Monday, October 25, 2010

Mitochondrial Eve

Mitochondrial Eve refers to the woman believed to be the mother source of the mitochondria found in humans today.  Because mitochondrial DNA is passed solely through the mother, theories suggest that early in evolutionary history there was one common ancestor.  From her descendants, many tribes spread throughout the world and evolution 
led them towards characteristics that would best suit them to inhabit the regions to which they had migrated.




The many cultures across the globe provide examples of the great diversity that originated from a single source. 


These people are citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo:



These people are from further north on the continent of Africa, from Egypt:



This is a picture of schoolchildren in Seoul, south Korea:


This woman and child are inhabitants of Brazil:


This elderly woman is from Russia:


The Native Americans were the original inhabitants of North America prior to the arrival of European influences:

  


Despite the many variations of human physiology depicted in these portraits, modern times allow travel and immigration much more readily than in times past.  This easier access makes it more common for people of different cultures and races to marry and reproduce.  Thus, it is more and more common to see people who display a myriad of cultural traits.  It is not unreasonable to assume that in the coming centuries the people of the world will continue to converge and return to a kind of global "norm" of features with less distinction from one location to the next.





Thursday, October 21, 2010

Amphioxus

The Merriam-Webster definitions any of a genus (Branchiostoma) of lancelets; broadly


To elaborate amphioxus is also known as lancelets.  They're small marine animals (rarely more than 3 inches long) that look like fish with no eyes or definite heads.  They typically dwell in warm coastal waters.  They are thought to be close relatives of vertebrates.   Unlike other chordates they are able to digest things.  Breeding may occur many time in a year.  Eggs are fertilized in the water and become larvae in a few days.                                             


Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Schrodinger's Cat

I just ran across this on stumbleupon.com.....It has nothing to do with the assined blogs, but I found it amusing since we talked about the cat briefly last week :)

Schrodinger's cat is...