Evolutionary Anthropology Personal Statement Examples

How to Find Yourself Set in present day New York, “Trying to Find Chinatown” is a short, one-act play David Henry Hwang wrote in 1996. Only two actors, Ronnie and Benjamin, interact throughout the entire play, but through their conversation we learn about who they truly are and not who their genes require them to be. Hwang shows us that it is our nurturing environment and not our genetics that define us, and he helps make this an exceptionally convincing case through his use of character and setting. Hwang demands his audience realize that our nurturing environment is more important than our genetic one. This argument is not a new one.

As humans evolve both as a species and a society, new questions will unfold. While at university, I look forward to developing the skills required to answer these questions whilst establishing a career in Biomedicine in which I can continue to learn about the human

I have always found human evolution very fascinating. I think it is incredible how we have evolved from caveman to complex modern-day humans. The fact that such an enormous change did not occur overnight, but through a slow process that took place over hundreds of thousands of years, gives me the urge to continue researching. I am curious about how we have evolved dramatically in terms of appearance, characteristics, lifestyle, and many other aspects. Not only are these adaptations interesting, they are also essential to our entire existence. Without evolution, humans would’ve died out due to the various diseases we are exposed to daily. Evolution is a constant undergoing process as our surroundings continue to change. We must adapt to these changes in order to successfully survive. I want to

of some sort to the general human gene pool, enough to be considered a different

Human evolution: the study of how and why our human ancestors changed over millions of years.

Genetics can help answer questions about our traits and why we look different and advance in different ways from each other in the world. Chapter 1 explains the basics about how genes work, and the portrayal of DNA and RNA. Chapter 2 describes RNA more in detail and it consist of the explanation of the human genome. Specifically, Chapter 3 clarifies how evolution works and how it relates to genetic and medical research. Furthermore, Chapter 4 and 5 explains the knowledge researchers have about genes role in health and diseases, and how society is affected with the advances in medicine and science given approximate credit to these researchers.

The human genome project is a way of inspecting our molecular selves. There are three billions of letters that make up the DNA in the human genome that scientists have to study in order to understand our molecular cells. Furthermore, there are all distinct sets of genes that interact with environmental factors, which directly influence things like our physical appearance, personalities and risks for diseases. Geneticist, Jeffery C. Long “None of the observable traits that people associate with race are simple genetic traits. Complex traits are influenced by several genes as well as environment.” -Long, Jeffery C. "RACE - Exploring Our Molecular Selves." RACE - Exploring Our Molecular Selves. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.

Human beings are still very much evolving. According to recent studies, genetic changes in women over the years have decreased the age at which they birthed their first child. In one study the age decreased as much as four years from age 26 down to age 22 (Allen 2011). Another concurrent study looked at women’s physical appearance in correlation with the number of children they had. The resulting data revealed that, “stout, slightly plump” women had more children. Researchers found that these characteristics are passed on from mothers to their offspring and so forth (Harrell 2009). Therefore, as these traits are passed from generation to generation, the population grows and these characteristics become more prominent in the population. All of these findings confirm that the evolution of human beings is still very much an ongoing process.

The idea that our genetic code controls most aspects of our lives is arguable. Nowadays, scientists (cell biologists, neuroscientists, etc.) are uncovering concrete evidence that are genetic code is only one of the many complex system of the human body that sways our lives. According to one new study, (“Do

Understanding human evolutions is important for identifying the stages of humanity and for understanding how our societies have developed. When most of us think about human

Abstract evolution has occurred in humans for millions of years; however, in a modern society many scientists and evolutionists are now debating whether or not it is still occurring, and if it follows the same rules. With all of the new technology humans have created, some experts believe that humans have essentially conquered nature, and no further evolutionary changes will occur. Still, others hold opposing views; some experts believe that evolution is still occurring, but modern societal advancements have changed the rules. These experts say that the changes in evolution are a result of recent medical advancements that allow doctors to perpetuate genes that would not have lasted years ago. Additionally, others maintain that evolution is

“Although we are all members of a single species, we differ from one another in such visible traits as the color of our skin and the shape of our noses, and in biochemical factors such as our blood types and our susceptibility to certain diseases” (Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, 2013, p. 34). To understand human physical development and evolution one has to understand biological anthropology as the focus on humans as biological organisms. Biological anthropologist conduct research, and form techniques of modern molecular biology to learn about human variation and how it relates to different environment humans lived in as well as their conditions.

The theories of human evolution may always cause a heated dispute. Each theory presents its own evidence proving

Genes build the phenotype of humans as well as the underlying genotype. Competition between cultural genes leads to varied success of genetic determinism. It can therefore be said that learnt traits such as those espoused within a specific culture, can produce what may seem to be the genetic genotype of an individual. Genes are not always advantageous in the

There has been a lot of scientific research done into genetics, genetic crosses and inheritance enabling us to understand why we have the certain characteristics and traits that we do, how we inherited them and how we can pass them on. It’s because of this research that we can understand and learn about our genetic makeup and why it effects the way we are.