How do animal communication systems differ from human language? Can primates acquire language?
How do animal communication systems differ from human language? Can primates acquire language? It is a well established fact that animals are able to communicate with one another. Just like humans they need to convey information essential to survival to others around them. Communication can be defined as 'the transmission of a signal from one animal to another, such that the sender benefits, on average, from the response of the recipient' (Slater, 1983) In humans the main method of communication is often thought of as spoken language, but animals are physiologically incapable of speaking to each other. Through the evolutionary process they have developed highly specialised methods of non-verbal communication, many of which are not used by humans. Many animals use visual communication to convey information, an example of which can be seen in honeybees. Honeybees have developed a dance to communicate the location of nectar. When a bee returns to the hive after finding nectar it performs a 'waggle' dance to inform fellow workers where the food is located. Van Frisch (1955) discovered bees dance in a figure of eight, with the axis of the dance representing direction in relation to the sun, and the rate of the 'waggle' representing distance. It is thought a form of auditory communication accompanies this dance. Wenner (1964) found bees sometimes make a noise whilst doing this
Give a critical appraisal of pre-neoplastic foci in liver.
Give a critical appraisal of pre-neoplastic foci in liver. It has been demonstrated on numerous occasions that the administration of hepatocarcinogens to rats gives rise to an increased frequency in the appearance of certain lesions [1]. Such lesions appear sequentially and seem to be representative of the different stages in the carcinogenic process. In this essay I aim to describe one of these lesions, the focus and to discuss its significance with respect to neoplasia. The process of hepatic carcinogenesis is multi-stage and involves atypical phenotypic and genotypic alterations to cells. The first step in carcinogenesis is usually called initiation and is characterised by an irreversible alteration of one or more hepatocytes, [1]. The initiation of carcinogenesis is thought to occur spontaneously or following the administration of a carcinogenic substance and results in the formation of an early lesion [1]. Following this are one or more stages of cell proliferation which are said to "fix" the lesion prior to further changes. The first recognisable hepatocellular lesion is the focus, which is then thought to transform into the neoplastic nodule, composed of cells phenotypically similar to those of the foci, yet larger in size. Later still is the development of hepatocellular carcinomas. Foci of altered hepatocytes. Foci are microscopic lesions, distinguishable from
"Is there an important moral difference between human beings and (other) animals?"
"Is there an important moral difference between human beings and (other) animals?" 'Morality' is a highly subjective issue. What may seem as 'morally wrong' to one person, may seem acceptable to another. An example of this may be whether or not it is 'morally wrong' to eat meat, and there is no right or wrong answer to this question. Through out this essay I shall try to discuss the 'moral difference' between human beings and other animals; however, it is difficult to define 'moral differences' because views on morality change from one person to the next. For example, certain religious beliefs claim that the cow is sacred and therefore it is 'morally wrong' to eat it, however, this opinion may be highly criticised by others with contrasting views. The ways in which we treat humans are extremely different to the ways in which we treat other animals. For example, we eat other animals, we wear certain animal fur, we put animals down when we feel it is necessary, we test and experiment on animals for scientific use, and the list goes on. However, it could be argued that these are not deliberate moral differences, but a result of what is considered socially acceptable in Western contemporary society. The thought of eating human flesh is regarded as 'disgusting', as is the thought of feeling sexually attracted to an animal. However, this may not be a moral concern,
Animal Experimenting
Nicole Katalbas Mr. Troy Burns English 101 7 Feb. 2007 Curiosity Killed the Cat The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) estimates that 100 million animals are experimented on around the world annually (Graft et al 1). Vivisection is defined as the act or practice of performing experiments on living animals. For hundreds of years, dating back to the time of the Romans, researchers practiced vivisection. In the earlier years of vivisection, medical professors would cut open animals in demonstrations for students attending medical colleges. It was a familiar practice for a scientist to cut into an animal without the use of anesthetic ("History"). The animal would lie there on the dissection table, howling and helpless as the doctor opened up parts of its body for his students to examine and on which to take observations. Today, many different companies that produce an extensive range of products, from pharmaceuticals to cosmetic merchandise still practice vivisection to obtain the "knowledge." Vivisection needs to be abolished. Some people claim the practice of vivisection is acceptable because vivisection has been practiced since the time of the Romans. Vivisection was proved beneficial because the Roman scientists grasped a better understanding about human anatomy, which then led to medical advances. However, times have changed and so have
Human modernization leads to outbreaks of the Ebola virus.
Human Modernization Leads To Outbreaks Of The Ebola Virus Ebola is one of the most lethal viruses known to man. The virus is incredibly contagious and spreads like a wildfire among those it infects, dissolving its victims. If Ebola infiltrated into the human population it would have the power to greatly reduce the numbers of the human species by more than eighty percent. Ebola outbreaks appeared periodically in the past only to quickly reside and then reemerge again. The virus is believed to have its origins deep inside the jungles of central Africa inside the bodies of a "reservoir species," an organism that has coevolved with the Ebola virus and serves as a means of transport for the virus to its next victims (Preston, 1994). It is believed that human contact with these "reservoir species" is the cause for the outbreaks of the virus into the human species. Human population pressures and the need for modernization and development in central African countries has led to the severe deforestation of the tropical rainforests and brings the human race extremely close to contact with the deadly virus hiding deep within. Groups have slashed and burned away at a environment that has basically been undisturbed and isolated from the influences of mankind for thousands of years and now scientists believe that the emergence of the Ebola virus into the human population is
The grasslands of North American are called as prairies; they cover about 1.4 million square miles or 15% of the continent.
The grasslands of North American are called as prairies; they cover about 1.4 million square miles or 15% of the continent. They are widely scattered for about one thousand miles in the very center of North America, from the Rocky Mountains to Indiana. Accordingly to the amount of rainfall and temperature there are three types of prairies grasslands: tall grass prairie in the east, mixed grass prairie in middle part and short glass prairie in the west. Grasslands are growing in areas of limited precipitation with moderate temperatures changing from -20 to 100 F, precipitation varies in range of 15-100 cm, the amount of rainfall decreases from east to west. The soil of the grasslands varies from a few centimeters in the west to two meters deep in the east of prairies; it is deep and black, with fertile upper layers. As to organic content, soils are changing from a brown to a dark brown to black (chernozyoms). Taller-grass prairies have brown soils, which are richer in humus. Native vegetation advantaged high quality of the soils, but due to developing agriculture large soil erosions occurred affecting the fertility of soils. The frost-free season in prairie averages 100 - 300 days a year. Climate of the eastern part of tall grass zone is gentle, summers are humid and cool, and winters are relatively warm, that is favorable for smooth development of the plants. In the middle
Influence of land use history on plant species richness
INFLUENCE OF LAND_USE HISTORY ON PLANT SPECIES RICHNESS An examination into how woodland age structure influences the development of plant communities on Southampton Common (September 2003) Introduction Southampton Common has been in public ownership for well over a thousand years. During this time it has accommodated army camps, racecourses, reservoirs, livestock pounds and even a cemetery (Southampton.gov.uk). Originally deemed as a grazing common, Southampton Common is now designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest; since 1993 a conservation management plan has been in implementation. Since 1993 ten Conservation Areas within the 148 hectares of the common have been concentrated upon, these areas cover a diversity of habitats from woodlands to heath. This experiment concentrated on the observations made at two differing woodland sites upon the common. Site 'A', as shown on the map in Appendix 'A', was an old woodland site (approximately two hundred years old), and Site 'B' was a new woodland site that has grown since 1945. The aim of the experiment was to compare the collated data from both sites and establish answers to the following questions: - . How do the new woodland patches differ in structure and composition from the older patches? 2. Does the age of a patch confer any special benefit in conservation terms? The hypothesis for this experiment was
The Hare and the Tortoise - The Modern Day Version
The Hare and the Tortoise - The Modern Day Version The Hare Of all the boastful and self-important animals, the worst in all the countryside (apart from the humans, of course) was the hare. He would talk on and on about his swiftness, sleekness, and superior muscle tone with anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby. What's more, he continually derided the other animals that didn't share his obsession with fleeting physical "perfection." The Tortoise One of his frequent targets for ridicule was the tortoise, who with his stout yet functional legs, lower metabolism, and overall endomorphic body shape stood (or rather squatted) in marked contrast to the hare. The tortoise, perfectly content to take on life at his own speed, always insisted his metabolism was as efficient as anyone else's. The Challenge The hare, however, continually taunted the tortoise while he struck poses and flexed his pecs. "Hey, low-rider," he said, "I bet you can make extra money (huff-huff) renting yourself out as a paperweight (huff-huff preen-preen) I" The tortoise smiled patiently. "Thank you for the advice, my velocity-fortified friend." "Come on, stumpy," goaded the hare, "can't you rise up when someone (huff-huff) throws down the gauntlet?" "I can't see how gauntlet abuse has anything to do with me," said the tortoise, who had apparently achieved slowness in more than one aspect of his
Explain in detail how Christian and Muslim beliefs would affect their behaviour and attitudes towards the use of animals for food, experimentation and sport.
Explain in detail how Christian and Muslim beliefs would affect their behaviour and attitudes towards the use of animals for food, experimentation and sport. The way in which we choose to treat animals may hugely depend upon the significance of animals in religion. According to both Islam and Christianity animals are part of God's creation as humans are. Beliefs and teachings, which we then take from religion, would affect our behaviour and attitudes towards the treatment of animals. Islam has always viewed animals a special part of Allah's creation. The Qur'an and Hadith both contain kindness and compassion towards animals. Muslims hold the strong belief that Allah has given them the role of Khalifah. Therefore they hold it their duty, as Muslims, to protect and cherish Allah's Earth. Muslims believe they have certain responsibility towards the Earth and the creatures on it, including animals, which Allah has given to be used appropriately and wisely. Islam teaches that mercy and compassion should be shown to every living creature that Allah has created. Muslims believe that they will be held accountable for killing unjustly on the day of judgement. The Hadith says that if a human kills anything larger than a sparrow, with unjust cause, that 'sparrow' will cry out on judgement day, saying 'O Lord! That person killed me for nothing, and not for any useful purpose!'
Human Evolution
HUMAN EVOLUTION Human beings are unusual in being the only living species representing an entire biological family, the hominidae or hominids. The human species is exceptionally widespread, having colonised most land masses of the world (Harrison & Weiner 1982). Although closely related to the great apes such as the gorilla and chimpanzee, humans are distinct from them all and all other mammals in many important features. These include bipedal locomotion (walking on two legs) and the large size of the brain in relation to the body (BBC 2002). Humans are marked out even more by behaviour, in particular the great dependence on learning passed on from generation to generation, mainly through speech or signing (Birkett 1992). To investigate the origins and evolution of humans we need to study our early ape ancestors. It is generally believed that we separated for the apes around 6-8 million years ago. There is very little fossil evidence of the apes from the last 8 million years, but two lies of evidence strongly indicate that homininds diverged early on during the period (Birkett 1982). The first is provided by the fossil remains of early hominids from the period 3-4.5 million years ago that have been recovered in East Africa in the mid 1970's. The other biochemical evidence, demonstrates a very close genetic relationship between human beings and the living African