Majoring in human biology has shown me over the years how evolution and human variability go hand in hand. Since transferring to MSU, I’ve taken numerous classes as part of my major that relate evolution and human variability. One of my courses was in the history of Africa and it started before colonialism and slavery penetrated into the continent. We learned of the rich beginnings of life and how it is most likely the species we call humans, originated here. This class was not even a science class and this just shows how unifying the concept of evolution is. Evolution is a slow process over time that helps creatures adapt to the way their world is changing and to better outlive one another with the growing competition for resources. Human variation and variation among other species happens when evolutionary or random mutations occur. Some mutations are beneficial and some are not and these advantages and disadvantages are represented whether or not the individual lives to pass on the trait. As the trait is passed on, the variation grows with each generation that inherits and modifies it uniquely. I’ve learned all of these things through the field of human biology because it is the study of humans and their inner mechanisms that make them successful and able to cooperate to further the species in a way that they see to be best.
Human variation is visible in people’s visible physical features like hair color and texture, height, skin color, eye color, weight, facial structure, the list could go on. However, it is also apparent in ways that are not perceivable to the naked eye. There are people with various autoimmune diseases or cancers that they may have gotten due to genetic predisposition. Everyone is different and in human biology (with the goal of the medical field in sight), it is the goal to help people with all of these small differences and nuances. Being a doctor, you have to understand that each patient will vary in a way that you have to be cognizant of because it will make all of the difference in that patient’s care. Evolution and human variability may not seem present in the everyday thoughts of human biology but they are integral parts of where this discipline is today and how it has developed into this comprehensive branch of science.
After this week’s lectures and videos, my field remains the same to me and how I see it in terms of evolution and human variability but it makes me more aware of just how integrated all of the branches of science are to one another. The video about Richard III was very interesting and how the genealogy can be traced back so far with the specific variations in the mitochondrial DNA and the Y chromosome DNA because each one tells us something different about the lineage and the various breaks throughout what they thought was a pure line. Understanding how evolution and human variability are intertwined also reveals how all of the branches of science are also irreversibly connected to form a deep understanding of something we have only scratched the surface of.
Hi Jessica, While reading your blog, I found quite a few similarities between how evolution is explained in science majors and non science majors. At first, when you describe how you first interaction with evolution was in a non science, which I think is key to understanding how the evolution intertwines different courses and subjects. I do think evolution represents a learning model for the existence of earth furthermore creation of mankind and its progression. Interpretation of Richard III video from this week lecture is well explained, while it present most information form genetic, I think it helps connect the scientific explanation with real life observations of how not only can a tooth could be used to trace one’s DNA but also gather information such as one’s diet, potential occupation and much more. Evolution is truly unifying theme of science.
Hi Jessica!
I found your blog post very interesting as you spoke of the ways in which evolution is integrated into a multitude of fields which are not often thought of as the standard for evolutionary speak. The tendency for people to consider evolution to be only utilized in a few typical disciplines, such as genetics, becomes increasingly more apparently false as more and more people in their posts speak of how the concept has been integrated into their own majors as well. It was a very interesting idea for you to point out that you had a class which spoke of African history in its true form, with a great focus on its rich cultures instead of slavery, which is what many usually assume is African history in a nutshell. The fact that evolution can be integrated into historical courses such as that is a true testament to just how all-important evolution truly is.
Hi Jessica! Your class on the history Africa seems like an excellent example of evolution and the basis on why variation is so important. Like you said, some mutations are beneficial and that is by allowing some species to have an advantage or providing the competing species with a disadvantage. Then this trait the mutation supplied gets passed down to the surviving species and continues to be spread throughout the gene pool as generations pass. This is a repeated process over and over throughout the years causing variability within the species. We can see some of the variations by phenotypes like you mentioned, eye color, skin color, your hair and even your bone structure of the way your body is built. Other variation can be seen through looking at variations in mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome. Looking in depth at the DNA itself can provide us in way more detail about the evolution and traces of traits throughout generations can be identified. I thought the video of Richard the III was so very interesting because they were able to look at the genealogy and see where some of the lineage was broken. Being able to look back into history and see that the Y chromosome had inconsistent matches with what was thought to be a royal blood line is fascinating!
From just reading the first few sentences, I was already able to comprehend that your studies are hugely in relation to mine. I am also a human biology major. Furthermore, evolution plays a huge role in our studies of biology and other sciences. I remember in one of our lectures there was a statement saying that evolution is happening now. Evolution does not ever stop and it continues. This makes sense and correlates to how you mention that evolution is a slow moving process that keeps going even thought we do not really see it. My blog post was also similar in mentioning that there is more to humans than just their phenotype, but also the variability within us that has to do with our DNA. DNA is within the nucleus and not visible to the naked eye. Moreover, humans have to work with what they see, but also consider the variability between all of us.
I find it really interesting that human biology remained the same to you. Because I major in human biology as well. To me, I was able to see human biology more in-depth than before because I had never thought about the other connections it could have other than medicine and human variation. For instance, the environment affects human lives as we learn in BS 162, although I had never connected it until this weeks of lecture videos. I found it interesting how you brought up doctors and how you have to understand the needs of different patients and how they affect each one because it truly is based on the needs of the individual, not based on the needs of a disease. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this weeks information.
Hello! Wow, I really enjoyed reading your post. I am a Political Theory major in James Madison College so I am definitely not the most comfortable with the physical sciences and hearing what you think as someone who has extensively studied these things was interesting. I also found the difference in our interpretations of variability as it applies to our fields interesting. When I was thinking about it in terms of Political Science, I thought about how variability in thoughts and opinions affects voting and elections. Hearing about the physical variability that you consider when thinking about variability in general is interesting since I guess physical variability is also just as important then analyzing groups of voters and so on. The study of medicine and biology is no doubt deeply connected to evolution and the study of it.
Hello!
I enjoyed reading your post because I feel like you really conveyed the aspect of how evolution truly is everywhere. It does not matter if your major is related to “biological” science or not. Evolution will still be prevalent there, because as time goes on humans are constantly changing and evolving. After hearing someone who is majoring in the physical sciences have this point of view too, and have extensively studied this area it is interesting to me that we have come to the same conclusion. I really enjoyed how you talked about your history class, because that example showed how evolution is intertwined in all aspects of our lives, and throughout our majors whether we are aware of it or not.
I would have to agree with your post and the dynamics behind the whole evolution being a slow process. I am majoring in anthropology and I think studying humans as a whole is really interesting. I think that we are able to find some similarity between both majors. As we as anthropologist are able to focus on the affects human go through daily. I like that you spoke ok the needs of patients as such. I believe your explanations were great.