Week Three---Genetic Evolution ....

"Human and chimp genes are 99.4% identical" ....I feel like this statement is biological proof of something that we already know by observable, visible characteristics---that humans and chimps are genetically related, and rather closely. On a cultural level, this is problematic. In our world, the majority of the human population may classify animals as lesser living creatures. To say that humans evolved from chimps, apes, monkeys, etc.... will cause a stir. (Especially amongst certain religious groups with contrary origin myths of man.) I feel like the only time humans can acknowledge that they are animals is when we refer to ourselves as 'mammals'. We invest so much energy in controlling and hiding our very 'animal-ness' ....and when it is revealed, we feel shamed. Naked. Uncivilized. If chimps are indeed the relatives of humans---should we start dressing them in trousers and calling them cousin? ....At the end of the day, I feel like such 'biological evidence' only inspires debates that boil down to semantics---are 'chimps' humans? are 'humans' chimps? But if the semantic debate is ever settled, the cultural impact could be enormous. If chimps were considered 'human', certain unethical treatments (animal testing on chimps, keeping them in captivity in zoos, etc...) would have to stop by way of human rights.

Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes & Viruses Tutorial ...

Question #1 ....What is not alive but requires life to be able to reproduce? Viruses. (This is actually a very controversial question ....I think some virologists may argue that viruses are 'alive'.)

Question #2 ...Which statement best describes the function of the rough endoplasmic reticulum? Synthesis and assembly of membrane and secreted proteins.

Question #3 ....Which statement best describes the function of the Golgi apparatus? Processing of membrane and secreted proteins, including glycosylation. (My favorite organelle is the mitochondria.)

Question #4 ...In some diseases like cystic fibrosis, a cell membrane receptor fails to function. In the majority of cases, the problem comes from a change in the receptor so that it cannot reach the cell surface. The site in the cell where membrane proteins are synthesized and assembled builds up with the abnormal protein. This site would likely be the: endoplasmic reticulum.

Question #5 ....The following organelle is found in prokaryotic cells but not eukaryotic cells of animal origin. Cell wall. (Is the 'cell wall' a true organelle?)

Question #6 ....Mitochondria and chloroplasts both: function to provide cellular energy, are present in plants and contain DNA.

Human Genetic Evolution ....I find research expounding the cultural origins of man to be far more interesting than scientific research that aims to singularly unearth the biological origins of man. Biology is mainly concerned with the origins of the physical body, and while I do have some 'trivia' interest in this kind of information, it lacks color for me. Emotion. We all have a story to tell---uncertain beginnings and very different endings, and everything else in between. If we want to know where we come from, we should look to our communities---who are my ancestors? what traditions do we practice? what is our material culture? (I worry that with the dawn of the electronic age, there will not be much evidence for future archaeologists to sift through, our musty memoirs. For example, photographs and journals.) A purely biological perspective attempts to reconstruct the skeleton of primordial man and scrape the marrow of his bones for precious remnants of DNA; I can't help but feel disconnected from this long long lost ancestor. However, I do support efforts like the Human Genome Diversity Project because its interests include biological, as well as cultural, evolution.