Free Nature vs. Nurture Essay -- Biology Genes Science Essays

Nature vs Nurture The exponential growth of scientific and biological knowledge over time has facilitated the genesis of radical fields of specialization, namely biological determinism, sociobiology and eugenics, just to mention a few. The common thread between these fields is this- their proponents collectively postulate that all human traits, including weight, strength, intelligence, aspects of personality such as temperament (aggression for example), criminality and morality, are ultimately determined by the information encoded in DNA. They espouse that "we are who we are" because of our genes solely; that biodiversity in man is ultimately precipitated by phenotypic variations, caused by purely genetic differences, amongst individuals, therefore ostensibly offering little or no gravity to nongenetic factors. Nongenetic factors, generically labelled as the environment, encompass not only the physical, chemical and biological criterion, but also the numerous social and psychological ones that shape our lives as we grow and mature. Can we seriously take the influence of the env... Free Nature vs. Nurture Essay -- Biology Genes Science Essays Nature vs Nurture The exponential growth of scientific and biological knowledge over time has facilitated the genesis of radical fields of specialization, namely biological determinism, sociobiology and eugenics, just to mention a few. The common thread between these fields is this- their proponents collectively postulate that all human traits, including weight, strength, intelligence, aspects of personality such as temperament (aggression for example), criminality and morality, are ultimately determined by the information encoded in DNA. They espouse that "we are who we are" because of our genes solely; that biodiversity in man is ultimately precipitated by phenotypic variations, caused by purely genetic differences, amongst individuals, therefore ostensibly offering little or no gravity to nongenetic factors. Nongenetic factors, generically labelled as the environment, encompass not only the physical, chemical and biological criterion, but also the numerous social and psychological ones that shape our lives as we grow and mature. Can we seriously take the influence of the env...

Archetypes in Apollo and Daphne

Every single person goes through changes that are either positive and/or negative in their lives. Changes in life come for many reasons and the metamorphosis archetype give the tools for explaining these changes. In the story â€Å"Apollo and Daphne† a Greek myth translated by Role Humphreys, the reader can Identify the changes that can be explained by the metamorphosis archetype.The metamorphosis archetype â€Å"Is a two-way street'; the change can be positive and/ or negative† (class notes). When Cupid shoots his arrows at Apollo and Daphne they both have a change of heart about love, â€Å"at once he loved and she at once fled from the name of lover† (178). While Apollo now loves and wants to be married, Daphne runs away from the thought of love. The changes seen In these characters can be viewed both positive and negative for each. Apollo changes from being a tough warrior to someone with a kind and loving heart.However this change can also be viewed negative ly, in the sense that his newfound love for Daphne is his only priority. Daphne on the other hand changes into someone who is incapable of love. This incapability drives her to run away from love itself, which is a negative change. â€Å"Metamorphosis stories defy the long list of human limitations; they allow humans to do and be things thought impossible† (class notes). In the story the character Daphne is not able to love and Apollo can only think about love due to Cupid's arrow.Once Apollo laid his eyes upon Daphne he was instantly in love. His love drove him to infers his feeling towards her, which caused Daphne to feel frightened and run away from the scene. While running away in fear Daphne asks the river to â€Å"change and destroy the body' (108). This resulted in Daphne turning into a tree â€Å"her hair was leaves, her arms were branches, and her speedy feet rooted and held† (181). A human asking for help from a river and turning into a tree is impossible bu t in a metamorphosis stories the impossible is defied. Many metamorphoses are actually either rewards or punishments† (class notes). At the beginning of the story we see the character Apollo as someone who Is a strong warrior when he says, â€Å"the bow Is for my shoulders; I never fall In wounding beasts or mortals† (1 78), to Cupid. Apollo also says to Cupid â€Å"the torch, my boy, Is enough for you to play with† (178). Apollo Is telling Cupid that unlike him he Is not old or strong enough to use the bow an arrow. Cupid responds to this by telling Apollo, â€Å"your bow shoots everything-maybe-but mine will fix you† (178).At this point Cupid Is fed up tit Apollo and decides to give him a punishment. He shoots Apollo with an arrow that makes him fall In love with Daphne. He also decides to shoot an arrow at Daphne, which causes her to avoid love at all costs. Apollo at this point is chasing someone who he will never have as his punishment. The story â₠¬Å"Apollo and Daphne† has many changes that can be analyzed with the shows the characteristics of changes that the metamorphosis archetype views. There is change all around us and it is something that cannot be avoided.

Old World Monkeys - Cercopithecidae

Old World monkeys (Cercopithecidae) are a group of simians native to Old World regions including Africa, India and Southeast Asia. There are 133 species of Old World monkeys. Members of this group include macaques, geunons, talapoins, lutungs, surilis, doucs, snub-nosed monkeys, proboscis monkey, and langurs. Old World monkeys are medium to large in size. Some species are arboreal while others are terrestrial. The largest of all Old World monkeys is the mandrill which can weigh as much as 110 pounds. The smallest Old World monkey is the talapoin which weighs about 3 pounds. Old World monkeys are generally stocky in build and have fore limbs that are in most species shorter than hind limbs. Their skull is heavily ridged and they have a long rostrum. Almost all species are active during the day (diurnal) and are varied in their social behaviors. Many Old World monkey species form small to medium sized groups with complex social structure. The fur of Old World monkeys is often gray or brown in color although a few species have bright markings or more colorful fur. The texture of the fur is not silky nor is it woolly. The palms of the hands and soles of the feet in Old World monkeys are naked. One distinguishing characteristic of Old World monkeys is that most species have tails. This distinguishes them from the apes, who do not have tails. Unlike New World monkeys, the tails of Old World monkeys are not prehensile. There are a number of other characteristics that distinguish Old World monkeys from New World monkeys. Old World monkeys are comparatively larger than the New World monkeys. They have nostrils that are positioned close together and have a downward facing nose. Old World monkeys have two premolars that have sharp cusps. They also have opposable thumbs (similar to the apes) and they have nails on all fingers and toes. New World monkeys have a falt nose (platyrrhine) and nostrils that are positioned far apart and open either side of the nose. They also have three premolars. New World monkeys have thumbs that are in line with their fingers and grip with a scissor-like motion. They do not have fingernails except for some species that have a nail on their largest toe. Reproduction: Old World monkeys have a gestation period of between five and seven months. Young are well developed when they are born and females usually give birth to a single offspring. Old World monkeys reach sexual maturity at about five years of age. The sexes often look quite different (sexual dimorphism). Diet: Most species of Old World monkeys are omnivores although plants form the larger portion of their diet. Some groups are almost entirely vegetarian, living on leaves, fruit and flowers. Old World monkeys also eat insects, terrestrial snails and small vertebrates. Classification: Old World monkeys are a group of primates. There are two subgroups of Old World monkeys, the Cercopithecinae and the Colobinae. The Cercopithecinae include primarily African species, such as mandrills, baboons, white-eyelid mangabeys, crested mangabeys, macaques, guenons, and talapoins. The Colobinae include mostly Asian species (although the group does include a few African species as well) such as black and white colobuses, red colobuses, langurs, lutungs, surilis doucs, and snub-nosed monkeys. Members of the Cercopithecinae have cheek pouches (also known as buccal sacs) that are used to store food. Since their diet is quite varied, Cercopithecinae have non-specialized molars and large incisors. They have simple stomachs. Many species of Cercopithecinae are terrestrial, although a few are arboreal. The facial muscles in Cercopithecinae are well developed and facial expressions are used to communicate social behavior. Members of the Colobinae are folivorous and lack cheek pouches. They have complex stomachs.