On December 18, 1912, bones believed to be of ancient primate origin were discovered in Piltdown, England by an amateur archaeologist by the name of Charles Dawson. The fragments of bone they discovered consisted of a jawbone, teeth, and the piece of a skull. It was later discovered that Charles Darwin and accomplices tampered with the find and modified the pieces of the discovery. Pointy canine teeth were discovered but filed down to maintain the appearance that the skull was of human lineage.
On November 1953, Time Magazine publishes an expose on the Piltdown Man. Kenneth Page Oakley, Sir Wilfrid Edward Le Gros Clark, and Joseph Weiner are the men who proved the Piltdown Man was a Hoax. Ultimately they discovered it actually consisted of a human skull (Medieval Period), a 500 year-old orangutan jawbone, and fossil chimpanzee teeth. The bones were stained with iron solution and chromic acid to appear legitimate.
The technology that developed in that time frame helped to expose the hoax. Scientists were eager to conclude with Charles Dawson because Briton was eager for an important find in human evolution.
The human faults that came into play here were pride, envy, and a craving for prestige. Among these faults there were genuine human motives untainted by societal pressures like genuine curiosity. Charles Dawson, being an archaeologist, already had a strong curious nature about bone discovery. The fault came when he realized his evidence was moot and tried to stifle truth and scientific progression. His pride kept him from admitting that the bones were not of human origin. He took it so far as to falsify evidence and maintained this hoax for nearly 40 years. In Charles' lifetime he received prestige, credibility, fame, and fortune but it was all a lie.
Thanks to science's self-correcting nature, natural skepticism, and methodology helped to expose this farce. Methods like fluorine absorption test, and other dating techniques helped to prove that the pieces of bone had varying origins.
It's not possible to remove the human element of scientists performing science. Curiosity and a drive for knowledge will always initiate the pursuit. The promise of importance, money, and fame are things that lure scientists to falsify evidence and to sabotage their integrity. It's important that we conduct our own due diligence on anything we find important and of interest. Science asks us to go based on evidence and not hearsay.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Locomotor Patterns in Primates
ABC: Locomotor Patterns
a. A
thorough description of the environment in which the primates lives. (10 pts
total)
Lemurs (Prosimians/Strepsirhini)
-
Lemurs live in
the tropical forest of Madagascar. In fact, lemurs are exclusive to the forest
on the island of Madagascar and are found nowhere else (naturally) on earth. They
are found primarily in the secondary forests.
Spider Monkey (New World Monkey/Platyrrhini)
-
Spider monkeys
reside in the tropical forests of Central and South America. They are found all
the way from Southern Mexico to Brazil in said tropical rainforests. Spider
monkeys need large areas of moist evergreen forests and prefer undisturbed
primary forest. They live in the upper layers of the rainforest and forage in
the high canopy.
Baboon (Old World Monkey/Cercopithecidae)
-
Baboons are primarily found in lower-central
part of Africa. They reside in Zambia, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo,
and Mozambique. They prefer African woodland savannas.
Gibbon (Lesser ape/Hylobatidae)
-
Gibbons are found
in tropical and subtropical rainforests from northeast India to Indonesia,
northern and southern China, including the islands of Sumatra, Borneo, and
Java.
Chimpanzee (Great ape/Hominidae)
-
Chimpanzees are
found in west and central Africa. They can be located on either side of the
Congo River. Their natural habitats are mainly rainforests. They do most of
their eating and sleeping in the forest canopy.
They also reside in swamps, savannas, woodlands, and bamboo forests.
They move about both in trees and on the ground equally.
b. A description of your specified character trait for
that primate. (10 pts total)
Lemurs (Prosimians/Strepsirhini)
-
Arboreal
quadrupedalism, terrestrial quadrupedalism,
leaping and suspension.
Spider Monkey (New World Monkey/Platyrrhini)
-
Arboreal
quadrupedalism, terrestrial quadrupedalism, brachiation, leaping and
suspension.
Baboon (Old World Monkey/Cercopithecidae)
-
Arboreal quadrupedalism
and terrestrial quadrupedalism
Gibbon (Lesser ape/Hylobatidae)
-
Arboreal quadrupedalism,
terrestrial quadrupedalism, brachiation,
and suspension.
Chimpanzee (Great ape/Hominidae)
-
Arboreal
quadrupedalism, terrestrial quadrupedalism, knuckle walking, bipedalism
brachiation, and leaping.
c. A discussion on how the primate’s trait expression has
been influenced by its environment, i.e., how can the trait be viewed as an
adaptation to the primate’s environment. (10 pts total)
Lemurs (Prosimians/Strepsirhini)
-
Lemurs’
environment is very thick with branches and greenery as far as they eye can
see. Their terrestrial quadrupedalism is
used to scour for fruit, nuts, leaves, and insects on the forest floor. Arboreal
quadrupedalism is used to maneuver through the trees and to be well suited to
movement on trees. Leaping and suspension are used to quickly move from tree to
tree.
Spider Monkey (New World Monkey/Platyrrhini)
-
Spider monkeys’
environment is extremely dense and lush with plant life in every direction. Their terrestrial quadrupedalism is secondary
to their arboreal quadrupedalsm. Terrestrial quadrupedalism is used to scour
for food on the forest floor. Arboreal quadrupedalism and brachiation is for
superior maneuverability through the thick branches. They swing from branch to
branch as well as leaping and suspend.
Baboon (Old World Monkey/Cercopithecidae)
-
Baboons are not
the most agile of the monkeys. They mainly exercise their arboreal quadrupedalism
and terrestrial quadrupedalism. This most likely has to do with the fact that they spend a lot of time in savannas which aren't known for dense tree population. They
move through the trees with ease but not nearly as well as spider monkey. They
do a lot of terrestrial quadrupedalism to gather food on the ground. Berries,
figs, fruits, insects, smaller monkeys, and smaller animals are all part of the
baboons environment.
Gibbon (Lesser ape/Hylobatidae)
-
Considering that
Gibbons live in dense rainforests it makes sense that they’ve developed such
long arms. With these long arms they are able to use brachiation to travel
quickly and efficiently through the rainforest.
Chimpanzee (Great ape/Hominidae)
-
Chimpanzees are
the most versatile of the monkeys. They are found in multiple climates and
environments. This versatility may explain why they exhibit an extraordinary
amount of intelligence. They are known to fashion tools which was previously
thought to be a trait exclusive to humans. Diverse environments explains why
the chimpanzee has excellent locomotor skills and can adapt to a wide array of
environments.
d. An image of that primate, preferably displaying
the trait you are studying, if possible. (5 pts total)
Lemurs (Prosimians/Strepsirhini)
Spider Monkey (New World Monkey/Platyrrhini)
Baboon (Old World Monkey/Cercopithecidae)
Gibbon (Lesser ape/Hylobatidae)
Chimpanzee (Great ape/Hominidae)
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Homology & Analogy
1. For your homologus traits provide the following
information
a. Briefly describe the two different species that possess
the homologous trait.
Humans and bats share the homologous trait of an arm and
hand. Both are complete with carpal bones and phalanges. Their hands, unlike many
other mammals, have opposable thumbs (mainly in megabats).
b. Describe the homologus trait of each species, focusing on
the differences in structure and function of the trait. Why do these homologus
traits exhibit differences between the two species? Make sure your explanation
is clear and complete.
Human thumbs are
covered in flesh while bats’ thumbs are covered in fur. Humans use their opposable
thumbs for grabbing, handling, and manipulating objects while bats use their
opposable thumbs for climbing trees to find the highest point to take flight
from.
Human thumbs are adapted to using tools while bats use
theirs to only interact with natural obstacles rather than fashioning their own
tools.
c. Who was (generally, not specifically) the common ancestor
of these two species and how do you know that ancestor possessed this homologus
trait?
The common ancestor of humans and bats is the Vertebrata. Vertebrata
are known to have developed appendages that have evolved over time with each
species. Vertebrates are distinguishable by their spinal column.
d. Provide an image of each species in this comparison.
2. For your analogous traits provide the following
information
a. Briefly describe the two different species that possess
the analogous trait.
Birds and Butterflies share the analogous trait of wings which allow them to fly through the air with the utmost ease.
b. Describe the analogous trait of each species, focusing on
the similarities in structure and function of the trait. Clearly explain why
these analogous traits exhibit similarities between the two species.
Birds and butterflies soar through the air with agility,
grace, and swiftness. This allows them to spot food with ease and constantly avoid
predation.
c. All pairs of organisms share some common ancestor if you
go back far enough in time. Did the common ancestor of these two species
possess this analogous trait? Why or why not?
No. The ancestors of both birds and butterflies did not
necessarily start out with wings. Birds evolved from a reptile without wings, and
butterflies evolved from an arthropod without wings.
d. Provide an image of each species in this comparison. (5
pts)
Thursday, November 1, 2012
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