations are present or affect our genetic makeup. Scientists say that Alzheimer’s is becoming less present in the elderly because the gene mutation has lost numbers in DNA. This can be used as proof that we are evolving because although it is small, it shows we are changing in some way over time. While on the topic of genes, how we fend off diseases have evolved over time. We are able to fight disease causing pathogens at a much faster rate than even a few years ago. A lot of this is to do with medicine, but doctors use medicine to make our bodies better equipped for threats to us.
These genetic variations have led to multiple different changes in the way humans function. For example, we have evolved dietary tolerance, ability to withstand sunlight rays, and even inhabit mountainous regions with less oxygen supply. More specifically, we are the only mammal who can digest and tolerate dairy as adults. We are also able to be outside in the sun for long days without any serious consequences (I must not be included in this one). In continuation, there are many groups of people who successfully live in mountainous regions even though there this a smaller supply of oxygen u up there. All of these traits stem from natural selection allowing this genes and capabilities to remain after all these years, and many of these characteristics are very recent!
In conclusion, we as a species have evolved into the most advanced and (kinda) intelligent group in the world. We all came from the same ancestor and natural selection has shaped us into who we are now. So far, we have been evolved with the most suitable characteristics such as dietary tolerance, and ability to adjust to our environments for survival. With this in mind, we are still changing and evolving every day! There are many teams of scientists who work tirelessly and dissect our DNA to see its every move and adjustment. It seems that we can only physically improve from here!
Hey Rachel! I really enjoyed reading your blog and hearing your opinion of how much our lives have evolved over the years. I completely agree that I am not a huge science fan nor have I taken many science courses so this class has definitely been a bit of an eyeopener. Although this class has been a lot of new knowledge to me, I have enjoyed learning more about the science aspects of our own lives and how we came to be. You made the comment in your blog “For example, we have evolved dietary tolerance, ability to withstand sunlight rays, and even inhabit mountainous regions with less oxygen supply. More specifically, we are the only mammal who can digest and tolerate dairy as adults. ” Which I also found super interesting. The fact that I eat dairy everyday and never consider the fact that in the past, adults couldn’t do this has helped me be more appreciative of how much we have evolved over time.
Hi Rachel! A lot of what you discuss has to do with us adapting to our environments overtime. Unfortunately, as we evolve to better survive climate conditions and create medicine to fight off disease, disease evolves too and adapts to what we make to prevent it; a never-ending battle! A good modern day example of this is the flu shot which has been an ongoing argument for years. I’ve heard of way too many people that over-isolate their children from bacteria from the outside world and from food and they eventually grow up to have more medical problems because their bodies were not able to adapt overtime. It’s a great thing though that scientists thoroughly study and test modern evolution every day in order to expand our knowledge on this matter. I also find the fact that humans are the only mammals to produce lactase in our adult lives — this proves the “fact” that adult cats liking to drink milk is actually false because they are lactose-intolerant!
Hi,
I too have never been a fan of science and never excelled in any science classes leading up to this. But I too found this class extremely interesting. As a business major I took this class thinking if I could understand what made up humans and how we interacted with ourselves, I could use this as an advantage in my field of work. But I found myself being extremely interested in the topic. It is fascinating that humans are constantly evolving with ever new generation of human. I also found it crazy how we have evolved over millions of years to these all intelligent beings who rule over almost every animal on this planet. I wonder what we will look like in another 3 million years.
Hi Rachel! I really enjoyed your blog post!
I agree with your introduction paragraph. I feel the same way – I am not naturally great at science courses either. However, I have loved this class and I am moving forward with a lot of valuable information that I didn’t know beforehand.
In your post I found it interesting when you discussed the impact of genes in the human evolution in our society today. Specifically when you mentioned that scientists say that Alzheimer’s is becoming less present in the elderly because the gene mutation has lost numbers in DNA. That’s so interesting! I also didn’t think about how people living in mountainous areas and their Oxygen levels. In conclusion, I do agree with your statement that we can only improve from here. With our technology today and the resource available, I’m thrilled to see in what ways our society will continue to evolve.
Thanks!
Allie
I agree we can only improve from here but as long as we are actually doing positive things to improve us evolving. This includes making sure that we are catering to our health needs and not only relying on natural selection for us to adapt to our surroundings naturally. Unfortunately we have to deal with diseases now. Some in which we have vaccinations for and others have not been founded yet. I truly hope that we will be able to evolve as well as take care of our environment we live in.