Image compliments of Siberian Times Latest DNA evidence indicates that North American Natives came from Asia. During the peak of the last Ice age, about 21,000 years ago, the Laurentide Ice sheet was at its maximum extent, covering all of Canada and merging with the Cordilleran Ice sheet. At this time world wide water levels were about 300 feet lower, exposing a land bridge in western Alaska between North America and Asia. The land bridge was also covered in ice at this time but about 15,000 years ago the ice began to recede exposing the ground. It is thought that humans from Asia made their way into North America from Asia along this land bridge. They were following the mammoth herds which they hunted for food. Image compliments of University of Texas
Human female skeleton found in a cave in Mexico was determined to be about 15,000 years old. They were also able to extract DNA evidence from this skeleton and they found similar gene sequence to todays North American Natives. This was described in National Geographic magazine Jan. 2015. This was added to DNA evidence found from the skeleton of a young male known as "clovis boy".This astounding evidence was described in National Geographic magazine Feb. 2014. DNA evidence from both these skeletons corroborate the hypothesis that North American Natives were derived from Asia. Although there are still some major differences between Asians and North American Natives it is thought that as the ice receded about 12,000 years ago, world sea levels rose, submerging the land bridge and cutting off Asia from North America. It is thought that the DNA differences developed during this time where North America was isolated from Asia. Maddalena Environmental Inc. Al Maddalena The human genome project is the search to identify all the genetic code in the human DNA molecule, the code responsible for evolution of humans. Every human born is 99.99% identical to other human beings. DNA is in the nucleus of every cell in our body. It is composed of nucleic acids adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine. DNA is coded according to the sequences of these acids. The Human Genome Project is the quest to read or identify all the genes making up the complete human DNA molecule. Identification of all human genes can lead to identification of genes responsible for all human genetic diseases and ultimately, the cures of human disease. This video (compliments of Bill Stonebarger) describes how the genes for human genetic diseases can be identified and used to find cures of all human genetic diseases.
Along with this incredible discovery also comes huge responsibility of what to do with the information. Geneticists can identify genetic diseases before they develop. Al Maddalena Maddalena Environmental Inc. This was an unbelievable event in Dover, PA. This town was split on whether the local high school would teach Creationism (i.e. Intelligent Design) in addition to Evolution. People wanted Creationism (intelligent design) to be taught as a Scientific Theory in high school. Creationism (Intelligent Design) is the idea that an Intelligent Creator is responsible for all living things on Earth today. This idea suggests that all life was created as it appears today and does not consider that all life could have evolved from a common ancestor through natural evolution processes. Many people in the town demanded to add Creationism (Intelligent Design) to the high school curriculum. This excellent video describes the events that occured in the town and the ramifications that followed. The school board introduced a "Pandas" book that supported Creationism (Intelligent Design) as an alternative scientific theory without consulting the teachers. Science teachers resigned in protest and several people in the town sued the school board for mixing Religion with State.
This legal case attracted world-wide attention and I could not believe this occurred as late as 2004. This is an outstanding video. As usual NOVA does it best. Maddalena Environmental Inc. Al Maddalena All life on Earth evolved from a single, common ancestor. The evidence is available if we choose to look for it. DNA is the protein in all life that gives us unique traits as well as many common ones that we have inherited from our ancestors and humans share many genes on the DNA molecule with all other life on Earth. The closer you are in the family, the more common is your DNA. For example brothers and sisters will have similar DNA. Other humans will have DNA that is less similar. As we compare human DNA to other, more distant animal cousins we get more DNA differences. Here are a few below: Humans share 95-98% of our DNA with chimpanzees because they are a close cousin. Humans also share about 95-98% of the same DNA with pigs. Cats DNA is 90% similar to humans. Dogs DNA is 82% similar to humans. Cows DNA is 80% similar to humans. Fruit flies and chicken DNA is 60% similar to humans. Here are some DNA sequences between some animals and humans. The sequences are colour coded, representing the series of letters, CATG which stands for the 1st letter of the nucleic acids – Cytosine, Adenine, Thymine and Guanine which make up the DNA molecule.
There are obvious differences between all animals on Earth, however, the most interesting and amazing fact to consider, is how much SIMILARITY is present in ALL life on Earth. Why is there so much similarity in our DNA.. the basic building blocks of all life? The answer lies in the fact that all life on Earth is related, because all life evolved from a common ancestor. The common DNA between humans and other life on Earth is probably the most compelling evidence that all life emerged from a common ancestor. Maddalena Environmental Inc. Al Maddalena Occasionally I hear people argue against evolution, saying that "if we evolved from apes then why are apes still around?" These people have the misconception that scientists are referring to "modern-day" apes. This is not the case at all. When scientists say that humans evolved from apes they are referring to "ancestral ape-like animals", not modern-day apes. It is true that humans share approximately 95-98% of DNA with chimpanzees. This does not mean that we "evolved from chimpanzees". The amazingly high % of common DNA between humans and chimpanzees indicates that we are evolutionary cousins, evolving from the same main branch as shown below. s shown above, humans share the same branch (bottom-most vertical line) as the Gibbon, Orangatang, Gorilla, Common Chimpanzee and Pygmy Chimpanzee. However humans evolved off a different branch (top right) from the main one.
It is known that chimpanzees share 95-98% of their DNA with humans, so 2-5% of their DNA is different. Our evolution from the main branch is represented by the 2-5% DNA that makes us different from all the rest of the primates on this list. However, more importantly, the main branch (bottom) that we all share, is responsible for the 95-98% DNA that we have in common. This is overwhelming evidence that the Gibbon, Orangatang, Gorilla, Common Chimpanzee, Pygmy Chimpanzee and humans evolved from a common ancestor on the main branch (bottom). Evolution is still occurring today. The Gibbon, Orangutang, Gorilla, Common Chimpanzee, Pygmy Chimpanzee and humans are all still evolving along their own individual branches. We just don't see the changes happening day-by-day because evolution occurs over hundreds of thousands of years, a time-span far beyond the human lifespan. So the next time you hear someone arguing against human evolution from apes, you can draw this simple diagram to explain human differences, but more importantly, human similarities in DNA with our evolutionary cousins. Maddalena Environmental Inc. Al Maddalena |