Essays on Fossils

The purpose of this paper is to review the article, “Was Darwin Wrong?”, by David Quammen (2004) and to offer some discussion at the end of the paper. The main thrust of the Quammen’s article is to provide a description of the current and past evidence that supports Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection. With a few exceptions, the title of the article is answered with a firm “no, Darwin was right.” Quammen first began with a discussion of the concept of theory and explained that a theory is an explanation for a set of circumstances ...

Like many other United States National Parks, Badlands is unique unto itself with physical attributes that when they are seen one knows it is Badlands National Park. Located in an area rich with history, the Badlands was created and founded as a national monument in 1939 by President Roosevelt before officially becoming a national park in 1978 (Steiner, 1993). The landscape of buttes, ravines, and hills found in the midst of the prairie of Southwestern South Dakota influenced the Lakota Sioux to call the area, ‘mako sica’ or ‘badlands’ (“South Dakota Legends,” 2003). The Sioux Pine Ridge reservation lies ...

Introduction

Multiple researches suggest that dinosaurs are among the most successful groups of animals to have ever lived on earth. Their body physique and adaptability enhanced their survival thereby extending their life longevity. In the course of time, these species evolved into diverse shapes and sizes. As a result, the different types of evolved organisms embraced various modes of living. According to Xu (2006), nearly 150 years after the discovery of the first fossils of the dinosaur, this species was believed be a reptile. In fact, when Richard Owen found the first remains of this organism, the paleontologists used the ...

[Class Title] The human species is believed to have come from hominids, a member of the primate family where the human species is believed to have originated from after a lengthy process of evolution. The Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins present this unique history of human evolution through fossils. The exhibition covers millions of years of human evolution presented through innovative displays. One of its notable exhibits is the famous ‘Lucy’ skeleton, which was unearthed in Ethiopia by a joint American and French paleoanthropologist team sometime in 1974. The museum also showed partial skulls of the ‘ ...

The gradual change in human structure, genetic composition, and anatomy over a period of time is called human evolution. The process of evolution dates back to six million years ago when the ancestors of modern human beings underwent simultaneous and gradual body changes. These changes were passed from one generation to another coupled with modifications. Modifications in genetic structure come by as a result of adaptations. Organisms usually undergo adaptations to help them reproduce or survive certain conditions in their habitat. Individuals inherit the most desirable characteristics from their ancestors that enable them survive and reproduce successfully. Those who ...

Anthropology is the study of humankind throughout history. There are currently four subfields of anthropology (1) cultural anthropology which is the study of human behavior and cultural patterns within a society (2) physical anthropology is the study of humans as biological specimen (3) linguistics refers to the study of human language and how it has evolved throughout history. This includes the grammar and syntax used, and the relationship between culture and language (4) archaeology is the study of materials such animal and human remains, artifacts, and plants. This paper will be looking at Archaeology. Archaeology looks at materials found ...

Abrigo do Lagar Velho is a rock-shelter in the Portuguese valley that is famous for the stratigraphic range of the Upper Paleolithic human occupations within that area.

Absolute dating technique (chronometric dating) refers to the process of revealing the age on a certain time scale.

Acclimatization is the response of an organism to a gradual change in environmental conditions by adjusting and sustaining within these changes. Acheulian (Acheulean) is a tool made of stone that had round cutting edges and was used during the Lower Palaeolithic era.

Adolescent growth spurt refers to the sharp growth in height and weight rates t during adolescence.

Aegyptopithecus refers to the extinct primate of the Oligocene Period, resembling a modern-day lemur, whose fossils were found in Egypt. Afar Triangle is the region that is part of the ...

Describe which general fossil primate groups appear and radiate during the following geological epochs: Eocene, Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene. For each of the geological epochs, identify the general primate group that first appears and radiates during that epoch. In addition, give the time range in millions of years for each epoch and provide at least one example of a specific primate genus and/ or species that is representative of each general primate group. 2. List and briefly describe at least five elements of the post-cranial anatomy found in humans, but not in apes, that facilitate efficient bipedal locomotion. Provide specific ...

Question 1

The ever growing rise in global temperatures is a threatening characteristic to the entire universe. The information about past global climatic condition can be used to establish information about the effect of climate change, carbon dioxide variation and effect of the earth biosphere on world's climate. Several discoveries in the Arctic and Antarctic region have shed light on the drastic climatic change that has occurred in these areas. The Antarctic region has experienced severe climatic change over time. Recent discoveries in drill cores obtained from Antarctica's sea floor have indicated a warming phase in the climate around 52 million ...

Improved scientific understanding in recent years has shown that humans are the major causes of climate change on the planet. A report released by IPCC (the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) in 2014 reports that it is “extremely likely” that the dominant cause of global warming in the 20th Century is the influence of humans. Human activities over the last two hundred years, since the beginning of industrialization, have caused a building up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and as a result, the Greenhouse Effect (a natural phenomenon which regulates the temperature of the earth) has increased ...

What was Homo erectus like? What were they like physically, and what do we know of their behaviors, tools, etc.?

Answer. Homo erectus was around 1.5 million-year-old ancestor of humans and was named so because they were considered to remain upright without any bending. The height of Homo erectus ranged from 3 feet to 6 feet in height and they had relatively longer legs and shorter hands he . The species was known for exceptionally big brain sizes and was supposed to originate from Africa. They were primarily hunters who were always in search of food to quench their large appetites. Homo erectus was proficient in the use of almost all of the stone tools and is known to use ...

Fossil fuels refer to those sources of energies which are underneath the earth surface as a result of the decomposition of the dead plant and animal remains. They include coal, oil, natural gas and others. The excessive use of these fuels led to diverse impacts on the natural environment, which can be seen through increasing rate of global warming. For that reason, the paper, therefore, aims at coming up with different alternatives which will help in stopping the use of fossil fuels in Japan. The plan has been developed to assist the islands which are commonly affected by the ...

Introduction

Geology is part science which deals with the study of the structure of the earth. Plate tectonic, climate and evolutionary history of humans’ shows the history of the universe and this is attributed to the large amount of geological information on the various processes. Geology also plays a significant role in explaining mineral and hydrocarbon exploitation and exploration, geotechnical engineering and also the natural hazards. Things like rocks and minerals, fossils and lithology encompass geology, and they are present in different parts of the world including Rolla city. Rolla city is known for its many rocks, minerals, and fossils. ...

Internal proposal for solar and nuclear energy

The purpose of this internal proposal is to propose the use of solar and nuclear energy as the main sources of energy to generate electricity to solve the current energy problems that face individual households, industries, and organizations across the globe.

Summary

The current energy crisis existing across the world is pushing countries to come up with effective sources of energy that are cost effective and friendly to the environment. Energy shortage and blackouts cause a lot of financial problems to people and industries. These energy shortages are as a result of economic, environmental and social problems. The decrease in ...

A part of the Nova series of documentaries, Dawn of Humanity tells us an engaging story of two of the most important discoveries in recent history. Northwest of Johannesburg, in a complex of limestone caves famously known as the Cradle of Humankind, paleoanthropologists have recently found fossilized remains that could potentially reshape our understanding of human evolution and help us fill the gaps in the fossil records that support it (Dawn of Humanity). The central character of the documentary is American paleoanthropologist Lee Rogers Berger, who we know from his Radiolab interview concerning the Taung Child, a fossil that ...

Introduction

A fossil is any substance that evidences a once-living organism (University of Arizona, 2016). As such, fossils evidence the ancient life forms which inhabited the earth long time ago and were preserved by a natural process. Most of the fossils are found in sedimentary rocks formed from the sediments of rivers, seas, and lakes. Some of these fossils are actual remains of living things such as bones, or events that happened in the past, for instance, the dinosaur footprints. However, it is ordinarily the hard parts of organisms that get preserved under the right conditions and the interaction of ...

A Previously unknown species of hominins, Homo Naledi was discovered as recently as 2013, in the Dinaledi Chamber of the Rising Star cave system. Researchers found an extensive collection of fossils, belonging to 15 individuals of the same species. When examined, researchers found that the individuals belonged to a previously unknown species, because their morphology was different than that of other known species of primates. In their description, Berger et al. found that the hominin has unique cranial morphology, although closely related to other species of hominins, human-like adaptations of the hand and wrist, and humanlike foot and limb ...

Re: extended definition of solar power and nuclear power

Purpose This memo is an extended definition of solar power and nuclear power as sources of energy. Introduction Solar power is energy from the sun. This energy is harnessed by collecting sunlight and converting it to electricity (Winter et al. 4). The cells found in the solar panels make this conversion possible. The conversion of sunlight to electricity can either be done indirectly by the use of a concentrated solar panel or directly by use of the photovoltaic cell. Nuclear power, on the other hand, utilizes nuclear reactions to produce nuclear energy (Murray 495). This energy is found in ...

Introduction

According to the scientists, the earth is estimated to be about 4.55 billion years in age. This estimation is based on different assumptions and evidence carried out from specific parts of the earth. The scientists used three methods to come up with the actual age of the Earth. This paper will highlight how scientists established the actual age of the earth and all the assumptions that were made.

Methods Used to Estimate the Actual Age of the Earth

Radiometric Dating Method The scientists also used the knowledge of half-life and the decaying element concentration to estimate the age of the sampled rocks, which translate to the age of the ...

Ordovician-Silurian mass extinction is one of the greatest mass extinction in the history. According to statistics, over one hundred families became extinct. This was associated with the movement and fragmentation of the supercontinent. Secondly was as a result of ocean cooling beyond levels the organisms could survive. While the organisms had initially adapted to the warm tropical conditions, the sudden transition to the cold climate was unbearable for most organisms (“Ordovician”,n.d.).. The late Devonian mass extinction is thought to have been warm and dry period. It was characterized by Devonian fish that was the main components of ...