ASSIGNMENT:
Blog on your second chromosome
In chapter two of Genome, Mark Ridley talks about chromosome 2, the second largest chromosome in the human body. He also explains how before the 1950's, every scientist believed that every human had 24-pairs of chromosomes. It wasn't until the Indonesian, Joe-Hin Tigo revealed his discovery on how chromosome two is actually a fusion of two medium-sized ape chromosomes. Mostly everyone in the world has been told that their ancestors are chimpanzees, but is this theory actually provable? Scientists believe that at one point, "about ten million years ago, there probably lived at least two species of ape in Africa, which gave rise to the human beings and the chimpanzees." Humans share 98% sequence of DNA, the immune, digestive, vascular, lymph, and nervous system with chimpanzees! I find it amusing that the only difference between us is our appearance. Even the human brain is similarly structured as a chimpanzees'. As Mark Ridley explains, "the missing link was probably a forest creature...at some point, its population had split in half." This is one of the many reasonable hypothesis scientists agree upon because, "the separation of two parts of a population is often the event that sparks speciation." Natural disasters of maybe even the formation of the Sahara dessert had caused these two species of apes to drift apart or be isolated from each other and develop there own separate genes, one of which happened to be of humans. Even after scientists had concluded, "the differences between human beings and chimpanzees are genetic differences and virtually nothing else," there are thousands of people that still deny this "fact". In my opinion, I do think there is reasonable evidence to say chimpanzees have a part in the evolution of humans but i also think everyone's thoughts on this theory should be respected.
No comments:
Post a Comment