tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38955502490123134642024-03-05T05:55:17.771-08:00DNAnonymousRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12971902782950072851noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-57765123633590868982017-03-10T12:37:00.004-08:002017-03-10T12:37:29.184-08:00That's the thing about lawsHello, everyone still following this blog! I just wanted to let you know that there are things happening on Capitol Hill that may affect you.<br />
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https://www.yahoo.com/news/house-republicans-let-employers-demand-100034946.htmlRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12971902782950072851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-4007900583312227802012-05-14T05:35:00.000-07:002012-05-14T05:35:31.301-07:00Throughout this semester we discusssed the various componets that makes us human. When researching possible ways to answer this question I found a number of articles that said that humans and chimpanzees share about 99% DNA which means that it is that 1% that makes us human. Also this semster we participated in 23 and me and I learned so much about my ancestry that I did not know before. Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08088992333057130547noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-70450698840109654852012-05-09T21:13:00.000-07:002012-05-09T21:13:19.599-07:00What makes me me???After finishing up for the semester with APG 350 I know we have heard from everyone on what we thinks makes me me. After finishing up my paper tonight and with the final presentations in class I have really sat and thought about this. I still after all these assignments give an exact answer, because there is too much to the answer.<br />
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Biologically I am human. I am 99% the same as a chimpanzee. I have 46 chromosomes. My phenotype is shown through my dirty blonde hair, green eyes, and much more. But in the paper we were focusing mainly on the biological aspect but I did give some of my opinion to wrap the whole thing up. <br />
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I truly feel that our culture, surroundings, and choices make us who we our. Mostly our choices. My sister and I grew up in the same house and are completely different people. I have made choices completely different from hers that have molded the person that I am today. I chose my friends, the music I listen to, the way I dress, what I majored in. I look at those same choices made by the people I grew up with and they are all different.<br />
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Many things in the class have been so open ended. I have found myself questioning and thinking about things I never have before. I look at things like race and identity in a different way. This class has truly been an experience that I would not take back...after 5 years of college I'm graduating May 20th and this is probably one of the classes and college experiences I won't forget. <br />
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Everyone has been adding family photos or bringing them in class so I added some of my own!christina_jolinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17496646659886122204noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-23760645003104857732012-05-07T18:08:00.000-07:002012-05-07T18:08:24.082-07:00What makes me humanThe human race as a species is one of the most intelligent animals to
ever walk the planet earth. The fact that homo sapiens sapiens have
culture is what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom.
Culture gives humans there way of life. Culture provides language, art,
lifestyle, and types of food consumed. Biologically speaking homo
sapiens have the largest brain capacities of all primates. This makes
room from more intuitive and creative lifestyles. Homo sapiens are one
of the only animals to adapt very well to every condition and
environment this planet has to offer. Our DNA is exclusive to use
only. The mutations our ancestors have acquired through out our
100,000-200,000 years of existence have shaped who we are today as homo
sapiens. Even today mutations are helping shape who humans really are.matthew moraleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420671077424783744noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-31940338775697967102012-05-03T10:07:00.001-07:002012-05-03T10:08:46.065-07:00Blue "Eyeberg" paper back in the newsA nice explanation of the science behind the blue eye evolution news you may have heard recently ...<a href="http://jonfwilkins.blogspot.com/2012/05/blue-eyed-people-are-all-related-zombie.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LostInTranscription+%28Lost+in+Transcription%29" target="_blank"> here</a>.Holly Dunsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05260104967932801186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-3061498268912594642012-05-01T16:31:00.003-07:002012-05-01T16:31:31.452-07:00Genomeboy's latest postIn "<a href="http://blogs.plos.org/genomeboy/2012/05/01/of-hairballs-and-long-hauls/" target="_blank">Of hairballs and long hauls</a>" Misha gives us continued, helpful insight in classic Misha form!Holly Dunsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05260104967932801186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-65912077939346408172012-05-01T09:07:00.000-07:002012-05-01T09:07:18.453-07:00What makes me me......So I'm not really good at this, I never can get the hang of blogging but here it goes.<br />
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All semester we've been talking about what makes us human and unique as individuals and most of us said it was our genes or our environment and we all brought in fun baby pictures and told embarrassing stories and had a good laugh on the last day of classes. We all shared photos of our siblings so here's mine:<br />
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The top one is the three of us at my sister's 8th grade honors night about 3 years ago. My brother and I are about 4 years apart and my sister and I are about 6 years apart. Even though we all have the same smile and we all had the same crooked English teeth (until my sister got braces), the one thing I loved about the three of us is our eyes. Looking at us we definitely look related, no question, but you can tell where each of us got our eyes. My brother has light blue eyes with a ring of god around the iris, like our mom. My sister has dark blue/grey eyes, like our dad and then there is me. For the longest time I couldn't figure out were mine came from. But as I got older and actually started to learn and care about my background and genes I looked at photographs of my grand parents. I discovered that I have my grandma Jean's eyes, my mom's mom. I was very excited because we are very close and she is just the most wonderful person you'll ever meet (but who doesn't say that about their grandma's right?)<br />
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Another cool thing I started to notice when I was digging through my old family photos is how similarly my mom, my grandma and I looked<br />
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That's my grandma (black and white photo) when she was younger, around WWII. It was cool to see how alike my grandma, my mom and I are. The top right one is my mom when she was in girl scouts in the 70s and the bottom one is me, my freshman year, road tripping. There are differences in the three of us but I love the similarities we all have<br />
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So eyes are a good example of our uniqueness. But going along with what Molly was saying, age makes a huge difference in sibling differences. When we were younger, my sister always tried to copy my and my friends but now, we couldn't be more opposite. Sure we both are a little tree huggy but she is super athletic and runs all the time and listens to rap/pop and is all about photos for fb and such were as I don't run unless something is chasing me or I have to catch a farm animal, I listen to country, show-tunes, indie, and 50s, and I take more photos of everything else than myself to show my aunt on fb (she lives in the UK so it's cheaper than sending them snail mail). My brother and I are still similar, we have similar tastes in comedy, we like science and stuff but being in college as drifted us apart a little. My brother and sister are only about 18 months or so apart everyone thought they were twins when they were younger. People called them Irish Twins. Now, however, they are so different and so polar opposite it's hard to believe they are related.<br />
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But enough about them. What makes me human, what makes me me? Doing research for the final paper, I keep stumbling across articles about the 1% difference from chimps and the HAR1 region in the brain where most of the evolutionary advances and differences occurred and the different variations that led to us today. How we categorize people into groups, like race and how that is arbitrary and you can get it wrong. I also find papers on how unique we are because we have so much variation within our populations and how diverse humanity is. I love it. I love making collages of how different everyone is because it is so beautiful! The colours, the culture, the faces, just wonderful! I want to thank you guys for a great semester and an insight on human variation.<br />
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-Cheers :)<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-12708411400438073902012-04-30T13:06:00.000-07:002012-04-30T13:06:22.720-07:00Fellow Human Variants,<br />
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After the hysterical, insightful, and varied presentations on the last day of classes I was putting together some thoughts for the final paper. In my presentation I added a picture of my sister, Sarah, and me from when we were toddlers and compared it to how we are now. Just to jog your memory...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah on left, me on right</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me on left, Sarah on right</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Sarah and I are 18 months apart, we have lived in the same house our entire lives, have the same parents, went to the same preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school. Considering we share so much of our genes, and our environment are virtually identical, what makes us so different?<br />
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Thinking back so stories my parents used to tell, people thought we were twins! This may be partially due to the endless matching outfits my mother provided, but also the many traits we share. Today, however, people think I'm playing a practical joke when I tell them that Sarah is my biological sister. <br />
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In this class I've learned the roll that genes play in a person's phenotype, and even today I see many similarities between Sarah and I. Once friends get to know us together they often comment how we have the same laugh, the same mannerisms, same eyes, and lips.<br />
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Maybe Sarah is so different from me because of that 18 month age gap. Even though we are so close in age we were still in different grades in school, giving us different friend groups. I am very athletic, and Sarah was always very musical, just as Sarah was always very quiet and I was always very outgoing.<br />
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Even the smallest bit of change in environment can make a difference. Sarah and I turned out very different in some ways, just because of that small age gap. <br />
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BUT genes are also very important. During the presentations I heard a lot about environment that makes you, you. For me, that holds true but my genes also make me, me. Sarah's genes make her, her, but OUR genes make us so similar.<br />
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So the moral of my story is to not dismiss genes as an influential factor, because they are! The .1% difference in humans throughout the world make variation and they make you, you. <br />
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<br />Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16874332184043665635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-70484411428254148302012-04-27T12:05:00.000-07:002012-04-27T12:05:18.778-07:00A poem of relevance<h2>
<a href="http://allpoetry.com/poem/8511441-Human_Family-by-Maya_Angelou">Human Family<br /> </a><br />by Maya Angelou</h2>
<br />I note the obvious differences<br />in the human family.<br />Some of us are serious,<br />some thrive on comedy.<br /><br />Some declare their lives are lived<br />as true profundity,<br />and others claim they really live<br />the real reality.<br /><br />The variety of our skin tones<br />can confuse, bemuse, delight,<br />brown and pink and beige and purple,<br />tan and blue and white.<br /><br />I've sailed upon the seven seas<br />and stopped in every land,<br />I've seen the wonders of the world<br />not yet one common man.<br /><br />I know ten thousand women<br />called Jane and Mary Jane,<br />but I've not seen any two<br />who really were the same.<br /><br />Mirror twins are different<br />although their features jibe,<br />and lovers think quite different thoughts<br />while lying side by side.<br /><br />We love and lose in China,<br />we weep on England's moors,<br />and laugh and moan in Guinea,<br />and thrive on Spanish shores.<br /><br />We seek success in Finland,<br />are born and die in Maine.<br />In minor ways we differ,<br />in major we're the same.<br /><br />I note the obvious differences<br />between each sort and type,<br />but we are more alike, my friends,<br />than we are unalike.<br /><br />We are more alike, my friends,<br />than we are unalike.<br /><br />We are more alike, my friends,<br />than we are unalike.Holly Dunsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05260104967932801186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-48239589435526561772012-04-27T11:32:00.000-07:002012-04-27T11:32:04.489-07:00Overcoming GenophobiaMisha Angrist's article in the HuffPo captures some of the spirit of our course experiment.<br />
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/misha-angrist/overcoming-genophobia_b_796639.html" target="_blank">"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">the rhetoric of fear does none of us any favors"</span></a>Holly Dunsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05260104967932801186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-82743823114254645692012-04-26T12:57:00.002-07:002012-04-27T12:03:32.751-07:00Last day of class<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Dear Human Variants,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">You made me laugh and you made me cry today and I know that's not the point of our course, but it sure was lovely to be in that classroom this afternoon! It felt like the center of the universe for just one hour. Thank you all for opening up like that and for embracing this experience! I am completely inspired by you all.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Verklempt,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">HD</span>Holly Dunsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05260104967932801186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-7862002784721686172012-04-23T17:29:00.003-07:002012-04-23T17:29:35.545-07:00What makes me, meI was working on our upcoming group presentation and on answering the questions: what makes me human and what makes me, me? For the most part, the things I ended up using to define myself had little to do with my genetics...or did they? <br />
<br />
I used aspects of my culture, my values, my appearance, and my past life experiences as classifications of my identity. Apart from my appearance, what I think makes me me has a lot to do with external forces acting upon me instead of being genetically predetermined. <br />
<br />
But then again, we only know what a small portion of our DNA encodes for and even the things we do know could be affected by the unknown factors. It is possible that the things I think have nothing to do with genetics may actually be intricately intertwined, or even predetermined by my genetics. <br />
<br />
Could your DNA encode for a propensity toward certain kinds of people and thus predetermine the friends you choose? Could you be genetically inclined to live in a specific region therefore impacting the culture one is exposed to? Does our biochemical make-up have a larger, albeit less direct, influence on what it takes for you to be you and for me to be me? Maybe it is feasible that our genetics have already predetermined areas of our lives that we've attributed to being consequences of the environment. <br />
<br />
The reasoning behind all of this becomes pretty circular without more research and new discoveries. Erin F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15360500012453585455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-32475050492610193112012-04-21T13:37:00.000-07:002012-05-08T18:50:02.291-07:00My Humanity, My Identity. Part II: Universal ProblemsNow that <a href="http://dnanonymous.blogspot.com/2012/04/my-humanity-my-identity-part-i-long.html">Part I</a> has laid out our goals, let's tackle the questions we've raised one step at a time. We'll start with the one I think is more complicated, "What makes me human?" as I suspect my humanity will be more useful to answering questions about my identity than the reverse. It might be helpful when reading this series to not assume that I am explicitly stating any one point of view as fact immediately, but rather attempting to be thorough with different ways to conceptualize and analyze the issue at hand so that we can find the one we might consider the best. <br />
<br />
So when we ask a question like "What makes me human?", what do we take this to mean? For clarity's sake, let's phrase this for the moment as "What makes me <i>a </i>human?" as we do not seem to be using "human" here to describe us the same way we might use it to describe other things, e.g. "human skeleton" or "human folly."<br />
<br />
We might approach and interpret the question this way: there are many things in the world which I can accurately identify as humans, but of course, there's only one me. So "Ryan" is a particular thing, but "human" is a universal category that doesn't exist in any one thing. So what is it about the particular "Ryan" that makes it fit into the category "human"? Well, it makes sense that whatever it is that makes me a human being should be the same thing(s) that makes all other human beings fit into this category. We don't say things like "Holly is a human being, but not in the same sense that Jordan is." We'd have trouble understanding what someone meant by such a statement, most likely.<br />
<br />
So if we wanted to define what a human being is, we would probably refer to a property or set of properties defined by (let's say) scientific criteria attributable to all humans. Thus, we might restate our original question like so: "What are the properties of the particular 'Ryan' which make it a part of the category 'human being'?"<br />
<br />
Now there have been <i>lots</i> of attempts to define "human being" and "humanity" with this and similar approaches. Rather than go through endless examples of this, let's discuss what needs to be true for this approach to actually work. We have asked ourselves, "What are the properties that classify individuals as humans?" For any definition or classification of human that uses this approach, we must be able to imagine absolutely no possibilities where:<br />
<br />
a) something would be human without one such property, or<br />
b) something would <i>not</i> be human despite the presence of all these properties.<br />
<br />
It is important that we allow for hypothetical scenarios here, as they are what really show the limitations of any given definition. Let's take the scholastic definition of human as "rational animal." Given what we know about evolution, we should be able to easily imagine a new species of animal with <i>Homo sapiens</i> as its ancestor and the capacity for reason that we would <i>not</i> call "human." And so while "rational animal" may be a practical definition in that we could only use it to describe one thing that exists, it does not account for all possibilities. It would be like defining the genus <i>Homo</i> in terms of <i>Homo sapiens</i> because there is only one species within that genus that exists currently.<br />
<br />
Speaking of evolution, this approach makes another very important assumption, namely, something either is human or is not. That doesn't seem to go in line with what we know, however. I propose another thought experiment to demonstrate this:<br />
<br />
Can we go back far enough in our evolutionary history to find a human whose mother is not human?<br />
<br />
I think this would be <i>extremely</i> difficult and unlikely, even without the part that requires time travel. Evolutionary progress seems to be more of a continuum than a sequence of stages. Would our criteria allow us to draw that metaphorical line which creates such a distinct categorical separation? Even if we wanted to talk about this in strictly biological terms, we still run into the notorious <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species_Problem">species problem</a>, which seems to me to be the exact same problem faced when defining any taxonomic or categorical term.<br />
<br />
These difficulties should be extremely relevant to us, and it is important to bring them to light before going any further in this investigation. For literally <i>over two thousand</i> years it was taken for granted that category terms had fixed boundaries and that any debate over these boundaries was not a sign of the insufficiency of this approach, but rather a matter to be settled with time. It was only in the mid-20th century that this idea came under serious questioning and attack in philosophy, anthropology, and cognitive science. Even though we often talk now of "gray areas," the idea that most things "either are or are not" any given universal term is still prevalent in the way we conceptualize, categorize, and organize the world we see around us. We create definitions that are useful in most cases yet are full of exceptions.<br />
<br />
So what can we do without these fixed boundaries, you ask? That's the subject for Part III!Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12971902782950072851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-5262290256724173292012-04-18T11:18:00.000-07:002012-04-18T11:18:41.805-07:00Nature AND NurtureFor decades the nature vs. nurture debate went on, but with the field of genetics growing rapidly, we can agree that a person's "identity" is nature AND nurture. Once again, procrastinating, I stumbled across a blog written by Robery Klitzman, M.D., who discuses the role genetic testing plays. With recent advancements DNA testing has become relatively cheap and the amount of people getting these tests are skyrocketing. The question remains, does everyone know what to do with their results?<br />
<br />
Those who are getting these tests need to know that they are not definitive, in terms of if this person was at a "higher risk" of a certain disease, it is not definite. Yes, some diseases it is 100% genetic, but for the vast majority they are not. With nature being your genes, and nurture being your environment, both play a role in what makes you, you.<br />
<br />
Dr. Klitzman compares these results to the weather forecast. Sure, there is a chance it may rain, meteorologists have sufficient evidence that it will rain, but how many times have you flipped on the weather and they have predicted rain, but the storm never reached your specific area?<br />
<br />
In my opinion, these tests are great. If you do have a higher chance of getting a certain disease it gives you the opportunity to do something about it. In terms of my results I am at a higher risk for Parkinson's Disease. 23andMe gives "what you can do" to lower your chance of developing the disease, drink coffee or tea, and stay active. Luckily I do both, but it still gives me the tools for early detection which may decrease the symptoms associated with this disease.<br />
<br />
If your interested and want to read the article, I've posted the URL below<br />
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/4zhhdY/:avtbLD6s:DaCRfzA3/www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-klitzman-md/genetic-testing_b_1321901.html/<br />
<br />Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16874332184043665635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-54170103550045198282012-04-15T17:13:00.004-07:002012-04-16T13:40:12.017-07:00My Humanity, My Identity. Part I: The Long Road AheadI should probably start this with an apology. First, for writing this instead of working on that exam we have due tonight. Second, for not being as active as I promised I would be in my initial post. I've probably been setting a bad example as Guru. In my defense, I did have two posts written, but all the interesting things I had to say about <i>Metal Gear Solid</i> were preempted by <i>Gattaca</i>, and I think I ranted about the irony of <i>Race Is a Four-Letter Word </i>enough in private. To make up for this, I bring you the first in a long series of posts that touches directly on the questions that guide this course, this blog, and the papers all our Contributing Variants are (read: should be) working on, namely, "What makes me human?" and "What makes me <i>me</i>?"<br />
<br />
There should probably be little doubt that everyone answering these questions for a grade here in APG 350 has a unique perspective and a wonderful account of what makes them feel like a participating member in this thing we call the human race. There is also almost certainly little doubt that there is a plethora of materials gathered by scientists of all varieties (biological anthropologists not least among them) that lend themselves to answering or otherwise elucidating possible answers to these questions. But I don't see why we should settle for that. <br />
<br />
So here's my suggestion: Let's work toward a good, meaningful answer to these questions. In the best case scenario, we'll reach answers that are not only good and meaningful, but also useful to the way we conceive of ourselves in the world. In the worst case, these questions will be completely unanswerable, though maybe knowing that will also be useful. (More on what we mean by "meaningful" later.)<br />
<br />
I won't lie; I really don't like these questions. They've been bugging me for a while now and I doubt I will ever feel comfortable giving any kind of definite answer to them, especially in the context of anthropology. I hope the reasons for this will become obvious following the later parts of this series, but suffice to say, these questions are actually <i>really</i> freaking complicated and, perhaps surprisingly, the more difficult question may be the first one.<br />
<br />
Though I'm sure this will come as a surprise to no one, these questions, "What makes me human?" and "What makes me <i>me</i>?", seem to me to be philosophical in nature. This is not to say that the investigation of the various issues involved in answering them belongs to a discipline called "philosophy." What I mean instead is that these questions do not seem answerable simply through gathering and analyzing empirical evidence*, such as how members of <i>Homo sapiens</i> physically differ from other species and how individuals within the species physically differ from one another. Rather there seems to be a metaphysical component to these questions which addresses something at the core of the spirit of the question, namely, "What does it mean to be human?" Because of this, we must also admit an epistemological aspect. If you think of metaphysics being a subject that deals with the question, What <i>is</i> a human?, epistemology is the subject that deals with the question, How do we <i>know</i> what a human is?<br />
<br />
*This point is highly controversial and any good empiricist should attack me on these grounds alone. We'll revisit this issue more directly in the next post, however, when we ask exactly what it would take to give a complete answer to these questions.<br />
<br />
The goal of this series of posts, then, is to address the following questions: what do we mean when we ask a question like "What makes me human?"; what do we understand to be the components of that question and what are their natures?; what are the limits of taking any single approach to such a question?; is this question answerable in a meaningful way?; what can we learn about issues that have such questions at their core?<br />
<br />
And lastly, will I complete this series before everyone stops reading this blog? Stay tuned if you want to find out!<br />
<br />
(Oh, and don't worry, this has <i>everything</i> to do with biological anthropology--it will just take some work to get there.)Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12971902782950072851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-18199981518283400102012-04-14T15:17:00.001-07:002012-04-14T15:17:31.791-07:00<span lang="EN"></span><br />
Jamie here!! As we are all well aware from class the
other day, I am a fan of One Direction. So in being how big a fan I am, I
was watching some youtube videos of them performing and came across one
from when they performed on the Kid’s Choice Awards a couple of weeks
ago. Many people were singing along such as Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift
and Ashley Tisdale. Even the First Lady Michelle Obama and her two
daughters were singing along. This was not a surprise for me mainly
because I know how big One Direction is and also because I have seen her
rocking out with her kids to the Jonas Brothers (don‘t hate). That’s
when I thought back to our lecture on the President and how he
identifies as being biracial, half white and half black. It got me
thinking, do his kids consider themselves biracial as well considering
one of their grandparents is clearly white and they have white aunts,
uncles and cousins? Do all children who have one parent that is biracial
such as that, consider themselves to be from 2 races, or do they only
identify with the majority or with what color their skin was? So while
trying to avoid some homework I decided to Google it.<br />
<br />
Now I know with the definition of race being about skin color only,
there are children such as myself who have parents of different
nationalities, but that’s not what I am talking about here. I feel like
this may confuse some people (trust me, it made sense in my brain, but
that‘s not saying a lot) but I am referring to race as being skin color,
which is something that we learned is not true at all. Google only gave
results on raising biracial children and what to do with them… Not very
helpful so I tried to think of any other examples besides the Obamas,
but my brain is frazzled mainly because when I do homework I listen to
music and I think of dances and nothing else, a habit which I need to
break and I’m off on a tangent. In any case I couldn’t and it made me a
little frustrated because am I looking for something that isn’t there or
as important as I am making it be? Do any of you have anything to add
to it?<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-91937543429046805522012-04-09T13:28:00.001-07:002012-04-09T13:42:38.433-07:00Are "Super Genes" In Our Future?Hey guys,<br />
<br />
Today as I was having my daily dose of procrastination I stumbled across an interesting article. These scientists from North Carolina have spiced celery and rose genes to create a "super flower." Most roses, with my experience anyway, never seem to last more than a week in a vase. When these scientists added this gene from the celery plant, the roses had a much longer vase life, reaching to three or four weeks. As lovely as this discovery is for the ones who are blessed to receive flowers, it begs a bigger question.<br />
<br />
This article's title immediately drew my attention due to the recent discussions held in class. With so much research and discoveries being made in the field of genetics how far are we willing to go? Dr. Jen Wagner spoke about the role genes play in sports. I ask myself "If scientists can find a "super gene" in roses, how far are they from finding similar genes in humans?" As an athlete I think it would be pretty awesome to locate a gene that dramatically increased strength, or endurance, but at what price? If such genes were found and parents were able to make that decision for their children, what would be the effects?<br />
<br />
Even today without all the advances I discussed, pressure is on children to be the best, not only in athletics but in academics. All sorts of hype is surrounded by professional sports and I have yet to meet an elementary aged boy that does not want to grow up to be Derek Jeter, or Michael Jordan. If these genes were popularized and widely used how many parents would lay out their children's lives for them? Half the fun of growing up is making your own life decisions.<br />
<br />
<br />Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16874332184043665635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-91165201721916309882012-04-09T09:45:00.002-07:002012-04-09T09:45:51.920-07:00<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So today I had some extra time on my hands/ procrastinating
on an essay I’m not really dying to start; and I just got Netflix so I’ve been
discovering all these new ways I can explore the world…documentaries!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this morning I watched the film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Future of Food</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw it back in high school in my super-hippied
out Global Studies class and it caught my attention!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, it just so happens that much of this
film is about patenting genes and other products of nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Angrist’s Chapter 10, he notes that in
2010, a judged ruled that the company <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Myriad</i>
could NOT patent the BRCA1 or BRAC2 gene, the one that can carry a mutation
related to breast cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The judge’s
reasoning behind ruling against the patent was that “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">DNA in the body does the same thing outside the body: it carries
information…it is not an invention, therefore, it cannot be patented</b>.” Previously,
Myriad appeared to have been holding onto this gene with a patent for research
on breast cancer, and in doing so, stunting any other progressive research, and
the reasoning behind this? It enabled them to make others pay ridiculously
large sums of money to get ahold of this gene for their own research…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t seem to think of any other reasoning
behind Myriad’s purpose for patenting this gene either??? I suppose that by
making money off patented genes, it gives them more funding for their own
research…I want to give them the benefit of the doubt that their intentions are
good, but is that really why they are patenting it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or are they just creating and attempting to
corner and monopolize a market of genetics??<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That’s exactly what The Future of Food talks about in their
film. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the beginning of the film, it
states that in 1978, an engineer at G.E. created an oil eating microbe (used to
possibly clean up oil spills) and he attempted to patent it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Originally, the court denied this patent
under the notion that you cannot patent nature!...but G.E. took it to the
Supreme court and the patent went through by one vote!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The microbe was never used, but this opened
the flood gates for an entirely new market of patents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only did big companies start buying
GMO’s, but also seeds, as they are produced naturally!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Currently Monsanto, the “bad guy” in the film, has about 11,000
patents, primarily seeds, done simply by buying out major seeds companies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
film states that “they can use the one seed to replace all the seeds and they
will own the market place”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’ve also
been able to sue U.S. farmers by accusing them of infringing on their patented
seeds or products.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With all of this rambling, I just find it to be kind of ridiculous
that seeds and genes are being patented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m pretty sure that the purpose of a patent is to corner a market and
make money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s to legally protect what
you personally have created so only you can reap the financial benefits of what
you believe was originally yours… So why is this involved in breast cancer? Why
is a patent involved in a seed that we use as a source to feed people?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Being a psychology major, I tend to find myself questioning
the reasoning behind people and human behavior…What is up with this yo??</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I also just watched a film called Ingredients on
Netflix..its awesome! also related to food, seeds, genetics, and is just an
overall good film. Check it out!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Katie Mulroyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18419013416890377330noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-38815223354285963712012-04-09T04:40:00.000-07:002012-04-09T04:40:13.563-07:00How 23andMe Scared Me<span style="background-color: white;">My questions: Do genes determine sexual orientation, and is 23andme trying to answer this question? Is this ethical? What are the advantages to this, and why should people like me be concerned?</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">While anticipating my results from 23andme, my biggest concern was finding out I had an increased chance for some serious life-threatening disease (Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, etc.). I was relieved to learn that this was not the case, and overall my health seemed to be okay. However, upon receiving my DNA analysis, my heart skipped a beat. Why? 23andme wanted me to participate in a survey about my sexual orientation. I am also gay. Ironically, I did not become eligible for this survey until the same day my results were delivered to me. Timely coincidence? Maybe. I’m not sure if anyone else was invited to participate in this survey, however in my mind the following thought occurred: that, maybe, 23andme is conducting research about a possible biological basis for sexuality, and they identified a genetic marker in me. Paranoid? Possibly. But it’s not such a novel idea.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">I recently watched an episode of Law and Order where this subject was discussed. In the show, the idea was held that by identifying a genetic marker, one’s sexuality could be determined before birth. The father in that episode wanted his pregnant wife to have an abortion because his child-to-be had that marker.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Although it would be a fascinating find, should geneticists really be trying to discover this? Homosexuals face discrimination just like other minorities, we’re just fortunate enough to be able to hide our differences if needed. That is the advantage of “being gay” instead of belonging to another social group which experiences discrimination: it’s almost like an invisible identity, and is only visible if the individual is comfortable enough with it. By discovering a genetic marker that could determine sexual orientation, homosexuals would lose that advantage - they could even possibly be screened before birth. Of course, parents want the best for their child, and some might consider this to be a problem. Or maybe the child would be born into a homophobic or extremely conservative family. The amount of abortions could skyrocket. Okay, maybe that’s a bit extreme. Regardless, I think that homophobic discrimination would augment greatly.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">However, this type of research could be a good thing, too. I, personally, would love to know if there is a genetic reason for my sexual preferences, for curiosity’s sake. It would also dispel the idea that: “gays choose to be this way” or “homosexuality is unnatural or immoral”. Because no, I don’t “choose” to be this way, I just am. And no, I’m not an immoral person. I actually am very proud of my morals. Many people in favor of gay rights would think of this as a good thing.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">But, as I stated before, I think in the long run this would just cause more discrimination by those who are against homosexuality. For me, my sexuality isn’t my defining feature - there’s more to me than being attracted to people of the same sex. But, not everyone considers that. From my own perspective, it seems like people hold onto that one aspect of identity, and don’t really consider anything else. In fact, I had a friend once, who, upon learning my sexual orientation started introducing me to her friends as “This is (name). (S)he’s gay”. It is immature and irrelevant to introduce someone like that.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">So sorry I went on a tangent, but this was the part of 23andme that worried me. It made me feel vulnerable, as if the researchers knew that I was gay. I’ve always considered myself fortunate to be fairly discrete about my preferences, but just by “becoming eligible” for this survey, I felt like I was being targeted. If the data obtained from identifying a “gay gene” wouldn’t be misused, then I wouldn’t be so concerned. But, there is a possibility that it could be, and that is important to remember.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">If you’re interested more in this, I skimmed an article that goes into more detail about my post:</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT130_com_zimbra_url" style="color: darkblue; cursor: pointer;"><a href="http://www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org/ViewPage.aspx?pageId=77" style="color: darkblue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org/ViewPage.aspx?pageId=77</a></span>Holly Dunsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05260104967932801186noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-474865883936787562012-04-05T16:51:00.000-07:002012-04-05T16:51:17.790-07:00So, my DNA results finally came in It didn't take me much time to decide that I was going to send in a spit sample when Holly first mentioned the 23andMe opportunity in class. While I waited for the results I never doubted my choice to have my genome mapped (or at least part of my genome) and didn't have any concerns about sharing whatever my DNA might reveal with others. So, it came as a shock to me that, when I got an email saying my report was in during a family party last weekend, I suddenly felt overwhelmingly protective of the results. As I went through my disease risk, then my carrier status, then my drug response and so on, I felt increasingly confident in sharing 23andMe's findings with family members who found the whole genome mapping thing very interesting. <br />
It wasn't until later that I could actually think about why, in those first few minutes after getting my DNA results, I had felt anxiety. The idea of making my genome public to strangers, never mind family members, doesn't scare me so why had I hesitated? I think the answer is that I <i>was</i> with family members, not strangers, and the information I was about to report had almost as much to do with them as it did with me. Knowing that whatever showed up in my DNA was inherited either from my mom or my dad made me want to shield them from anything bad that might turn up. As I went through more and more of the results and found nothing alarming, I relaxed and wanted to share every little bit of information with anyone who would listen.<br />
Looking back after having read my results I realize I probably wasn't as prepared to get them back as I thought. I knew there were possibilities for high disease risk for things like Alzheimer's and diabetes but I had only thought about how those results would make me feel about <i>myself</i>. But honestly, when I think about it now, if I were at higher risk for, say, Alzheimer's I'd be much more emotional about the implications of that finding for my parents rather than for myself. So while my results were reassuring, I can't help but think about what it would be like if it had gone the other way. I still believe that knowing is better than not knowing, since the information is there whether you want to see it or not, but I also believe that its extremely difficult to completely prepare for something like this. I think fully understanding the implications of having your genome mapped comes only after you receive your own results. That's when you can begin to fully accept the findings and come to terms with what they mean. <br />
<br />
... with all that said I am as confident as ever in my decision to have my DNA tested and I would do it again in a heart beat. Erin F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15360500012453585455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-51890817159703739112012-04-05T16:07:00.001-07:002012-04-05T16:07:01.920-07:00<div>
I got my results!! They are already told me somethings that I have
or have had. But it's so exciting to be able to see what I am
predisposed to and seeing that they are accurate so far in somethings.
I am not surprised by most of the results because of a good family
history of keeping track of things like that. </div>
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--Lily McKay</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-21235924832796098502012-03-30T14:03:00.002-07:002012-03-31T09:58:15.144-07:00Would You Like that on a Sugar or Wafer Cone?<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The first thing that is necessary
for an ice cream business is cones; besides ice cream that is. At the shop I
work at, we make our own waffle cones. Some get dipped in chocolate. As I was
doing all of these ice cream business things, I couldn’t help but realize just
how much I dislike chocolate. This is when all the women reading this gasp! But
that’s the truth, I don’t really like chocolate. And as I was dipping more and
more cones, I made the connection to this class and the “bitter-taste receptor.”
For those who don’t know, the “bitter-taste receptor” is a SNP (Single
Nucleotide Polymorphism) in the human genome that allows for us to taste a
particular chemical called propylthiouracil (PROP) in foods. The PROP chemical
is what gives the bitter taste to things like Brussels sprouts, and broccoli.
There is also a similar chemical in cabbage, tonic water, coffee, and dark
beers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Since, according to 23andme, my
genotype is GG meaning that I can taste bitter flavors. I was genuinely curious
to if that was why I am not a big fan of chocolate. So I started doing some
searching. What I found was an article on the <i>Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry</i>’s website. What I
discovered is that there is a similar receptor to the “bitter-taste receptor”
but this one allowed for you to taste sweet things. From what I understand, the
scientists measured the levels of cAMP after exposing thaumatin and lysozyme
(both natural sweeteners sometimes found in some chocolate) to human-like cells. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My theory is that both genes
could work similarly. Even though most people would choose something sweet over
something bitter, maybe chocolate is too sweet causing the body to think it
could be harmful. I’m not entirely sure to be honest. Just a thought.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I’d rather have Cookie Dough
anyway.<br />
-Katie</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">PS: </span><a href="http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf803956f" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" target="_blank">Click here!</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> for the article I read.</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-80179131353590032222012-03-30T09:26:00.001-07:002012-03-30T09:29:58.400-07:00Identity Crisis?I know I'm going a little blog-crazy, but I keep reading (unintentionally) really interesting things that are related to our class and I want to share with everyone!<br />I'm currently taking SPA 471, a topics spanish class, and this semester it is about "la imagen del negro en la literatura americana" (basically, how black people are portrayed in Spanish-American literature). My professor handed out an article (in English, so everyone can read it if they want) about a boy who is black, born into a White family.<br /><br />In the article, a white mother has an affair with a former co-worker, who is black, and is impregnated with his child. The son is born in 1959, black, into an entirely white family. However, the mother tells him (as well as everyone else, to hide her affair) that he has a skin disease called melanin, and that he was fortunate that his entire body was affected (instead of being blotchy). Everyone accepted this story, perhaps out of ignoring the obvious, because "it was better to be a white boy with a skin disease than a black kid".<br /><br />With the lie told, her son, David Meyers, grows up in a white, middle-class neighborhood believing he is white. He even states "I thought like a white kid. There was a feeling in me that I didn't want to be associated with blacks."<br /><br />As David reached adolescence, he became defiant and treated differently. His mother was very angry towards him, attributing this anger to her son's behavior, not his skin color. Eventually, her mother stated she had been raped by a black man when she became impregnated with David. David tracked down his birth-father, who stated that there was no rape, they had only gone out a couple times and had consensual sex.<br /><br />After learning that he was, in fact, black, David experienced an identity crisis, not knowing whether he was black or white. He had spent his entire life growing up and "acting white", only to learn that he was in fact black.<br /><br />It brings up a couple really significant points: First, how does our skin color, or "race", affect our identity and perceptions towards others? (I'm aware that is a very vague question, but I mean more in the context of this article) ; Second, what are the repercussions of discovering a false ancestry? (This ties in nicely with 23andme, as well, in case someone learns their dad isn't really their dad).<br /><br />The article is from the Providence Journal, September 27,2005 (if anyone is interested in looking it up) and is called "Mother reveals white lie and changes a family's history"Jordan Bessettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07985567626260284299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-57963655248279694222012-03-26T08:25:00.002-07:002012-03-26T08:53:53.117-07:00DNA and DrugsHi all,<br /><br />Today I read an interesting article that reminded me of something our awesome professor said in 201 last week (wrong class, I know. Not the point). We were learning about malaria, and how drugs taken to treat malaria or prevent malaria have some pretty "psychedelic" side effects...hallucinations, etc. [who needs acid when we can just take this instead?! (but not really)]<br /><br />Well, on huffingtonpost.com there is an article about a US troop in Afghanistan who killed 17 civilians. The author of the article ascertains that it is possibly because of a side-effect from taking an anti-malaria drug, Mefloquine, AKA Lariam, that the troop committed such an atrocious crime. Side effects include: depression, psychosis, and suicidal thoughts. According to the article, there is sometimes also an urge to hurt someone or yourself. The urge comes on fairly quickly, and "it just seems like the right thing to do".<br /><br />Although use of this drug was dropped almost entirely in 2009, it is still used in certain circumstances (like in Afghanistan), although those who have suffered traumatic brain injury should not be given the drug. The soldier involved in the article did, in fact, previously suffer a traumatic brain injury. As already noted, the effects were fairly disastrous. This is not the first time something like this has happened, either.<br /><br />(Here is the link to the article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/25/robert-bales-malaria-drug_n_1378671.html)<br /><br />Although it has not been confirmed whether or not the soldier took this drug, it is interesting to note the potential side effects. 23andme.com says that our DNA results will inform us about how we will react to certain drugs, and it is a comforting thought to know that one day things like this can, hopefully, screened for in advance.<br /><br />I, personally, am happy to hear about this development. I was diagnosed with depression in my early teenage years, and had to deal with medications that did not work too well. I was too young to understand how drugs worked, and took them because I was supposed to. However, instead of alleviating any thoughts they had adverse effects and my depression increased. I eventually switched to another medication, which still didn't work any better. During my first year of college, I realized that I felt worse after taking the medication, and stopped taking them. Ironically, many of the symptoms of depression I felt went away after I stopped taking any medication. If my DNA had been analyzed before, then I could have enjoyed all the time that was otherwise wasted. (I'm happy to say I haven't taken any medication since I quit taking them, and don't regret it at all).<br /><br />Although this might seem like too personal a post, I think my own example, as well as that of the soldier in Afghanistan, show the potential missteps that can occur as a result of taking medication, and how 23andme.com can resolve problems such as this, and ameliorate our future.Jordan Bessettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07985567626260284299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3895550249012313464.post-51020008778644077062012-03-13T08:52:00.005-07:002012-03-16T10:31:47.958-07:00Variation, also a linguistic phenomenon.Hi friends,<br /><br />Throughout this wonderful class, we have, obviously, learned about and observed variation, notably at a biological level. However, as a student whose studies focus mainly on foreign language and literature, I can't help but draw parallels to linguistic variation as another source of human variation. Although this is not emphasized in our course, I think it deserves recognition as an important source of variation which greatly contributes to our identities.<br /><br />I don't want to go into the linguistic terminology, but it has been noted that a culture's identity is connected to its lexicon, or vocabulary, demonstrating the importance of certain ideas, objects, or phenomenons.<br /><br />In addition,regional dialects provide a huge source of linguistic variation. For example, in Spain there is castellano, or "Castillian Spanish", which entails the proper "Spain Spanish". However, there are also: galician, catalan, and basque, regional languages that are officially recognized by the country, not including the other unrecognized linguistic variations.<br /><br />Further, although countries are often identified by speaking a certain language, there is a lot of evidence of multiple languages co-existing: Switzerland has four official languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansch. The country is also, coincidentally (but not actually coincidentally at all) bordered by German, French, and Italian speaking countries. Romansch is a regional dialect, which shares a lot of its linguistic properties with the Romance languages (Italian and French, for example). This shows how a language doesn't just stop existing because the country changes, but that there is continuity of that language throughout a region, although there is a difference between High German and Swiss German, and Parisian French and Swiss French. Kind of like biological variation, right? Weird.<br /><br />Even more indicative of our linguistic variation, and demonstrating how one language is related to another, is the proto-indo-european language tree (below).<br /><br />I guess in my own mind, the way I think of our human variation, at least in terms of ethnicity or physical variation, is by comparing it to this tree. Everything is related, and as a result of environmental factors language has evolved in a way not that differently from our biological entities.<br />At any rate, sorry for my linguistic rant and trying to parallel outside topics to our class subjects. But I think it's important to note a different (or maybe not so different) source of human variation. There are also biological relationships to linguistic development, but that's for another post. Until then, here's a pretty tree to look at that illustrates my rambling:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.intersolinc.com/newsletters/images/Language%20Tree.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 706px; height: 735px;" src="http://www.intersolinc.com/newsletters/images/Language%20Tree.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a> Kthanksbye<br /><br /><img src="file:///Users/jordanbessette/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot.png" alt="" /><img src="file:///Users/jordanbessette/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot-1.png" alt="" />Jordan Bessettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07985567626260284299noreply@blogger.com0