Maybe there is a reason for these great apes to fling things at us in the zoo through the bars of the cage. There but for the grace of Darwin go I.
As the A's, C's, G's and T's switch on an off, it's fascinating to think about the minor and major changes, environmental and otherwise that could have made things different. The stray transcription factor would make the difference. Is there such a thing as counterfactual evolution (like counterfactual history)? It is fun to think about this.
Most of the 2% differential applies to factors we would absolutely expect, such as olfaction and reproduction. Sapolsky points out a fascinating fact that what makes the human and chimpanzee brains different. A neuron in a sea slug and a neuron in a human are essentially the same. Both chemically and physiologically are the same. As he points out, the number of genes here is an issue (Sapolsky 2).
One issue Sapolsky does not even mention...
Their brains reflect the major centers that control these functions. The human brain is over and above those animals, such as advanced cognitive skills. What about the mathematical and scientific abilities of the geniuses? Do their unsurpassed talents have something to do with their brain development? Some studies say that the capacity of learning is greatest when we are young, and as we grow older, it diminishes. Various results of
Human Brain One of the most complex organs in the universe, the human brain, continues to be a scientific mystery. In vertebrate and most invertebrate animals, the brain is the central aspect of the nervous system. The brain can be simple, as in some insects, or extremely complex, as in the human brain which can encompass anywhere from 15-33 billion neurons linked with 10,000 or more synaptic connections. The brain is
The frontal lobes rely on processing of internal information, including memories, in order to guide behavior, while the parietal lobes specialize in processing of externally-based sensory information, in order to guide behavior. Both sources of information are needed to self-regulate one's own behaviors but internal mnemonic sources are crucial to resist enslavement to external and salient events (p. 72)." While McNamara has explained the technical functions taking place in the
Human biological, social, and cognitive evolution has depended on food. That much seems obvious, but what is less obvious is the specific ways that first fire, and then agriculture, and then the combination of advanced cooking and food preservation methods have contributed to the quality of the human brain and the efficacy of the human body. Even at its most basic, cooking transforms the available nutrients in plants, and renders
CHAPTER 3 3Chapter 3Questions for Reflection after viewing the Human�Brain VideoQ 1.From the onset, it would be prudent to note that �all human behavior, thoughts, and feelings are produced by the actions of our brains, nerves, muscles and glands� (e-text � Introduction to Psychology, p. 116). Advances in our understanding of the brain and its operations has led to further refinement of navy seal training � especially when it comes
Challenges Faced in Inventing Computers Many scientists who tried to come up with computers functioning like the human brain have encountered several challenges that void their efforts. Their intentions have always been to come up with a highly intelligent device that can store data, but that can facilitate easy retrieval (Risinger, 2015). As a result, the mechanical computer created by Charles Babbage cannot resemble computers used today because it was highly
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