The Neanderthal Man In Retrospect

We have always been fascinated by Darwin and his theories of evolution. With so many â€Å"schools of thought† of how the earth came into existence, it seemed impossible to narrow down our choices, analyze each theory, and prove everything that it postulates. It was a clear indication that the search for our ancestors, and the â€Å"missing link† will continue until an answer is sought. But, will we ever find out? For now, that remains to be seen. The Neanderthal man is believed to be one of the â€Å"missing links† in our ancestry. Like the Cro-Magnon man, Peking man, and Java man, this â€Å"species† became extinct 32,000 years ago. The purpose of this paper is to familiarize the reader with the Neanderthal man and the possible theories that might have led to his extinction. The remains of the Neanderthal man, also known as Homo (sapiens) neanderthalensis, was discovered in 1856 by workers quarrying for limestone in Neander Valley, Dusseldorf, Germany. These fossils were also found in other parts of Europe and Asia. They were considered a subspecies of humans because upon examination, they had features that are almost similar with humans, except for heavy brow ridges, a long low skull, and a robust skeleton (Foley, 2002). Neanderthals were shorter than the modern man, and as previously stated, had prominent brow ridges. Aside from that, they had low, sloping foreheads, a chinless and heavy, forward-jutting jaw, extremely large front teeth, wider shoulders and pelvis, more conical rib cage, and shorter forearms and lower legs (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2005). Some scientists, majority of which are paleoanthropoloists, claim that these were not a subspecies of humans because of their more â€Å"primitive† appearance. According to Stringer and Gamble (1993), the Neanderthals are a late form of Homo erectus or a descendant of that species. It was believed that the Neanderthals have been living in Europe 200,000 years before the Homo sapiens arrived (BBC News, 2007).In van der Dennen’s Book Review Essay on Neanderthal Man (2005), he stated that: This was the first evidence of a distinct (and now extinct) species or subspecies of human, Homo (sapiens) neanderthalensis, that lived during the later part of the Pleistocene epoch, more familiarly known as the Ice Age, some 200,000 to 30,000 years ago. During 1917, Emil Bachler, in one of his excavations in the mountains of Switzerland, found no fossils of the Neanderthals (Van der Dennen, 2005). However, Mousterian tools and the remains of many cave bears were in abundance. Mousterian tools were most closely associated with Neanderthals. Bachler also felt that the bones and the tools were part of a ritual, and believed that the Neanderthals practice some sort of   â€Å"bear cult† (Van der Dennen, 2005). This led to the notion that the Neanderthals, like humans, had some form of communication and â€Å"culture†. When the fossil of this subspecies was studied by world-renowned pathologist and anatomist, Rudolf Virchow, he found out that the remains had evidence of rickets and osteoporosis, and he attributed this to the ape-like appearance of Neanderthals. Rickets and Osteoporosis is a manifestation of Vitamin D deficiency. Francis Ivanhoe (1970) in his paper supported Virchow’s   statement and postulated that the disease causes skeletal deformities and enlargement of the liver and spleen (Thompson, 2002). This maybe true because in the Pleistocene epoch, more commonly referred to as the â€Å"IceAge†, sunlight was a rarity. Vitamin D, in itself is stored in an inactive form and in order for it to be utilized by the body, it needs to be converted to its active form by UV rays (good source, sunlight). Therefore, it is not surprising that a number of fossils recovered during this era had evidence of bone deformities. However, Trinkaus and Shipman (1992), claimed that Neanderthal features are not caused by these bone diseases and argued that the bones of the 1st Neanderthal, were about 50% thicker than the average modern man. Klein (1989), supported this idea by comparing the long bones of Neanderthals and those of rickets’ victims. He claimed that both of their long bones are more curved than normal but rickets causes a sideways curvature of the femur, while Neanderthal femurs curve backwards. If Neanderthals are more human than ape, then it should follow that these subspecies should have survived today. Surprisingly, this is not the case. One of the earliest theories of the extinction believe that the â€Å"Ice Age† era, with its harsh climate, could have killed the Neanderthals. It points out that during this period, it was not only the climate that affected them, but the scarcity of resources were a factor as well. However, Professor Katerina Harvati, a palaeoanthroplogist from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Germany, said: â€Å"The more controversial date of circa 24,000 years ago, places the last Neanderthals just before a major climate shift that would have been characterised by a large expansion of ice sheets and the onset of cold conditions in northern Europe† (Morrelle, 2007). Another theory is is the â€Å"candelabra model† or â€Å"multiregional evolution† theory. According to Trinkaus and Shipman (1992): â€Å"Though the evidence in different regions of the Old World records genuinely different events, nowhere is there evidence for violent confrontations between Neandertals and modern humans (myths notwithstanding). The mosaic of local evolution, migration, admixture, absorption, or local extinction of Neandertals was a complex process that occurred over the last 10,000 years† (p.416). But, Tattersall (2005), in his book, had another theory. He is convinced that the extinction of Homo neanderthalensis was brought about by the arrival of the more intelligent and   more adaptable Homo sapiens, and that the latter killed the race of the former. On his book he wrote: â€Å"It is vanishingly unlikely, however, that peaceful assimilation was an overall option, with groups of the two kinds of humans [the resident Homo neanderthalensis and the invading Homo sapiens or Cro-Magnons] exchanging members when they met and going their separate ways, or joining forces. More likely, perhaps, if intermixing is to be considered at all, is a scenario of well-equipped and cunning Homo sapiens descending on Neanderthal groups, killing the males – through strategy and guile, certainly not through strength – and abducting the females†(p. 202). However, there was no evidence of large scale killings (Richards, 1987), and the theory of â€Å"Biological displacement† was proposed. It states that the Neanderthals and modern man (Cro-Magnons), coexisted and lived side by side. But, due to the fact that humans are much more intelligent than these subspecies, they might have indirectly led to the extinction of Neanderthals by driving them away from their territories. These led to occasional violence between the groups, but, as expected the humans won, driving them to places with insufficient resources for sustenance. Ironicallly, the very species that are studying these Neanderthals are the cause of their extinction. Works Cited â€Å"Neanderthal Man.† Columbia Encyclopedia 6th edition. 2005. Foley, Jim. â€Å"Creationist Arguments: Neandertals† 31 October 2002. Talkorigins. 14 September 2007 http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/a_neands.html Ivanhoe, Francis. â€Å"Was Virchow Right About Neanderthal?† 1970. Nature, 227:577-579 Klein, Richard. The Human Career: Human Biological and Cultural Origins. 1989. Morrelle, Rebecca. â€Å"Neanderthal Climate Link Debated†. 13 September 2007 BBC News. 15 September 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6992721.stm Richards, G. Human Evolution: An Introduction for the Behavioural Sciences. 1987. Stringer, Andrew and Clive Gamble. In Search of Neanderthals. 1993. Tattersall, Ian. The Last Neanderthal: The Rise, Success, and Mysterious Extinction of Our Closest Human Relatives. 2005. Thompson, Bert. â€Å"Neanderthal Man – Another Look.† May 2002. Apologetics Press. 15 September 2007 http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/491 Trinkaus, E., and P. Shipman. The Neanderthals: Changing the Images of   Mankind. 1992. Van der Dennen, Johan. â€Å"The Continuing Essay of Neanderthal Man: Book Essay.† 2005. Rechten University of Goningen. 15 September 2007 http://rechten.eldoc.ub.rug.nl/FILES/departments/Algemeen/overigepublicaties/2005enouder/NEANDER/NEANDER.pdf â€Å"The Day We Learned To Think – Programme Summary.† 20 February 2007. BBC News. 14 September 2007 http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2003/learnthink.shtml   

Kashmir essays

Kashmir essays The Muslim and Hindu peoples of Kashmir have lived in relative harmony and friendliness since the 13th century when Islam first became the majority religion in Kashmir. The Sufi-Islamic way of life that ordinary Muslims followed in Kashmir complemented the rishi tradition of Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus), leading to a syncretic culture where Hindus and Muslims revered the same local saints and prayed at the same shrines. Periodically however, there have been rulers and leaders who have had a narrow view of Islam, and have subjected Hindu minorities to great cruelties and discrimination. The current armed secessionist movement in Kashmir mostly derives its inspiration from these people. A canard is now being spread past few years by the secessionist-terrorists and their sympathizers that in 1990 Kashmiri Pandits left Kashmir willingly, having been "tricked" by then Jammu and Kashmir.. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The fact is that Kashmiri Pandits were driven from their homeland after a campaign of intimidation and harassment was launched against them by the military-wing of the secessionists. Kashmiri Pandits were forced from their hearths and homes at the point of gun. The objective of this ethnic cleansing was to create a minority free Kashmir valley where the goal of Islamization could be easily forced on the ordinary people. The books and articles below will provide you with an in-depth understanding of the genesis of the current political situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The religious philosophy of Kashmiri Hindus is rooted in Kashmiri Shaivism, a school of Shiva philosophy that originated near Kailasha in Himalayas around 400 AD. The first teacher of this school was Tryambakaditya, a disciple of sage Durvasas. Sangamaditya, the sixteenth descendent in the line of Tryambakaditya, later settled in Kashmir valley around 800 AD. His fourth descendent, Somananda, extracted the principles of monistic Shiva philosoph ...

Definition and Examples of Delivery in Rhetoric

Definition and Examples of Delivery in Rhetoric One of the five traditional parts or canons of rhetoric , concerned with the control of voice and gestures when giving a speech. Known as hypocrisis in Greek and actio in Latin. Etymology:  From the Latin  de  away   liber  free (to give away) Pronunciation:  di-LIV-i-ree Also Known  As:  actio,  hypocrisis Examples and Observations of Delivery It should not be surprising that it was professional actors who gave a special impetus to a study of delivery, for all the spell-binding orators in history (men like Demosthenes, Churchill, William Jennings Bryan, Bishop Sheen, Billy Graham) have been, in a sense, great actors.  (Edward P.J. Corbett and Robert J. Connors, Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student, 4th ed. Oxford University Press, 1999)[Aristotle] compares rhetorical delivery to theatrical performance and emphasizes the effect of delivery on different audiences; the effectiveness and appropriateness of delivery make a speech successful or not.  (Kathleen E. Welch, Delivery. Enclopedia, 2001) of RhetoricAll these parts of oratory succeed according as they are delivered. Delivery . . . has the sole and supreme power in oratory; without it, a speaker of the highest mental capacity can be held in no esteem; while one of moderate abilities, with this qualification, may surpass even those of the highest talent.  (Cice ro, De Oratore) Before you can persuade a man into any opinion, he must first be convinced that you believe it yourself. This he can never be, unless the tones of voice in which you speak come from the heart, accompanied by corresponding looks, and gestures, which naturally result from a man who speaks in earnest. (Thomas Sheridan, British Education, 1756)The behavioral biologists and psychologists call [delivery] nonverbal communication and have added immeasurably to our knowledge of this kind of human expressivity. (Richard Lanham, A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms, 2nd ed., 1991) Senator John McCain's Delivery [John] McCain moves awkwardly through complex phrases, sometimes surprising himself with the end of a sentence. He regularly leaves his audience without any cues to applaud. Despite years in public life, he makes bumpy transitions from personal anecdotes to broad policy pronouncements... McCain needs all the help he can get, said Martin Medhurst, a communications professor at Baylor University and the editor of Rhetoric and Public Affairs, a quarterly journal... Such a weak delivery affects viewers’and voters’perceptions of the speaker’s sincerity, knowledge, and credibility, Medhurst said. Some politicians just don’t understand that they must devote a certain amount of time to their communications, or it’s going to hurt them. (Holly Yeager, McCain Speeches Dont Deliver. The Washington Independent, Apr. 3, 2008) Regendering Delivery [A]lthough the physical and vocal concerns of delivery initially appear relevant to all public speakers, closer scrutiny of the canon soon reveals masculinist biases and assumptions. Delivery has not pertained equally to both men and women because, for millennia, women were culturally prohibited from standing and speaking in public, their voices and forms acceptable only in the spectator role (if at all). Thus, women were systematically discouraged from the very actions that constitute delivery, a matter unrecognized in the traditional fifth canon. . . . Indeed, I would argue that when researchers attention is focused too narrowly on the voice, gesture, and expression of the good woman speaking well, much that is germane to her delivery is overlooked. Clearly, the traditional fifth canon is in need of renovation. (Lindal Buchanan, Regendering Delivery: The Fifth Canon and Antebellum Women Rhetors. Southern Illinois University Press, 2005)

Balken Reigon essays

Balken Reigon essays The Balkan Region has always been considered the Powder Keg of Europe. Usually when a war starts in Europe, the starting incident is always somewhere in the Balkans. One of the reasons for this is that through out the region, many different social and religious groups are all living in the same country and all trying to rule. In the past the ruling power has always been the Serbs. Recently the other majorities in the region have decided that they wanted to become an independent country, which of course displeased the Serbs. These problems have been around for a while and still prevail today. The wars in the 1990s have happened for many reasons boiling together until the pot overflows. One of the reasons that many people point to is the leader of Serbia, who is Slobodan Milosevic. Milosevic is for a Greater Serbia, which basically means one whole Serbia and little regard for the other nationalities in the Balkans. Milosevic has used anything possible to accomplish this goal of his, including war on the other nationalities, armed or not. Another reason for the wars in the nineties is the act of the HDZ to suggest a Greater Croatia, and reject the Serbian dominance. The war in the spring 1991 in Slovenia started when a meeting was held without Serbian representation. While this was going on, the Serbs started to barricade Sarajevo. This led to a minor disturbance that lasted ten days and was settled for the time. The most recent two conflicts were very similar. Both of these conflicts involved ethnic cleansing by Milosevic and the Serbs. One was started in Croatia in the spring of 1991 and settled in 1993. The last of the three wars was in Bosnia and Herzegovina and was fought until the UN stepped in and settled it. Ethnic Cleansing is a harsh policy implied by the Serbs. It involved the killing of many people in the towns and villages who were n ...

Classic Quotes From Comedian Mitch Hedberg

Classic Quotes From Comedian Mitch Hedberg American stand-up comedian Mitch Hedberg was known for his quirky observations and dry delivery of fast one-liners that kept his audiences hustling to keep up with him. His friends claim he was the funniest person in the world. Whether or not you agree, youre bound to enjoy reading some of his classic remarks.   Mitch Hedbergs Thoughts on a Mechanized World I know a lot about cars. I can look at a cars headlights and tell you exactly which way its coming. I like an escalator, man, cause an escalator can never break. It can only become stairs. There would never be an Escalator temporarily out of order sign, only Escalator temporarily stairs. Sorry for the convenience. Funny Things About Food I bought a donut, and they gave me a receipt. When will I ever need to prove I bought a donut? Some skeptical friend: Hey man! Dont you even act like I didnt buy this donut! I have the receipt ... damn ... I forgot it at home ...in the filing cabinet under D...for donut. That would be cool if you could eat a good food with a bad food and the good food would cover for the bad food when it got to your stomach. Like you could eat a carrot with an onion ring and they would travel down to your stomach, then they would get there, and the carrot would say, Its cool, hes with me. My friend said to me, You know what I like? Mashed potatoes. I was like, Dude, you have to give me time to guess. If youre going to quiz me you have to insert a pause. On Relationships I dont have a girlfriend. But I do know a woman whod be mad at me for saying that. I dont have any children, but if I had a baby, I would have to name it, so I would get a baby-naming book. Or I would invite somebody over who had a cast on. To Sleep Perchance to Dream You know, Im sick of following my dreams, man. Im just going to ask where theyre going and hook up with em later. I hate dreaming because when you want to sleep, you want to sleep. Dreaming is work. Next thing you know, I have to build a go-cart with my ex-landlord. Department of Health People who smoke cigarettes, they say You dont know how hard it is to quit smoking.  Yes,  I do. Its as hard as it is to start flossing. Someone handed me a picture and said, This is a picture of me when I was younger. Every picture of you is when you were younger. Heres a picture of me when Im older. Whered you get that camera man? I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too. My fake plants  died  because I did not pretend to water them. Mitch Hedbergs Random Musings on Golf and Other Subjects Im not good at golf, I never got good. I never got a hole in one, but I did hit a guy. And thats way more satisfying. Youre supposed to yell Fore, but I was too busy mumbling There aint no way thats gonna hit him. I went to the park and saw this kid flying a kite. The kid was really excited. I dont know why. Thats what theyre supposed to do. Now if he had had a chair on the other end of that string, I would have been impressed. You know, theres a fishing show on TV. They catch the fish, but they let it go. They dont want to eat the fish, but they do want to make it late for something. I use the word totally too much. I need to change it up and use a word that is different but has the same meaning. Mitch, do you like submarine  sandwiches? All-encompassingly.

Green IT support in resolving environmental issues Research Paper

Green IT support in resolving environmental issues - Research Paper Example The adoption of Green approach to IT encompasses a broad range of activities that all possess the same objective: efficiency. Going Green has in recent years gained significance in recent years for diverse reasons, including revival in attention to environmental concerns and the confirmed cost savings that accompany green initiatives. This paper highlights the significance of Green IT in addressing the close connection between the environmental, economic, and social concerns, especially in reconciling the planet’s environmental needs with development needs. The paper concludes that, despite the rebound effects cited to downplay the effects of Green IT, Green IT is indeed a perfect means of resolving environmental issues that organizations face today. Green IT support in resolving environmental issues Introduction Environmental and energy conservation issues have recently gained topicality within the global business arena. This has largely been fuelled by the reality of increas ing energy costs combined with growing concerns over global warming climate crisis, plus other environmental issues. Green IT may refer to three critical areas of research; IT efficiency in terms of energy, management of the lifecycle of IT that is eco-compatible, and IT as a phenomenon that enables green governance (Barney 1996, p.50). The design, manufacture, deployment, function, utilization, and disposal of information technology bear significant ramifications for the environment. Up to 70% of CO2 emissions form IT comes from data centers (Hart 1997, p.67). This can be minimized by virtualization altering from â€Å"always on† to â€Å"always available,† and minimal consumption equipment. Green Approach and Computing Green IT activities are directed at â€Å"greenization,† or reduction of emissions through the use of IT technologies. IT managers can play a significant role in aiding their companies’ implement a green approach towards the agency's comp uting since they bear a rewarding impact on both environmental and fiscal concerns. There are two critical roles played by the IT solutions, which include saving energy form IT devices themselves (of IT) and saving energy by IT (by IT). Green IT is characterized into two categories, namely: enhancing energy efficiency of IT equipment (PC, Server, Storage), datacenter, parts (semiconductor) and electronics (TV, DVD, Refrigerator); and enhancing energy efficiency of the society by employment of IT solutions in industries (enhancing the efficiency of a production process, in business (such as use of web meeting), in households (online shopping), and transportation (eco-drive) (Sharma 2000, p.682). The implementation of Green IT has been critical in mitigating the rising energy costs and environmental damage. Green IT solutions address a wide range of environmental issues targeted at gaining sustainability. Addressing Environmental Concerns by Use of Green IT In the contemporary society , the challenges to the environment are concise. They include the urge for clean water and air; reasonable and consistent delivery of energy; reduced fossil fuels supply; climate change and its inferences for future generations. As a result, energy and climate related issues have become top issues for some corporation’s strategic agenda (Molla 2009, p.2). Green IT solutions can aid clients to reduce costs and systematically minimize energy, water, e-waste, and carbon

The Asian Tiger Mosquito Dengue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Asian Tiger Mosquito Dengue - Essay Example Mosquitoes in general are widely known insects which are parasitic and transmit diseases among the human beings. Against this background, this essay seeks to critically review the diseases caused by mosquitoes particularly the denegue fever. The Asian Tiger Mosquitoes are distinctly shiny and they have black scales which have a silver white band down the middle of their back. This is regarded as a medium sized mosquito with about 2 to 3 millimeters in length. It appears as if it is wearing stripped black and white socks on its legs. According to Novak (1992), this type of mosquito is very aggressive during the daytime particularly early in the morning as well late afternoon. Between 10 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon, this mosquito is believed to be on its peak period of biting. As implied by the name, this type of mosquito originates from the continent of Asiain various areas such as New Guinea, India, Pakistan, Madagascar, China, Korea and Japan. Other recent studies have also indicated that this kind of mosquito specie is also found in the islands of Hawaii and South Pacific. There have also been studies which indicate that this specie also exists in the states of Delaware, Texas, New Jersey and Maryland. Habitat: The Asian Tiger Mosquitoes are commonly known to favour breeding in natural as well as artificial containers with stagnant water such as tree holes, tires, empty tins, flower pots, bottles and a lot of other disused household cans lying idle and trapping water. Life cycle: According to information obtained from IntroduceSpeciesWHSAPBio (N.D), the egg is the starting point in the life cycle of the Asian Tiger Mosquitoes. It can hatch between a period which is as early as four days to one year depending on the immersion of the eggs. Following the hatching of the eggs, most of the larvae live underwater and they feed on anything that is smaller than 10 microns that is found in the water. It takes 3 days to several