Language Assignment

Part 1

            The first part of this assignment asked me to communicate with my friend where I was not allowed to speak. I found it quite difficult to have a conversation using only body language and to attempt to act out what I was feeling or trying to say. I tried using my face expressions and hand signals to express myself but I failed most of the time to get my message across to my friend.

            For the most part, my friend was confused and did not know what I was trying to say. She found it incredibly difficult to have a normal conversation with me and spent the whole time guessing my body language. She seemed a bit frustrated towards the end and I began to notice she also tried to use some body language to determine the words I was trying to express. She did not talk as much as she used to because I was not communicating with her through speech. It was clearly difficult to communicate with each other and spent the whole time guessing each other’s actions.

            I believe that the culture that does not use symbolic language has the advantage of getting their message across using body language. If that culture does not rely on speech to communicate with each other, they would have more experience with acting out their words and feelings through their body language. Individuals who rely on symbolic language do not put much thought into using body language as their main source of communication. The culture that does not use symbolic language has the advantage of communicating complex ideas. The two different cultures I could think of would be the deaf and the hearing. Although deaf individuals can use sign language to communicate with each other, the hearing does not understand the language. Therefore, when the deaf try to communicate with the hearing, it is especially difficult because they can only rely on body language to get their message across. This example is quite similar to that of the task required in Part 1 of this assignment. I found it extremely time consuming to get a few sentences across to my friend by only using body language. This assignment has shown me how difficult it can be for those who do not rely on speech to communicate with those who speak a symbolic language.

Part 2

            This part of the experiment was surprisingly difficult for me. Part 2 of this assignment allowed us to interact with our partner by only using speech but without using any body language or expressions. I have a habit of talking with my hands and touching my hair during conversations with other people. During this experiment, I found that I unconsciously touched my hair when I’m thinking of an answer and started moving my hands when I began to talk. I also noticed I would raise my eyebrows if I didn’t understand a certain question. I kept readjusting my face expressions so that I would not smile and I found it to be quite uncomfortable remaining expressionless and not moving any part of my body.

            My friend, whom I was communicating with, told me she also felt uncomfortable with my communication limitations. She actually giggled every so often at my expressionless face when she said something funny or sad. She also felt as if she was talking to a wall and did not know how I felt about her comments due to my lack of expressions.

            Many people use some sort of body language when they are communicating with each other through symbolic language. Most of us are unaware of body movements and feel it is normal to do so during conversations. I believe using signs while communicating is very important to truly understand each other’s emotions and feelings. Without laughing when something is funny or frowning in a sad situation, there can be a restricted limitation in the conversations. By remaining emotionless, conversations with other people can become quite dull and boring.

            Reading body language can be either beneficial or inconvenient. For example, a psychic may use their knowledge of body language to determine what another person is feeling. They use this to their advantage to guess their client’s thoughts and to say what they want to hear. On the other hand, reading body language cannot be beneficial under certain situations. Many different cultures have their own body language. One motion of the hand can mean something positive in one culture while the same hand movement can be insulting in another.

Piltdown Hoax

     The Piltdown man was found as bone fragments of parts of a skull and jawbone. It was thought to have been fossilized remains of early human bones. This discovery was discovered in 1912 in East Sussex, England. Charles Dawson, who was an amateur archaeologist, claimed to have discovered ancient bone fragments in the Piltdown gravel pit. He presented his findings to Arthur Smith Woodward who was the keeper at the British Museum. Both men went back to the discovery site and found the remaining bone fragments of parts of the skull and half of the lower jawbone. The jawbone looked similar to that of a chimpanzee but had two human-like molars. Woodward believed that the Piltdown man was the missing link between ape and men. In 1953, it was discovered that the Piltdown man was a forgery and that the jawbone was that of an orangutan. The teeth were filed down to make it look more human and the skull was not that of an early human but was a skull of a fully developed modern human.
     In the early 1900's, scientists did not have access to scientific tools that could tell apart a forgery from an authentic ancient bone fragment. The bones of the Piltdown man was heavily guarded and only few were able to have access to see the bones. Many believed in the discovery of the Piltdown man because the forgery provided enough evidence that it belonged to that of ancient humans. Also, British scientists did not doubt the findings and instead was satisfied that it was the first skeletal findings of early humans in Europe. The bone fragments of the Piltdown man should have had more detailed research to make sure it was authentic. Due to these faults, the scientific community has wasted more than 40 years on this forgery. The Piltdown man has resulted in many years of research into something that has never existed. There have been countless people trying to find bone fragments that had never existed in the first place. This hoax has wasted years of the development of human evolution which has had a profound negative impact on the scientific community.
     The Piltdown man hoax was revealed when dating techniques, like the fluorine absorption test was invented. The fluorine absorption dating test is used to determine the amount of time an object, such as bones, has been buried. Through this dating technique, scientists realized the Piltdown man has been a forgery. Groundwater contains fluoride ions which bones will absorb when buried for long periods of time. From observing the amount of fluoride in the bones, one can determine the estimated time the bones have been underground. Dr. Kenneth Oakley of the British Museum, along with Dr. Wilfrid Clark and Professor Joseph S. Weiner, examined the fragmented bones using the fluoride method. They also tested the bones for nitrogen and uranium content which also helped determine the age of the bones. They compare the Piltdown bones along with a proboscidean molar also found in the same discovery site, and fresh bone from a cow. By using these additional bones, scientists were able to determine the amount of fluorine in the Piltdown bones. The results showed that the Piltdown bones were less than 500 years old. The skull bones came from a man who died in the Medieval period while the jaw fragment came from an orangutan that was less than 200 years old. The tests that had been performed had revealed that the bones had been artificially stained to make the bones appear older than they were.
     I do not believe it is possible to remove the "human" factor from science to reduce the chance of errors that occur. I believe the human factor can cause errors but can also be helpful. By having other people examine each others work and to question their findings, scientists can determine whether a finding is authentic or a forgery. If one questions a particular finding, one can analyze the findings through evidence and scientific methods. The scientific community often makes mistakes but due to advanced modern dating techniques, most mistakes can be reversed.
     This historical event has been a life lesson for the scientific community. Such events as big as the Piltdown man should have been more carefully observed and researched before adding additional theories to the human evolution. The bones should have been tested fully and backed up with proper evidence before retaining its authenticity.

Comparative Primate

Sociality and mating patterns.

Lemurs mostly live on the island of Madagascar in the tropical forest. These creatures are arboreal and mostly nocturnal. Lemurs are very active at night and have a unique mating pattern that differs from most primates. Lemur females tend to dominate the males in their social groups. Their social groups contain both male and female lemurs ranging from 11 to 17 animals. The social group is centered around the female lemurs because females remain in their natal group while the males emigrate to a new group when they reach puberty. When a female lemur is ready to mate, only the highest ranking male lemurs will be allowed to approach her. If a female lemur does not like the male, she will act aggressively and chase him away. Females will approach males they want to mate with by lifting her tail and looking over her shoulder at him. The reproductive success is highly dependent on the environmental conditions. If the weather is bad, the survival of the infant can be diminished drastically.

Spider monkeys are found living in South America in the tropical evergreen forests. They generally live in the high rainforests where they are not affected by seasonal weather such as flooding. Spider monkeys are arboreal and live mainly in the trees. They are incredibly social creatures and can live in social groups containing up to 35 members. They do however split up during the day to search for food. These subgroups can be around 2 to 8 animals. At puberty, females tend to leave their natal group to join a new group. The male spider monkeys rarely leave their natal group and stick together their entire lives. Spider monkeys tend to bark or growl when they feel threatened. Groups of spider monkeys are generally led by a female who directs the feeding pattern for the entire group. Most primates groom each other for social interaction but that is not the case with the spider monkeys, probably due to their lack of thumbs. Females give birth every 3 to 4 years. She chooses a mate within her social group and they both sniff each other before they mate. The gestation period is about 226 to 232 days.

Baboons are found in Africa in open savannahs and open woodlands and hills. They do not live in trees but spend their time on the ground. Baboons live in groups of around 50 animals. Some groups are smaller while others can be very large containing up to 250 baboons. Most baboon groups are based largely on a hierarchy structure. Male baboons can be very jealous and protective of their females. There are usually many aggressive fights between males over female baboons. Males who win the fight will take the female into their own group. Sometimes infants are taken hostage during these fights. Males can mate with any females in their group. The male mating order depends on their rank. The females will show her swollen hump to the male when she is ready to mate. Females give birth once every two years and care for their young mostly without the help of a male. Male baboons leave their natal group while females stay in their group their entire lives. Male baboons tend to be aggressive due to the environment they live in. They constantly have to protect their females while fighting off other males. Their aggressiveness is greatly influenced by its environment.

Gibbons are found in the subtropical evergreen rainforests in Asia. Gibbons are very social creatures and also extremely territorial. They will defend their territories by singing. They also sing to attract mates. Female gibbons will sing songs to attract males when they are ready to mate. If the male likes her song, he will do a mating dance in front of her. After his performance, they will mate for three days. Gibbons are arboreal and can move in great speeds swinging between trees. Gibbons usually live with a mate and their dependent offspring. The gibbons use their mating song to adapt to its environment. If they feel threatened, they will vigorously use their visual and vocal display to scare away any predators.

Chimpanzees are found in Africa in dry savannas, evergreen rainforests, swamp forests, and dry woodlands. Chimpanzees live in large social groups containing both males and females. The group is part of a hierarchy structure with one alpha male. However, there are other higher ranking individuals within the group to dominate lower rank members. The alpha male influences the whole group and resolves issues within the group. The alpha male ma puff up his hair to appear larger to other members of the group to retain his dominance over them. Higher ranking members will get the first access to food and mates. The alpha females tend to choose who the alpha male will be in their group. If the alpha male is no longer seen fit to lead the group, the alpha females will choose another male to take his place. Female chimpanzees will leave their natal group when she is ready to mate. Her anogenital swelling will allow her to be accepted into a new group and will attract many males. Females will mate with multiple male partners within their group. Females sometimes leave their own group temporarily to mate with males from other groups. The hierarchy also comes into play with mating. High ranking males will often dictate which male will mate with which female. The environment and culture they live in will also play a part in their mating patterns.

The environment affects the way these primates act in their social groups and their mating patterns. Lemurs only mate one or two times a year depending on the weather conditions. If the weather conditions are bad, the infant may not survive. Spider monkeys tend to bark or growl when they feel threatened while the gibbons sing songs to scare away predators. The use of these tactics also are used when mating in the case of the gibbons. Baboons tend to be aggressive due to their constant struggle to fight off other males and to protect their females. Baboons often strike their females if they stray too far from the group. Both baboons and chimpanzees belong to a hierarchical structured group. The higher ranking members tend to get better access to food and mates. The way these primates act in their social groups are affected by their own culture and the environment surrounding them.

Analogy/Homology

1. Homologus traits:
a. The dolphin and the flying squirrel both posses the trait echolocation and are both in the class mammalia.
b. The dolphin is a marine mammal that uses echolocation under water to detect other animals/objects and to locate their food source. The flying squirrel also uses echolocation for similar reasons except they are land creatures and are able to glide between trees. Although both animals are mammals and are able to use echolocation, their differences are quite clear. One can only live in water while the other glides through trees on land.
c. Both dolphins and the flying squirrel are descendants of land-living mammals but that ancestor did not posses the trait of echolocation.

2. Analogous trait:
a. The bat and the oilbird are from two different animal classes but both can use echolocation.
b. The bat is commonly mistaken as being part of the bird family because it has wings. Bats have webbed wings and do not flap their entire forelimbs like birds do. Their arms are extremely long and covered with a thin membrane. The bats and oilbirds use their echolocation to detect food and to navigate around objects. Since they're both nocturnal and hunt for food at night, they use their echolocation to navigate in the darkness in search for food. Both have the trait of echolocation but are from two different classes. The bat is a mammal while the oilbird is a bird. These two animals can be mistakenly put in the same class due to their ability to fly.
c. The common ancestor of these two species did not posses the trait echolocation. Their ancestor was a land-living animal and did not have the trait.