Monday, October 21, 2013

Evolution Reflection


All the people in the world are descended from one mother—a Mitochondrial Eve. She wasn’t the only person at the time, but her lineage was the only one that survived and lived on to reproduce and pass on useful genes. Her lineage can be traced through DNA genetic markers, which lead the scientists to another way to trace human origin—the Y chromosome that is passed on from father to son. The chromosome contains tens of thousands of nucleotides, which makes it easier and more efficient to distinguish one part of the evolution tree from another. By using the nucleotides, scientists have been able to map out a hesitant yet clear path of how humans migrated and traveled from one place to another.
            For example, humans first originated from Africa from one mother, as stated in the previous paragraph. Then, one group of super strong, super smart humans left their homeland in search of either greater things or just to satisfy their curiosity. Along the way, they stopped for a few generations and reproduced, therefore leaving the population there to survive and flourish rapidly. How did they get all around the world when there were seas and oceans in the way, though? In the video Journey of Man, the narrator explains that there was an Ice Age at the time, so the waters in the ocean were all trapped in ice, leaving more land exposed, and making it easier for the ancestor humans to travel from one place to another.
            The origins of humans come from a tribe of present-day Africans called the San Bushmen. They are an isolated tribe, and have never mingled much with outsiders. By looking at their faces, you can see different type of facial and body features from around the world. Why did some of them stay, though? Since some saw it fit enough to leave, why didn’t they all leave and find a different place to live? Was there something preventing them from leaving, or were the people who left bored of their homes? Whatever the reason, the San Bushmen were the original humans who were part of the people who left Africa in search of other places. In the video, a woman had Asian-looking eyes, high Mongolian cheekbones, and a European face shape. With so many different features in one face, there is no doubt that these people were the originators of humans.
            What made the super strong, super smart people leave? Were they simply bored with their lives already? Or were there environmental conditions that required them to leave? The answer doesn’t seem to be getting any closer right now, but in the future, scientists may figure out something that makes more sense. As of right now, the only things that we know and are available to us is the fact that once the super strong, super smart humans left, they travelled the world on exposed land during the Ice Age, leaving people in places to flourish and spread out. 

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