Research Paper On Are Humans Still Evolving

Human evolution is a very controversial topic all around the world- mostly due to religion. Despite the conflict between religion and the science of human evolution, recently, there has been a statement made by Pope Francis saying that it is possible for both God and evolution (along with the Big Bang) to exist. The Pope implies "He [God] created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfillment" (McKenna, 2014; Tharoor, 2014). What we now know about human evolution has come from the discoveries of fossils of our ancestors and the tools that they have made (Funk & Wagnalls, 2014). Although what we know is significantly small in comparison to what we do not know (Zimmer, 2003), discoveries in the fields of paleontology, anthropology and natural selection can help us gain knowledge, as well as an understanding, on the process by which we became “modern humans” (Unknown, 2013)

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

As humans evolve, they will change. Through the years, humans will both change mentally and physically. Through research and reasoning, people can only predict what might be the next human evolution. Much of what is predicted is based on the world that humans live in today. Some day, humans might be even be able to change their own genetics as science and technology advances.

You cannot tell which one is which, as they all look to be average. But then you see the identical ones, the ones with technology infused artificial joints, or the ones whom poses a slight fluorescent skin. And by the time you notice it, they are everywhere and you are the only true “human” left. As time reaches further, we find ourselves living in the new age of technology, political rivalries, and weapons of mass destruction that are no longer radical cartoonists ideas from the television series Roadrunner. This upward rollercoaster of evolution and development within our society leaves one to ponder over one crucial thing: how will it all come crashing down? There are many elements around us that could lead to our own horrifying conclusion and it becomes a simple coin toss to decide our fate. But as many scientistic developments and fictional novels have foretold, the desperate search for the advancement of the human race itself can come as glimpse into the mystic future or possibly the end of us completely. Genetic mutations, at first a simple random mole found of the exterior of the body and the shade of blue of one’s eye seem to be innocent developments in human appearance, but has soon evolved into a evolution shortcut. The increasing development and advancement in genetic research and deliberate mutation originates from the eternal and illusionistic desire for human perfection.

The evolution of the human species has significantly changed during the course of evolution to what is now the modern day Homo sapiens. Some of the changes that have occurred through the evolution are bipedalism, changes in body features such as brow ridges, and an increase in brain capacity.

The living human population is 0.0105% the size of the initial total population and 0.001% of the current population, the corpse population is 110.1324% the size of the initial total population and 99.983% of the current population, and the zombie population is 0.0078% the size of the total initial population and 0.007% of the current population.

Due to the phenotype or expression of the pea plant’s petal colors, Mendel concluded that there are recessive and dominant alleles within populations. Additionally, Mendel’s experiment supported the notion that there are genotypes (genetic makeup) and phenotypes (gene expression) within populations, and that all species are related and have common ancestry. Due to implication, there is evidence to suggest that brain and behavior in complex animals like humans evolved from the brain and behavior of simpler animals, but also depend on learning

Most things in science all eventually lead back to one thing, evolution. Evolution has been an interesting topic since mankind could wrap its mind around the concept. Whether one believes in it or not, it is hard to deny the cold hard facts that back up how every being has changed from its original form of life. From plants to humans, everything has adapted and evolved to be able to adjust to climate changes, habitats disappearing, and new predators. All it takes is for one mutated gene to get a foothold and aid in the survival of a species for the evolu-tion to begin. Although many will try and disagree, evolution has played a large role in every living beings survival.

That the breadth of life is fundamentally defined by its molecular makeup fascinates me; from the significance of the RNA World Hypothesis to the implications of epigenetics, the reach of biochemistry is something I hope to explore further at undergraduate level.

Throughout history, historians and archeologists uncovered many fascinating discoveries. Two significant findings were the Clovis and Folsom discoveries. The early humans left behind clues for archaeologists to understand a part of their life. There were a few written records, so archaeologists focused primarily on artifacts to find out information about the past. In order to find out more about the past, archaeologists looked to the Folsom discoveries to help recognize early human origin, migration, and culture.

Most people think that evolution has to happen over a couple thousand years. However, humans have been evolving since the beginning of time and are still adapting. Throughout history, humans have changed to accommodate climate changes and various revolutions of society by evolving to become more efficient working individuals. Humans still are changing in our fast paced society, after thousands of years of change. The longer the human race is alive, the more evolved we will become. The various changes we undergo, change our lives to become easier and more efficient. Humans are still evolving by changing our bodies, adapting health habits, and proving that our genetic background shows the various changes that we have, and continue, to undergo.

If I had asked you, “ Do you think that humans are still evolving?”, wWhat would you say? Well there’s only one answer and that answer is “yes”. Scientist have done studies that show that modern humans are still somehow evolving today. They have proof of this by our lactose tolerance, our brains, certain genes, and our teeth.

Natural selection, as stated in lecture and reiterated by Andrew is a continuing cycle that eliminates the “less able” of the existing organisms (1). “Survival of the fittest” is an idea that is brought up continuously in various different classes but sometimes the science behind it is overlooked. The evolutionary history of humans is very complex, as is their relationship with natural selection and the answer to Andrew’s question of: are humans above evolution?

The human population has always wondered where they came from, or how they came to be. Why do they have certain characteristics that distinguish them from other species, or how did they acquire these characteristics? Why do they have similar traits to other species? There are many questions about the existence of the human population that they would love to have the answer to. Unfortunately, there is not an answer that is a proven fact. Luckily, there are theories that try to explain where humans and other species evolved from. The two well-known theories of evolution are accredited to Jean Baptiste Lamarck and Charles Darwin. Jean Baptiste Lamarck developed the theory of acquired characteristics, which is often known as Lamarckism (Stanford 17). Lamarck’s theory stated that, “all organisms make adjustments to their environment during their lifetime that could be passed on to their offspring, making those offspring better adapted to their environment” (Stanford 17). Lamarck says that organisms adapt to their environment during their lives and the characteristics that they acquire during their lifetime are passed off to their offspring; The offspring are now better adapted to the environment. Charles Darwin had a different approach in his theory of evolution. Darwin believed in his theory of evolution by natural selection. Natural selection is the idea that “individuals with favorable variations would survive and reproduce, but those with

Human life histories are understood to consist of different levels of factors that contribute to the variation and evolution of human health, and this can be analyzed by categorizing the various lifetime events on a fast-slow continuum (Promislow & Harvey, 1990 as cited in Kaplan, Lancaster, & Robson, 2003). Mammals, for example, are located on the fast end of the continuum and are known to reproduce early, have a shorter period of pregnancy, grow into smaller body sizes, and produce a great amount of offspring that are vulnerable to death. On the other hand, species scattered on the other end of the continuum tend to have characteristic that are opposite to those of mammals (Kaplan et al., 2003). These changing momentums are generally