Down With Darwinism?

Charles Darwin 

If Charles Darwin, back in 1859, could have seen 160 years into the future, he would be a very confused man. It was in 1859 that Darwin released his book, On The Origin of Species, which detailed his theory of evolution by natural selection. However, as the years have progressed, humans have consistently improved medication and technology to a point where many diseases or ailments that would have killed off our jungle dwelling ancestors can no longer affect us. Drugs like insulin, antibiotics, and similar compounds are able to prevent many diseases thus allowing those who are not necessarily fit for an environment to survive. Modern day humans have survived eating laundry detergent, blowing off limbs with fireworks, and various firearm mishaps, all of which would have eliminated our ancestors. Because of such advancements, many scientists have begun to question if the human species (Homo Sapiens for my fancy lads) is still evolving?

 As we have seen with developing technologies such as CRISPR, Humans have the ability to not only maintain life despite damaging diseases but actually have the ability to eliminate and alter certain traits prior to leaving the womb. This may lead one to say that it is competitive with the idea of Natural Selection as it inhibiting genotypic variation. Right?

The pesky lactose molecule which demonstrates modern evolution

This isn’t necessarily the case, in fact, some scientists propose that rather than evolution slowing down, the process is speeding up significantly. Nonetheless, of what scientists may speculate, the data shows that evolution is still occurring throughout our populations. These changes can be seen through dietary traits and phenotypic variations. In the case of dietary traits, lactose intolerance is put in the spotlight. Lactose intolerance is the inability of an organism (in this case humans) to break down the lactose molecule (a sugar). This trait in itself expresses the continuation of the evolutionary process as certain populations became more reliant on the ability to digest lactose and, therefore, in such populations (even today) individuals that reside in these areas tend to carry a genomic variation that allows for the digestion of lactose. As well, phenotypic variations like hair color, eye color, and height are all very prominent examples of how evolution is still occurring. The case of hair and skin color, these traits are selected for based on location. In environments in which there is a high exposure (eg. Africa, the Middle East), darker skin is selected for whereas environments further from the equator select for lighter skin as not as much melanin is needed to block UV rays. You can learn more about this here

     Although humans are still seen to undergo evolution by natural selection, who knows. Maybe by the year 2050, we will be birthing super babies capable of grand things.

FYI: If you have some time check out the Darwin Awards, you won't regret it :)

Below are some top natural selection memes to brighten your day:

Brief Guide to the Brain and Some of its Parts

The brain is the least known about organ in the human body -- much of it remains undiscovered territory.  It's vast intricacies, mysteries, and abilities fascinate me, so I thought I would share a bit. The human brain is what sets humans apart from other species; it allows humans to have the hyper awareness and cognitive ability that no other species does.  In addition, there are so many myths about the brain that have been proven to be false.  Check this out to be a true expert.

Something that isn't mentioned in this site is the myth that everyone is "left-brained" or "right-brained."  We use all of our brains! 

Now for a brief brain tutorial!

As Lucy, a fictional character, goes about her day, she uses many parts of her brain.  Let's find out what some of them do!  

Now, Lucy begins her day by opening her eyes to the sunlight coming through her window.  This sunlight -- along with everything else Lucy sees, is interpreted in her Occipital Lobe, which is connected to her eyes via the optic nerve.  

The next thing Lucy does is muster the strength to get out of bed, which she does via nerve impulses sent from her Motor Cortex.  

Lucy's Mom calls her down for breakfast.  How does Lucy hear her mother's yells?  Because her Auditory Cortex interprets them for her.  

How nice of it.  Before Lucy heads downstairs, she must decide what to wear.  She chooses the perfect outfit using the decision-making section of her Frontal Lobe, then heads downstairs.  Still coming from her Frontal Lobe, Lucy uses her self-control to refrain from pouring herself a bowl full of sugar cereal, and instead grabs a banana.  

Since Lucy is in High School, her brain isn't fully developed, so sometimes her judgement and self control aren't as regular as they will be once she reaches her early twenties.  She remembers a time years ago when she ate only sugar cereal for a week (this long-term memory was derived from her Hippocampus in the Limbic System of Lucy's inner brain).  

It's only about 7:30 a.m., and she's already used so much of her brain (much more than the parts mentioned here, to add).  Moral of this story: your brain is you!   Your brain controls your thoughts, memories, all five senses, and so much more.

A fun fact: A study done in Tel Aviv, Israel proved that male and female brains differ far less than once believed -- the brain essentially has no gender; it's much more of a spectrum than many have thought.