Introduction
The most interesting topic in the book ‘The Essence of Anthropology’ by Haviland, Prins, Walrath, and McBride can be found in Chapter 2 named ‘Biology and Evolution’. The chapter is based on Charles Darwin’s theory of random variations and how scientists in the contemporary scenario have build up on that to divulge how diversity comes up from alterations in the DNA and how it leads to the complexity in creature or perhaps even cultures. It is extremely important in the context anthropology and science because it enumerates the fundamentals of evolution theories and scientific evaluation of evolution, the single most important aspect of life on earth. The chapter clarifies the process of evolution with the statement, “Evolution, the major organizing principle of the biological sciences, also accounts for the diversity of life on earth. Theories of evolution provide mechanisms for change and explanations for how the variety of organisms, both in past and today, came into being” (Haviland, Prins, Walrath and McBride, 29). Thus, it is clear that this is the most interesting chapter of the book and the most essential element in the study of anthropology.
Background
Darwin suggested that all living organisms had descended from a single or perhaps a few unique types. He proposed that, organisms gradually start altering and diversifying and this was a very natural course. The species, which possessed trait variants, which were conducive in the surroundings it lived in, would produce, continue to exist in a more flourishing manner as compared to the species with inappropriate variants. Thus, these beneficial traits would accrue eventually by an anticipated practice of “natural selection.” The article points out that his theory met with huge appreciation but at the same time was subject to some criticism too.
Analysis
Particularly interesting in the chapter is the explanation of how the discovery of DNA helped reveal the theory of variation. Darwin endorsed the concept of blending inheritance that put forward the scheme in which the progeny exhibit intermediary attributes of their parents. However, Darwin acknowledged that the assumption had a drawback for the reason that if traits actually blended, then all uncommon new variant would be gradually diluted generation by generation. James D. Watson and Francis Crick came up with a structure for the DNA molecule, which had dramatic repercussions on the understanding of heredity and variation. They proposed that DNA, a two-stranded helix, had a backbone comprised of recurring chains of sugar and phosphate. The two strands of the polymer were joined by the balanced combination of four probable chemical bases: adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine (A, C, G, T), which form the base of the genetic language. This DNA arrangement advocated a likely physical foundation for spontaneous variation. Spontaneous alterations within genomes amount to immense diversity within a single class of organisms.
Darwin in his theory of natural selection did not explain how and why variants occurred. The paper states that contemporary scientists have been successful in explaining why variations occur through spontaneous alterations in DNA. However, the solution to “how” those transformations explain trait differentiations is more intricate and is still a dynamic field of exploration with significances that go beyond evolution investigations. One generalization evolutionary scientists make about the temperament of variation is that one generally cannot easily identify the genetic roots of a trait variant. The author goes on to cite examples of different experiments to demonstrate the Molecular understanding of trait differences. These substantiate the fact that random variations can led to notable distinctions within organisms, and if the alterations prove to be beneficial, it would be preserved by the process of natural selection.
The chapter then explains some of the differences within the human race like light-colored variants and nutrition related adaptations by means of changes in the DNA. It should be noted that critics of the Darwinian theories 150 years ago argued that valuable new traits could never originate from straightforward random variation. However, modern science can demonstrate that an assortment of spontaneous DNA sequence modification takes place each time a composite genome is transferred from parents to the offspring.
Evaluation
The commencement of the chapter however deals with creation theories of Genesis and other myths. However, the chapter quickly inclines towards modern science of DNA and states that it is of modest concern whether or not science can provide evidence that the eventual destiny of the cosmos does not have a rationale as every being lives their life in any case at a humane plane, in accordance with aims and insights coming to him naturally. Thus, science should not be an object of fear. As a matter of fact, the search of exquisiteness or romanticism in their vicinity need not end in the supernatural or even be essentially restricted to the unexplained. Science itself, the process of untying the mystic, is striking and poetic. It also professes numerous ways in which the beauty and marvel of the cosmos amplifies when observed scientifically. It introduces the concept of duty to incorporate the scientific view. Stating that the notion of time and space are hugely diversified, the probability of the reader to be living at this point of time, in contrast to a different time frame or location, was miniscule. Even more significantly, the probability that the reader came to life in the first place was all the more slimmer as the accurate structure of atoms had to line up in the cosmos. The chapter urges the reader to realize the significance of the circumstances and acknowledge the nobility that lies in going into the depths of reality of the universe in the short span of few decades to which his life is allocated. Instead of merely sensing the connection with nature, each individual has the responsibility to study the surroundings in a scientific manner.
Conclusion
The chapter is well organized as provides the reader with the comprehensive understanding of the relevant topic. It carefully attempts to define the terms the reader might not be familiar with to ease the process of understanding. It first introduces Darwin’s point of view and explains the criticisms he faced at the time of the publication of his theory. It then goes on to explain the relevancy of the theories in today’s world and its implications after the advances in evolutionary science achieved 150 years later. Overall, the article makes an excellent read for people interested in the subject and substantiates its opinion by citing various examples of different experiments carried out in the relevant fields. Thus, it is obvious that the chapter 2 of the book ‘Essence of Anthropology’ provides the most interesting aspects of science and anthropology and it is logical to develop a complete liking for it.
References
Haviland, William A., Harald Prins, Dana Walrath and Bunny McBride. The Essence of Anthropology. Ed. 2. NY: Cengage Learning, 2009.