What_the_Knowledge_of_Our_Evolution_Brings

Reaction to the articles “The Dawn of Humans: The First Step” and “The Dawn of Humans: Expanding Worlds” by Rick Gore and “How Man Began” by Michael Lemonick. What the Knowledge of Our Evolution Brings Science is a powerful way of understanding the natural world through a process of observation, experimentation, and analysis. It provides society with a reliable foundation for individual and collective decision making. Evolution by natural selection is one of the most studied and tested theories in science and is the central organizing principle of biology. However, theory is one of the most important—yet most misunderstood—terms. While theory is commonly used to mean a "hunch" or "opinion," in science, a theory is an extremely strong statement that provides an explanation of a natural phenomenon based on a wealth of well-documented evidence. Much theory has been made about man’s evolution. The three articles I have read outlined some of these theories, depicted the many discoveries of scientists about how man began, and how they evolved through the years. Though it is not the first time I came crossed this type of article, I have appreciated how well the three articles described and illustrated the human evolution. The Dawn of Humans: The First Steps, The Dawn of Humans: Expanding World, and How Man Began are very specific articles, giving us the explicit details of when and where certain fossils were unearthed, and how much they tell us about the present man–us. I cannot stress enough how much I agree with this statement by Michael Lemonick in his article, How Man Began, “Humans are the animals who wonder, intensely and endlessly, about their origin.” I believe that man by nature, are curious of where they come from, as much as they are curious about where the other things in earth come from. Thus, (the reason why these articles were found valuable by many including me) these articles promulgated the scientists’ answers–technically, suggestions–to the most intriguing question of when, where, and how did the human race arise' Answering such questions requires convincing evidence which is hard to come by in the contentious world of paleoanthropology. Modern evolutionary theory (as against to the creationist theory) provides a robust explanation for how life on earth evolved over time through the passing on of traits from one generation to the next. From Australopithecus Afarensis to the Homo Sapiens, humans underwent many changes to survive. We know that based on the evolutionist theory, our oldest ancestors initially diverged themselves from apes by learning how to walk upright. Then, as they find food, they learned how to set traps and make tools to catch prey. Another development was when the succeeding generations learned how to make fire, which provided them heat and light. Afterwards, they started going places, leaving one when changes in the environment occur. Human intercourse allowed the number of our ancestors to grow in different places, but at the same period. Many more developments happened in the human brain, through undergoing challenging experiences in the environment. Soon, they have discovered domestication, built a community and relied on this to survive. With all these information about human origin–proven or unproven–what do we get' What is the importance of knowing our evolution aside from satisfying our curiosity' Here’s a few I can’t think of. First, evolution is the only scientific explanation for the diversity of life. It explains the striking similarities among vastly different forms of life, the changes that occur within populations, and the development of new life forms. Not understanding evolution deprives one of the fundamental and unifying scientific concept to explain the natural world. Second, because we are human, and humans are creatures of habit, history often repeats itself. Learning about the developments and past mistakes of our ancestors, along with examples of the losses those mistakes can present, give us a stern warning as to why we should not repeat them. Lastly, and practically, the products of the research on evolution has played a fundamental role in the advancement of medical research–especially in areas involving genetics, disease resistance, and immunology–and is supported by key concepts in other scientific disciples such as physics, geology, chemistry, and astronomy. Modern evolutionary theory provides a robust explanation for how life on Earth developed over the last 4 billion years through the passing on of genetic information from one generation to the next. In contrast, does this knowledge of our evolution has disadvantages and negative effects on us' My answer would be the following: The discoveries about the human evolution per se do not necessarily bring us confusion, but the many debates surrounding the history of man’s existence, and explanation of our roots may have distracted us from focusing on our present. We forget that evolution is a process, and understanding our past is just one part of the equation in understanding ourselves. When do we say that we’re satisfied with the evidences presented to us about our evolution (such as Lucy, The Neanderthal Man, the Java Man, the Peking Man, etc), and accept the theories which may seem sensible enough to us while disregarding the others which do not' When do we give more time in understanding the present and preparing for the future' Humans have evolved not just in a single place but in many places around the world. A lot of good come from us learning that we are all one species, that our species has a past and that we are part of a precious community of living things that evolved on this planet. May we use this learning as a reminder that we should all be helpful to one another no matter the race or color. Additional reference: Statement on Science, Evolution, and Intelligent Design Union of Concerned Scientists (Citizens and Scientists for Environmental Solutions) http://www.ucsusa.org/