Neanderthals Essays - Stone Age, Human Evolution, Hominini

Neanderthals Neanderthals I have never really had an interest in religion and the beliefs it is made of. This all leaves me confused at times. Religion explains the creation of humankind, since I have no religious beliefs then where does this leave me in thought about where I came from? Actually it left me no where. I have just recently taken an anthropology class the second semester of my freshman year at Montgomery College. I am just know gaining a belief in where and when man was created. Just think, most people are instilled with religion early in life, mostly by their parents or the schools that there parents make the attend at an early age. I have always been to stubborn to listen to anything my parents had to say, leading me to find out things for myself. I have only been able to listen and understand things that I like and listening to my anthropology teacher was something that I could understand and enjoyed listening to. He was the one who first introduced me to Neanderthals. Many Anthropologists believe that Neanderthals were in fact a direct ancestor to modern man. Thus giving Anthropologists an idea of where we started out. On the other hand some Anthropologists think that the Neanderthals had no relation to modern man. Through the research that I have done, there is little info that supports that Neanderthals were in fact ancestors, but there is a definite larger amount of info that supports that they are not ancestors of man. Most of the information that supported that Neanderthals were direct ancestors has been found to be incorrect through research and technology. In 1856 at the Feldhofer Cave, Germany, Neanderthal Man introduced himself to the world indicated by Turnbaugh, Jurmain, Nelson, Kilgore in the seventh edition of Understanding Physical Anthropology and Archeology. Named after the valley in which he was discovered (Neander Tal), this hominid would send anthropologists mad for over 100 years. They were initially though of as dim-witted brutes with clubs and beast like characteristics. French Paleontologist, Marcelin Boule was the creator of this misconception about the Neanderthals. Boule declare that these hominids were unintelligent due to their low-browed brains and that the only thing that they could make is their tools and not much else. Boule believed that the beast walked bent need and head projecting forward with his big toe similar to a chimpanzee. Later it is learned that in fact his misconception about the beast steered him wrong in his examination of the elderly hominid. Actually the bones that he examined was crippled and had suffered from arthritis, over looked by Boule. Some Anthropologists believe that it is almost impossible to miss the evidence of arthritis on the old mans bones because it is so obvious to see. Either way, Boule's analysis left a permanent scar on the Neanderthals image that would not be changed until many years later (307). In recent years researchers have successfully extract and sequence DNA from a Neanderthal fossil. A small piece of bone from the humorous was removed from the original Neandertal Vally fossil and compared to numerous other DNA samples. Definite proof can not be determined from one sequence of an individual, in fact new data leading in favor of Neanderthals: showing that they were a branch of the human family, not a direct ancestor. The results from the tests indicate that the Neanderthal DNA is considerably different from the other DNA that was tested. The other DNA that was tested was from Humans as well as chimpanzees. From the result of these DNA tests, researchers stand by the view that "Neanderthals exist as a species independent from early modern man". Thus living up to the name of Neanderthals as an evolutionary dead end (Science 176-178). "Mitochondria is an important cell that finally determined the relation between man and Neanderthals" (Newman 1999). There is also a "cultural contrast between the Neanderthals and Homo sapiens (early modern man)" indicated by Turnbaugh, Jurmain, Nelson, Kilgore in the seventh edition of Understanding Physical Anthropology and Archeology. These differences set them apart in a way that tells us how they lived and defines the difference in the two. Tool technology on the behalf of the Neanderthals was less advanced. Flake tools were used for specific and few operations. Bone, antler, and ivory were used infrequently. Most tools had only one or two parts. While the Homo sapiens were using a wide verity of stone tools. Using bone, antler and ivory as often as possible. As well as having many more tools with two or more parts. Hunting is another

Anterograde Amnesia and Memento

Anterograde Amnesia and Memento Free Online Research Papers Did I Have an Assignment Due? I Cant Remember. Anterograde Amnesia is not genetic or or something that comes with age. It is a condition where a persons memory of the events prior to a trauma are retained, while the events following the trauma are forgotten and not retained.(Anterograde Amnesia 1). This results from brain injury. The ability to learn new information or make new memories is severely impared. The person who has amnesia may recall their childhood memories very well but do not have the ability to remember the things that happen on a daily basis. There has been experiments that test the ability of the brain to rehabilitate during this experience. Even though Anterograde Amnesia destroys the memory for facts or events, it may in fact spare the memory for skills or habbits. This theory is tested by teaching an individual a new skill, such as how to play a game. The next day,the amnesic individual will claim to have no memory of the prior session, but when asked to try executing the skill, can often perform quite well-indicating that some memories have been formed.(Memory Loss the Brain 1). Anterograde Amnesia can occur after damage to at least three distinct brain areas. The first, and most well-studied, is the hippocampus and associated areas in the medial temporal lobes of the brain. It can also occur if the basal forebrain is damaged, a group of structures that produce acetylcholine, a chemical which helps cells in the brainstorenew information during learning. Finally is the diencephalon which is a set of structures deep in the brain including the medial thalamic nuclei.(Memory Loss the Brain 1). The movie is centered around Leonard who is an insurance investigator seeking revenge. His problems all started when his life was forever destroyed by a couple of robbers breaking into his house and beating him and his wife. When he came to, his wife was dead and he had no short-term memory. His quality of life was severely hampered after this event, and he could only live a comprehendible life by tattooing notes on himself and taking pictures of things with a Polaroid camera.(Memento 1) While encountering several other people in his ventures that took advantage of him, Leonard still managed to find and kill his wifes murderer. In order to do this, he took drastic measures. He remembered from the pictures and tattoos everything, from the persons license plate number he was after, to which car was his. The motel clerk also took advantage of his disability by renting him out more than one room knowing that Leonard would forget shortly after. If he did not write the information down within a short amount of time, it was forgotten. One time he did not write down the much needed information. In the time it took for Natalie to walk out and back in the house it was like it never happened. So instead of remembering that the woman was bad, all he knew was what she had just told him when she came back in the house. Although Leonards situation was more extensive than the eveyday cases of Anterograde Amnesia, he fought through it. He woke up every morning looking for clues telling him what, who, and where he was. One morning when he was getting dressed, he noticed all the tattoos covering his body which confused him. He then quickly undressed to be able to re-read them all. This was an everyday occurrence with Leonard discoverring and rediscovering himself on a daily basis. what I take away from this assignment is that psychological disorders are a part of this world. normal everyday people deal with serious issues all the time. watching the movie Memento, I observed that amnesia is a terrible yet livable disorder. Forgetting everything you love, not remembering who you are or how you got there would be almost impossible to deal with. Yet, i learned that if you have the will to overcome your disability anything is possible. Also, from the project I learned that some folks take advantage of people with these disabilities. In the movie, Teddy befriends Leonard knowing of his disabilities and ends up taking advantage of him for several years, to his own benefit. Then Natalie abuses his illness for only a short while and still gets away with it. Learning about Anterograde Amnesia has made me open my eyes to the world, and helped me understand what some people go through daily. Not just the people who are living with this disorder go through terrible experi ences, but their caretakers, loved ones, and family. They are the ones who have to take care of or watch the people they care about suffer. In conclusion this assignment has made me aware of many different kinds of amnesia. With acceptance and constant repetition this disorder can be managed. Even if able to manage, memory loss would be a down right terrible disorder to have. We joke about the topic saying I wish I couldl forget some of the people I have met, but put yourself in their shoes. Try to feel what it would be like not to remember anything you did yesterday or the day before that. Imagine waking up in a strange place everyday and you have no idea how you arrived there. Even though I will never fully understand this disorder, I am more aware of what they go through and how they deal with life. Anterograde Amnesia. Mahalo.com: Human-Powered Search. 02 Dec. 2009 . Memento (2000) Plot Summary. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). 02 Dec. 2009 . Memento movie review. Ramblings. 02 Dec. 2009 . Memory Loss the Brain. 02 Dec. 2009 . 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