Now that I have taken this course I feel as though I have a much better understanding of human evolution and how it affects us today. Before taking this class I really did not know much about evolution but now today I feel very informed and have a lot more interest in the topic. One thing that I have learned and recognized is that humans are continuing to evolve. As we learned in our final lecture of this class, evolution continues as humans move across the globe. Researchers study this and look closely at the dynamics of gene flow and genetic drift. Currently there are biological, behavioral, environment and cultural traits that are evolving in humans. One major way humans are evolving is through the nature of disease. As we evolve more and more diseases arise. Our bodies are in constant battle with other organisms that have been “fine-tuned” through evolution as explained in the article, Evolution and the Origins of Disease by Randolph Nesse and George Williams. As we experience new environments we become more susceptible to new health threats. Obesity is yet another example of a new health threat that occurs today in humans. With the progress of diseases comes the progression of natural selection. Fortunately, not all evolution has to be bad like in the case of forming new diseases. Actually our bodies can evolve and adapt to better serve us. One example of this is morning sickness. Nesse and Williams discuss how morning sickness has been seen as a side effect to pregnancy for a long term but what many people do not know is its actual purpose. As Nesse and Williams explain, the morning sickness “coincides with the period of rapid tissue differentiation of the fetus, when development is most vulnerable to interference by toxins… nauseated women tend to restrict their intake of strong-tasting, potentially harmful substances”. What this means is that morning sickness is an adaptation to protecting the growing and developing fetus from exposure to toxins. This then means that a woman Is a lot less likely to suffer from miscarriages. Researchers have tested this and found this to be true. What is truly crazy is how our bodies can adapt to our circumstances. Another example of how humans have evolved and are evolving is the increasing number of people with anxiety. Anxiety originates from a defense in dangerous situation causing one to escape or avoid the situation. Anxiety has actually evolved to help people in fight or flight situations. Of course there are those that experience too much anxiety which then becomes a problem. What also becomes a problem is when someone has an insufficient amount of anxiety. This may not seem problematic but really can cause someone to end up in more dangerous situations than someone that is anxiety prone. It is truly amazing how modern humans continue to grow and evolve. We are constantly adapting to our new environments just as our ancestors did.