sci115 week 1discussion and response

“Evo-devo, Medical Revolutions and Human Survival”

This week is all about introducing you to the science behind nature. For your primary post, select ONE of the following discussion topics. Using your own words, write a primary post that addresses each question.

Your primary post is worth 24.5 out of 35 points. The remaining points are earned by replying to at least one of your classmates. You don’t need to use any sources other than the ones specified, but if you do use other sources, be sure to cite them.

Topic 1 : Evo-devo. Watch the video (1)* featuring Sean Carroll discussing the science of evolution and the field of evolutionary-developmental biology (evo-devo).

• (a) Describe three things that you learned from the video.
• (b) Of the three things you described, which was the most surprising, and why?
• (c) Share what you feel this teaches you about biology (the study of living organisms).

Topic 2 [article]: The cusp of a revolution in medicine. In a recent op-ed, Craig Venter (2)* shares his opinion that we are “on the cusp of a revolution” in medicine.

• (a) Describe three things that you learned from this op-ed.
• (b) Of the three things you describe, which was the most surprising, and why?
• (c) Share what you feel this teaches you about biology (the study of living organisms).

Topic 3 [article]: Earth will survive; we may not. Astrophysicist Adam Frank says that “pretending we can just extend the Holocene in perpetuity” is just a foolish excuse to put off making inevitable choices brought about by climate change.

• (a) What did Frank mean by his statement above?
• (b) Some biologists, particularly conservation biologists reacted negatively to this essay. What is your reaction to this essay?
• (c) Share what you feel this teaches you about biology (the study of living organisms).

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Good evening Professor Sherif and classmates,

Franks statement suggests that humans would rather focus on what has already evolved instead of the evolution taking place. We cannot prolong the Anthropocene epoch, no more than we can salvage the Holocene epoch. The damage of global warming is irreversible. However, our next approach should be how to survive another alteration of Earths biosphere.

My reaction is to question how much time we have. History has shown that earth will survive as it has for billions of years. I am in agreeance that instead of concerning ourselves with saving polar bears and other wildlife, we should concentrate more on surviving our own extinction. This essay changes the narrative from how we can save the planet to how can we save ourselves.

This article teaches me that the discoveries made in biology are the reason we know as much as we do about the world we live in. This entire planet started from living organisms. “Life in the form of blue-green bacteria” provided oxygen millions of years ago. This article has piqued my curiosity as to the revolving door of Earths survival. Advances in biology give humans a fighting chance for existence during the global warming crisis but are not a guarantee.