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F. Ayala Human Nature • U.C. Irvine biologist • Past President of AAAS • Genetics, evolution, philosophy of science In God’s Image • • • • • • We are like other apes We are unlike other apes Cultural as well as genetic inheritance Cultural evolution much faster Genes make us able to be ethical Culture (inc. religion) provides the code, norms Hominid Species • "Hominid" refers to members of the family Hominidae, which consists of all species on our side of the last common ancestor of humans and living apes. • Hominids are included in the superfamily of all apes, the Hominoidea, the members of which are called hominoids. Human phylogeny • Diverged from chimp line 5-7 Mya • By 1.8 Mya, Homo erectus • Other, older hominids too: not all on lineage to Homo sapiens • H. erectus spread outside Africa • H. sapiens (archaic) ca. 400,000 years ago – no clear dividing line between late erectus and archaic sapiens • H. sapeins neanderthalensis 200,000 years ago until 30-40,000 years ago - coexisted with H. sapiens. Mostly lived in cold climates. Buried Homo sapiens sapiens (modern) • First appear about 120,000 years ago. • About 40,000 years ago, with Cro-Magnon culture, tool kits more sophisticated. Art, music. • Within the last 100,000 years, trends towards smaller molars and decreased robustness continuing. – The face, jaw and teeth of Mesolithic humans (about 10,000 years ago) are about 10% more robust than ours. – Upper Paleolithic humans (about 30,000 years ago) are about 20 to 30% more robust than us. How did H. sapiens arise? • Multiregional hypothesis: occurred in various places • Others think only happened once, in Africa – Ayala favors this view • “Mitochondrial Eve” a gene geneology • How small a bottleneck ? - at least several thousand individuals, not just two or a few How are humans unique today? • Anatomy – Erect posture, bipedal gait (came first) – Large brain (came later) – Brain organization also different (large cortex) How are humans unique today? • Behavior – – – – – Abstract thinking Subtle expression of emotions Symbolic (creative) language Awareness of self, death Science, humanities, ethics, religion Cultural inheritance and evolution • Different than biological evolution – More rapid – Can be directed • Transmission of experience to next generation – – – – Fire Clothing Tools Transportation What about ethics? Like language ... • Capacity, proclivity, is biological • Moral norms, codes, however, are cultural What does he mean by ethical capacity? • Can anticipate consequences • Can make value judgements • Can choose between alternatives Ayala rejects sociobiologists thesis • Grants a correspondence, isomorphism, in consequences of moral behavior. • Rejects thesis that the causes of human moral behavior are products of natural selection. V. Elving Anderson • Clinical, medical, human geneticist • Past President of Sigma Xi • Gene mapping research From puppet to Prometheus • Old genetic fatalism replaced by . . . • New fears of “playing God” What’s special about human genes? • No one “human” gene or genes • 98.4% genetic identity with chimps • Allelelic variation and expression of some genes may be different from that in nonhuman primates Development of human behavior • Most is plastic, not stereotyped or instinctive • Inherit a range of reaction, behavior, based on genes • Environment and experience determine actual behavior within that range Twin studies show correlations • • • • Highest for physical traits Mental ability next Personality next Interests least correlated Some basics of gene expression • Genes act together in networks • Genes interact with environment, experience • Gene action on behavior is indirect What about IQ ? • 0.15 attributable to non-shared experiences • Shared experience component declines with age – 0.30 from 4-20 years of age – zero among adult twins • Genetic component rises in replacement – 0.51 from 4-20 years of age – 0.80 among adult twins