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mauromongiat

Homo floresiensis: the Hobbit - 0 views

www.talkorigins.org/...flores.html

Homo_floriensis evolution specie anthropology brain origins

shared by mauromongiat on 09 Dec 11 - Cached
    • mauromongiat
      mauromongiat on 09 Dec 11
       
      The homo floriensis Would be a small human if it did'nt have such a small brain. The fact that the brain of the homo floriensis is so small is a proof that it is a different specie from the homo sappien.
  • The brain size of the floresiensis skull is extraordinarily small, at 380cc. This is as small as any australopithecine ever discovered, and fairly typical for a chimpanzee. (Chimps range from about 300 to 500cc, averaging about 400cc, but are physically bigger than floresiensis.) This is smaller than would be expected even for a dwarf form of Homo erectus, and suggests there was active selection for a small brain size for some reason. (Human pygmies, incidentally, are nothing like H. floresiensis; their brains are almost as large as those of normal-sized humans)
Marie-Lise Pagé

Edge: ARE HUMAN BRAINS UNIQUE? By Michael Gazzaniga - 2 views

edge.org/...gazzaniga08_index.html

humans mind unique mind brains

shared by Marie-Lise Pagé on 13 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • Be well, do good work, and keep in touch
  • a simple sentiment yet so full of human complexity. Other apes don't have that sentiment.
    • Marie-Lise Pagé
      Marie-Lise Pagé on 13 Dec 11
       
      It really shows us how something can be so normal to us when, in fact, it is complex and it's unique to us.
  • We did evolve and we are what we are through the forces of natural selection.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • All of us solve problems effortlessly and routinely.
  • We want to see our dogs charm us, appeal to our emotions, imagine they too can suffer and have pity, love and hate and all the rest
  • our brain parts can be replaced with silicon parts
  • Thousands of scientists and philosophers over hundreds of years have either recognized this uniqueness of ours or have denied it
  • Even though we have all of these connections with the biologic world from which we came, and we have in some instances similar mental structures, we are hugely different.
  • Marie-Lise Pagé on 13 Dec 11
     
    This is an interview with Micheal Gazzaniga who is one of the world's  leading neuroscientists. He really explains some of the unique features of our brains.
Daryl Bambic

The Primates: Humans - 4 views

anthro.palomar.edu/...prim_8.htm

evolution anthropology

shared by Daryl Bambic on 02 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • all lack external tail
  • thumb that is sufficiently separate from the other fingers to allow them to be opposable for precision grips.
  • sexually dimorphic--males are 5-10%
  • ...25 more annotations...
  • we are omnivorous.
  • same arrangement of internal organs and bones
  • many of the same diseases
  • share several important blood types
  • Unlike apes, our arms are relatively short and weak compared to our legs
  • modern human brain is 3 times larger in volume
  • toes became shorter and the big toe moved up into line with the others.
  • The pelvis
  • Nature very likely selected for longer legs
  • downside of the evolutio
  • we are quite similar to the African apes anatomically and genetically, especially to the chimpanzees and bonobos
  • minor anatomical differences between humans and apes
  • 46 chromosomes
  • longer legs require less up-and-down movement while running and, therefore, reduce the amount of energy needed to move rapidly
  • allow humans to travel farther with the same calorie expenditure
  • changes in the pelvis which unfortunately included a narrower birth canal in females. 
  • A partial evolutionary solution to this birth difficulty for humans was fetuses being born at a less mature stage, when their bodies are smaller.  The trade off is that human newborn babies are more vulnerable.
    • Daryl Bambic
      Daryl Bambic on 02 Dec 11
       
      This vulnerability translates itself into an immature brain.  In the baby's first year, the brain grows dramatically.  In fact, humans have more synapses (connections between neurons) at this young age than in any other time of life.
  • Evolving a larger brain comes at a steep energy cost.  The human brain uses about 25% of the energy derived from the nutrients that we consume and 20% of the oxygen.
  • HAR1F regulator gene beginning about 6 million years ago
  • 7th and 19th week after conception
  • People have much more complex forms of verbal communication than any other primate species.  We are the only animal to create and use symbols as a means of communication.
  • We also have more varied and complex social organizations.  The most distinctive feature of humans is our mental ability to create new ideas and complex technologies. 
  • mental levels equivalent to a 3-4 year old human child
  • they do not have the capability of producing human speech and language
  • Female chimpanzees, gorillas, and other non-human primates usually remain capable of conception and giving birth even when they are very old
  • Daryl Bambic on 02 Dec 11
     
    A text for the students.
Marie-Lise Pagé

Deep Thoughts on What Makes Humans Special | LiveScience - 1 views

www.livescience.com/p-thoughts-humans-special.html

humans mind unique

shared by Marie-Lise Pagé on 08 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • share characteristics with humans such as politically motivated aggression, empathy and culture, but humans take them to a level without parallel among animals
    • Marie-Lise Pagé
      Marie-Lise Pagé on 08 Dec 11
       
      Like we saw in the video Ape Genius
  • ey fall short of humans when considering secondary theory of mind
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • uch capabilities allow humans to enjoy delicious stories with layers of intrigue and gossip,
  • humans can commonly extend empathy over time and space
  • exceptions as a mental illness that afflicts humans and animals alike.
  • obsessive-compulsive disorder sufferers ritualistically act out the same behavior again and again.
  • apolsky suggested two reasons not to worry
  • ne of the few differences between humans and chimps comes from the amount of cell division for brain cells
  • human behaviors stand out by reaching levels of complexity unseen in any other part of the animal world, according to a neurobiologist
  • What makes humans special comes in no small part from the sheer quantity of available brain power – at least 300,000 brain cells for each neuron in a fruit fly brain.
  • Marie-Lise Pagé on 08 Dec 11
     
    This website has a lot of information to help me in my project because it really helps me understand what makes the human mind unique. I also like that it compares to the Apes. It expalins the diffrences between the Apes and us. It also explains what makes us Human. However, it has a lot of scientific vocabulary that's hard to understand.
Talya Freidman

So Like Us | About Chimpanzees | Chimpanzees | the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada - 2 views

www.janegoodall.ca/about-chimp-so-like-us.php

shared by Talya Freidman on 12 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • Chimpanzees and humans differ by just over one percent of DNA. In fact biologically, chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than t
    • Talya Freidman
      Talya Freidman on 14 Dec 11
       
      This reminds me of what we learned in class, about how similar our DNA is to chimps, it only differentiates by one letter in the DNA code.
  • and humans differ by just over one percent of DNA. In fact biologically, chimpanzees are more closely related to humans tha
  • than t
  • ...28 more annotations...
  • Chimpanzees become sexually mature between the ages of 10 and 13
    • Talya Freidman
      Talya Freidman on 14 Dec 11
       
      Chimp babies mature a lot faster than human babies. However at the same time, there is also a higher rate of mortality for the young chimps.
  • both have an insatiable appetite for play, are extremely curious, learn through observation and imitation,
  • The anatomy of the chimpanzee brain and central nervous system is startlingly similar to our own.
  • Chimpanzees and humans belong to the animal order “primates”
  • belong to the superfamily hominoid
  • Chimpanzees and humans belong to the animal order “primates”.
  • Large brains
  • opposable thumbs
  • flexible joints
  • belong to the superfamily hominoid
  • chimpanzees and humans share the most similar genetic makeup, sharing 98.6% of our genes.
  • Females show their first very small sexual swellings at age eight or nine, but are not sexually attractive to the older males until they reach age 10 or 11.
  • almost every young chimp gets lost from their mother at some point during their exploration.
  • chimps have a long childhood
  • Bonds
  • likely to persist throughout life.
  • This learning is the means by which certain actions are passed from one generation to the next—the beginnings of culture.
  • capable of intellectual performances
  • capable of reasoned thought
  • memory
  • symbolic representation
  • feel and express emotions
  • chimpanzees can be taught human languages
  • skills on computers
  • wide range of complex emotions
  • possess an almost human-like enjoyment of physical contact, laughter, and community.
  • chimpanzees can learn from humans
  • Language is believed to have played a major role:
  • Talya Freidman on 12 Dec 11
     
    This website mainly describes the similarity between apes and humans as well as some of the main differences. Jane Goodall's discoveries are also mentioned briefly.
sydney goldman

empathic response based on gender - 3 views

www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/...ewomenmoregenerousthanmen.aspx

psychology brain studies

shared by sydney goldman on 08 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • sydney goldman on 08 Dec 11
     
    This is a very interesting and credible site that goes into depth about the emphatic responses of women vs. men when it come to donating to charities.
mariakanarakis

By the Color of Our Skin: The Illusion of Integration and the Reality of Race. - Review... - 0 views

findarticles.com/...ai_57815517

color skin illusion integration reality race find reason anthropology evolution science human brain

shared by mariakanarakis on 09 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • Leonard Steinhorn (who is white) and Barbara Diggs-Brown (who is black) argue that th
  • fantasy of representational diversity hinders actual racial progress, which they define as black and white integration.
  • see it: America lives an "integration illusion," which they define as "the public acclaim for the progress we have made, the importance of integration symbolism, the overt demonstrations of racial harmony, the rejection of blatant bigotry, the abstract support to neighborhood and school integration - all coupled with a continuing resistance to living, learning, playing and praying together."
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • By the Color of Our Skin is not a policy book. It aims to describe America's black-white condition, not to point the way to racial harmony
  • Blacks and whites live, learn, work, pray, play, and entertain separately.
  • Desegregation, they say, "means the elimination of discriminatory laws and barriers." Integration, by contrast, is "governed by behavior and choice."
  • "America is desegregating," the authors write. "But we are simply not integrating."
  • One Nation, Indivisible, would point to my friends as examples of America's racial progress.
  • They cite statistics that show residential segregation is receding: 83 percent of blacks and 61 percent of whites have at least one member of the other race in their neighborhood, a huge increase from 30 years ago.
  • They give integration an almost impossibly strict definition. It's not enough for whites to interact with blacks with whom they share space, whether residential, professional, or personal interest. Whites must actively seek out and embrace blacks.
  • American culture doesn't exist apart from black American culture. Some of this integration may be virtual - corporate ads and university brochures, for example.
  • Yet due to centuries of separation, black Americans have developed a culture that is distinct from, even as it exerts a disproportionate influence on, America's white or mainstream culture.
  • mariakanarakis on 09 Dec 11
     
    This is a good site for my PLN "The Illusion of Skin Colour". Yellow: info Blue: examples Green: statistics Pink: word searches/ definitions
Chrissy Le

Animal Minds - National Geographic Magazine - 0 views

ngm.nationalgeographic.com/...virginia-morell-text

intelligence communication animals brain language evolution science consciousness

shared by Chrissy Le on 08 Dec 11 - Cached
  • ublished: March 2008
  • By Virginia Morell
  • Irene Pepperberg, a recent graduate of Harvard University
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • She brought a one-year-old African gray parrot she named Alex into her lab to teach him to reproduce the sounds of the English language.
  • They were simply machines, robots programmed to react to stimuli but lacking the ability to think or feel. Any pet owner would disagree.
  • many scientists believed animals were incapable of any thought.
  • controversial.
  • How, then, does a scientist prove that an animal is capable of thinking—that it is able to acquire information about the world and act on it?
  • Certain skills are considered key signs of higher mental abilities: good memory, a grasp of grammar and symbols, self-awareness, understanding others' motives, imitating others, and being creative.
  • chimpanzees use a variety of tools to probe termite mounds and even use weapons to hunt small mammals; dolphins can imitate human postures; the archerfish, which stuns insects with a sudden blast of water, can learn how to aim its squirt simply by watching an experienced fish perform the task.
    • Chrissy Le
      Chrissy Le on 11 Dec 11
       
      Reminds me of the video we had to watch for homework, very interesting, and great information for my TFAD project!
  • Chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas have been taught to use sign language and symbols to communicate with us, often with impressive results.
  • Subscribe to National Geographic magazine »
  • © 2011 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.
Talya Freidman

Chimps R Us- Frontiers Profile: Jane Goodall - 1 views

www.pbs.org/...goodall2.htm

chimps humans Jane+Goodall anthropology Science

shared by Talya Freidman on 14 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • it's qui
  • te an okay subject for study for a Ph.D.
  • e an okay subject for study for a Ph.D.
  • ...17 more annotations...
  • still a hard core of people who are very resistant
  • doing invasive experiments on animals
  • made a difference with the way the world views chimpanzees
  • Has it made a difference in the way scientists view them
  • It's much better to cling to the old ideas that animals are just little machines and they have stimulus and response
  • It's a communication
  • sophisticated brains
  • haven't during evolution developed a sophisticated spoken language
  • not capable of planning the distant future
  • can't
  • discuss an idea
  • communication is very immediate
  • Mike learned to use empty kerosene cans because he was very low ranking
  • He accidentally hit an empty 4-gallon kerosene can and noticed that other chimps ran away
  • Within 4 months, he'd risen to the top
  • never saw him fight
  • Only Mike capitalized on that and developed the technique and won.
  • Talya Freidman on 14 Dec 11
     
    This is an interview where Jane Goodall explains and discusses her discoveries.
kelsey sazant

BBC News - Did the discovery of cooking make us human? - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/8543906.stm

shared by kelsey sazant on 13 Dec 11 - No Cached
    • kelsey sazant
      kelsey sazant on 13 Dec 11
       
      Am example of how cooking helped us become human is not only an evolutionary aspect but also socially. 
  • "Our ancestors most probably dropped food in fire accidently. They would have found it was delicious and that set us off on a whole new direction."
  • Erectus also had a similar body shape to us. Shorter arms and longer legs appeared, and gone was the large vegetable-processing gut, meaning that Erectus could not only walk upright, but could also run.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • So being human might all be down to energy.
  • Cooking is essentially a form of pre-digestion, which has transferred energy use from our guts to our brains.
Daryl Bambic

Mike Morwood: Archaeologist whose 'hobbit' discovery sparked fresh debate on human evol... - 0 views

www.independent.co.uk/...n-human-evolution-8773287.html

hobbit evolution

shared by Daryl Bambic on 24 Sep 13 - No Cached
  • far from being the linear narrative of successive waves of colonisation out of Africa, as once thought, the process was, in fact, one with numerous twists and turns involving many different species.
  • among the most outstanding discoveries in paleoanthropology in over half a century.
  • because the cave also unearthed sophisticated stone tools similar to others found around the world in Homo erectus sites
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • Flores tools were tiny, the right size for people of only 3ft tall with a brain the size of a chimp or grapefruit
  • Remarkably, the skull was found in a layer of sediments dating back only 18,000 years, long after the Neanderthals had vanished from the face of the Earth, having lost the evolutionary battle to Homo sapiens, the sole human species on Earth by then. This had huge ramifications for the varying theories of human evolution.
  • it could have been a descendant of Homo erectus that arrived early on Flores, perhaps using boats, and which, becoming stranded, evolved its petite size as an adaptation to the limited food supply available.
  • They also proposed the unimaginable, that Homo floresiensis lived contemporaneously on Flores with Homo sapiens.
  • Detractors
  • isease of some sort that produced the specimen’s unusual features.
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