Natural Selection Has Altered the Appearance of Europeans ove the Past 5000 years

What observations can you make about the genetic variation between the parent and founding populations?

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

Vitamin D is linked to Natural selection because Vitamin D is essential for normal growth, calcium absorption,

Vitamin D plays a critical role in many normal bodily functions as well as fighting against a wide number of health barriers. In an article by Jacqueline Kanopa, studies revealed that exposure to ultraviolet rays play a huge part in Vitamin D production, as well as having preventative effects on a disorder known as rickets; which leads to weakened bones due to lack of Vitamin D. This study supports the belief that exposure to UV rays play a critical role in Vitamin D production, and can be beneficial to those prone to certain

“Despite intense research efforts, no consensus has been reached about the genetic relationship between early modern humans and archaic human forms such as the Neanderthals” (Serre, 16 March 2004). It is a

Tanning salons also state that some UV radiation is needed for the manufacturing of vitamin D. Vitamin D certifies that a constant level of calcium remains in the blood and controls its absorption. In an advertisement for tanning equipment, one tanning bed company, The Beach House Tanning, claims that the sun is the only source of Vitamin D (http://www.beachouse.com/tanning_benefits.htm). However, vitamin D is also found in foods such as dairy products, cereal, and fish (http://shrike.depaul.edu/~vbard/vitdpg.html), and it takes far less UV radiation to obtain the necessary amount of vitamin D than it does to get a suntan (http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/tanning.html).

The book begins by exploring gene variations in the human genome, and finding genes that show “strong signs of selection” over the last 10,000 years or so. This is possible due to relatively recent

Observe skull sample and record nasal root, lower border of nasal aperture, orbital shape, malar tubercle, dental shape, and lingual side of incisors. Compare your observations with the information in lab book’s (table 8.3) characteristics to determine ancestry of the

Our bodies are in a “can’t live with you, can’t live without you” relationship with the sun. Too much sun can fatally damage our skin, causing skin cancer, hence the “can’t live with you” part. Meanwhile, all organisms need the sun to live. Humans need the sun for oxygen, which is a result of plants going through a process called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a process that turns carbon dioxide and water to glucose and oxygen, using sunlight. The plants need glucose for energy, while humans need oxygen to breathe. Additionally, natural sunlight helps our bodies create vitamin D and destroy our bodies’ reserves of folic acid. We need a sufficient amount of vitamin D to live but we also need folic acid as well.

As a result Neanderthals and modern humans coexisted for thousand of years both in Europe and in Asia, sometimes populating the same caves at different times, before Neanderthal extinction. Even though the prehistoric population density of Neanderthals and humans were probably very low and potential encounters could have been quite rare (Shea, 2007), their concurrence raises question about the type of interaction that must have happened between the two different populations and the possibility of interbreeding (Shreeve, 1995).

A major function of melanin is to act as a defensive barrier of the skin against radiation damage. Ultraviolet light between the wavelengths 280-320nm (UV-B) causes sunburn and damages the skin on nonpigmented peoples. Exposure to this degree of light causes their skin to become dry, leathery, and wrinkled in appearance similar to that associated with aging. This can be seen in Whites living in Australia and South Africa, where ultraviolet light intensity is high because of the relative latitude or closeness to the equator.

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

Getting some sun is essential to human health despite the risks of the skin cancer. There is much more benefits that come with the exposure to the sun than harm. Vitamin D that our body produces when we are exposed to the sun is very efficient in curing so many diseases. It protects from arthritis, diabetes, infectious diseases, multiple sclerosis and some kinds of cancer, just to name a few.

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

Nearly everyone feels some desire to learn about their past and the origin of their ancestors. In Bryan Sykes’ novel, The Seven Daughters of Eve, he takes his readers through the experiences he faced and obstacles he overcame while piecing together the ancestral past of Europe. Ninety-five percent of living native Europeans can trace their past back to one of seven women, whom Sykes named Ursula, Xenia, Helena, Velda, Tara, Katrine and Jasmine. He discovered these clan mothers by studying the mutations found in the control region of mitochondrial DNA. People who had the same or very similar mitochondrial DNA sequences were grouped together and in the end Sykes was left with seven groups. The purpose and benefit of comparing mitochondrial DNA is that every person receives their mitochondrial DNA from their mother. While recombination shuffles and changes the genes in chromosomes, mitochondrial only changes through mutation, making it a reliable source for genetic study. With mitochondrial DNA by his side, Sykes began to look for answers to some of the world’s greatests questions concerning ancestral origin and human colonization throughout the world.