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Human Variation & Race

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Cold weather is an environmental stress that negatively impacts the survival of humans by disturbing homeostasis. Homeostasis is the process our bodies undergo to maintain a stable internal environment despite outside environmental factors. When someone is subjected to cold weather, they may notice their skin getting goosebumps or their jaw quivering a bit. These are natural responses to the cold and are actually the result of homeostasis at work, attempting to warm up the cold person. Because cold weather disturbs homeostasis however, it actually impacts the survival of humans. I mean think about it: our normal body temperatures are supposed to stay somewhere in the range of 95ºF-107ºF with the ends of that spectrum signaling something is seriously wrong with a person. When someone gets cold, blood flow to their skin decreases and the body begins sending signals for certain warming activities like shivering and goosebumps. Staying cold for too long is obviously not good for us be
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What's All the Hype About Language?

Language is such a pivotal part of how we communicate with others and is a uniquely human trait. We often take our communication abilities for granted, not realizing how helpful they really are in our everyday lives. To demonstrate this, I conducted a bit of an experiment where I held two separate conversations with a small group of people at my work. For the first conversation, I was only able to communicate using nonverbal cues, I was not able to speak or use sign language of any form- just hand movements, body language, and basic social cues. For the second conversation, I was only able to communicate using verbal language. This meant I could speak, but could not use any other form of communication like hand movements, body language, voice variation, etc. I then spoke with my co-workers about what it was like for them to communicate with me when my communication options were limited. I compared their thoughts with my own and concluded the following: My first conversati
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Piltdown Hoax 101: Everything You Need to Know About Science's Worst Scam

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What you should know about the Piltdown Hoax: It all started in 1912 when Charles Dawson, an amateur archaeologist, was working in gravel pits near Piltdown Village in Sussex, England. Dawson came across what he referred to as a human-like skull of which he thought might connect the ancestry of humans and apes. He decided to reach out to the Keeper of Geology at the Natural History Museum of the time, Arthur Smith Woodward. Dawson and Smith Woodward joined forces with Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French priest/paleontologist and discovered more findings of artifacts relating to the human-like skull Dawson previously found on his own. Among these artifacts were teeth, a jawbone, more skull fragments, and even primitive tools. Smith Woodward reconstructed the skull fragments and Dawson joined him in attending a Geological Society meeting in which they proposed to other scientists that they had found evidence of a 500,000 year old human ancestor. This was a major proposition as i
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Examples of Homologous & Analogous Traits as Seen in Nature

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The following is a breakdown of an example of a homologous trait: Species chosen: Venus Flytrap, Cactus Homologous trait identified:   Leaves Venus Flytrap A brief background: A Venus Flytrap (scientific name: Dionaea Muscipula) is one of almost a thousand different types of carnivorous plants. While most species of plants rely solely on photosynthesis as their primary means of nutrient intake, the Venus Flytrap also captures insects as prey for food. This plant is native to the Eastern United States, most commonly found in North and South Carolina. A cactus (scientific name: Cactaceae) is a more succulent plant that lacks “typical” plant-like leaves and is instead characterized by pointy spikes that cover its surface. Cacti are usually found in dry, arid regions or in homes as houseplants and decor. Cactus Explanation of the trait:  In the case of the Venus Flytrap, the leaves are kidney-shaped and hinged, allowing them to open and close. They are lined with
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Who Was Charles Darwin Influenced By?

I would argue that Thomas Malthus had the largest impact on Darwin’s development of his Natural Selection theory. Malthus was a prominent economist who wrote an important piece of work titled, An Essay on the Principle of Population. This piece highlighted the dynamic between a population’s growth and it’s ever-constant resources. Although Malthus was far from interested in natural selection, his idea of environmental restraints on species that caused an element of population control, was key in the early development of Darwin’s theory. He emphasized that species reproduced far more young than could be accommodated for in a limited resource environment. By the time Darwin had read Malthus’s work, he had already begun his journey of inquiring knowledge of how nature progresses and how survival is determined. Malthus certainly contributed to Darwin’s curiosity. Malthus wanted to demonstrate that this principle applied to humankind, however, Darwin fixated on the species and de
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