16 JUL 2013 by ideonexus
DNA Divergence is in How You Count
It’s a common misconception that chimp DNA
differs from Homo sapiens sapiens genes by only a
single percent, but this number is apocryphal. In actuality,
the degree of similarity of human and chimp
genetic code depends mostly on how you count.
Since all complex organisms from Earth possess
great swaths of junk DNA inherited from a distant
common ancestor, there tends to be startling similarity
between many organisms. Sure, humans are like
chimps—but they’re also like flatworms and fruit...Folksonomies: dna genetic drift
Folksonomies: dna genetic drift
There's much more to the differences between Chimps and Humans than counting genes.
28 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Infer From the Present to the Past
As historians, we refuse to allow ourselves these vain speculations which turn on possibilities that, in order to be reduced to actuality, suppose an overturning of the Universe, in which our globe, like a speck of abandoned matter, escapes our vision and is no longer an object worthy of our regard. In order to fix our vision, it is necessary to take it such as it is, to observe well all parts of it, and by indications infer from the present to the past. Folksonomies: inference
Folksonomies: inference
How historians should work, rather than "overturning of the Universe" in silly speculation.
11 APR 2011 by ideonexus
The Fascinating Ability of Humans to Walk Upright
We stand upright-after a little practice-on a ship that rolls because we possess an array of sensory nerve cells buried in our muscles, skin, and joints. The function of these sensors is to provide a constant flow of information to the brain about the movements and location in space of the various parts of our bodies, as well as the environmental forces currently acting on them. We also have a pair of balance organs associated with our ears which work like spirit-levels, each having a bubble ...A wonderful description of everything that goes into the process of walking and standing upright.