Human beings do not live in nature, they live in culture. Contrary to biological evolution, which is based on genetic inheritance, cultural change is transmitted by instruction. Simple beginnings of culture have been ...Human beings do not live in nature, they live in culture. Contrary to biological evolution, which is based on genetic inheritance, cultural change is transmitted by instruction. Simple beginnings of culture have been observed in various animals. However, the much advanced human culture became possible by its transmission by language, and by its being cumulative. The concept of cultural change as a progressive process, popular by 18th and 19th centuries thinkers, is nowadays rejected, and the uniqueness of each culture stressed. Although, there are some similarities between biological evolution and cultural change, important differences between these processes are emphasized. The rapid rate of cultural change （especially its technological aspect）, as compared to the rate of biological evolution, is noted. In addition, some cultural changes led to new phenomena, which in a time of crisis can be annulled. The possible consequences of the different rate of these two processes for humans as individuals, and for their societies are discussed.展开更多
Due to lack of appreciation of the complexities of the interactions between nature and nurture, claims for the rapid improvements in medical care following the human genome project have been exaggerated. Although some...Due to lack of appreciation of the complexities of the interactions between nature and nurture, claims for the rapid improvements in medical care following the human genome project have been exaggerated. Although some progress has been made in certain fields, the full scope of genomic medicine may not be realised for many years.展开更多
Unbiased readings of fossils are well known to contradict some of the popular molecular groupings among primates,particularly with regard to great apes and tarsiers.The molecular methodologies today are however flawed...Unbiased readings of fossils are well known to contradict some of the popular molecular groupings among primates,particularly with regard to great apes and tarsiers.The molecular methodologies today are however flawed as they are based on a mistaken theoretical interpretation of the genetic equidistance phenomenon that originally started the field.An improved molecular method the 'slow clock' was here developed based on the Maximum Genetic Diversity hypothesis,a more complete account of the unified changes in genotypes and phenotypes.The method makes use of only slow evolving sequences and requires no uncertain assumptions or mathematical corrections and hence is able to give definitive results.The findings indicate that humans are genetically more distant to orangutans than African apes are and separated from the pongid clade ～17.6 million years ago.Also,tarsiers are genetically closer to lorises than simian primates are.Finally,the fossil times for the radiation of mammals at the K/T boundary and for the Eutheria-Metatheria split in the Early Cretaceous were independently confirmed from molecular dating calibrated using the fossil split times of gorilla-orangutan,mouse-rat,and opossum-kangaroo.Therefore,the re-established primate phylogeny indicates a remarkable unity between molecules and fossils.展开更多
文摘Human beings do not live in nature, they live in culture. Contrary to biological evolution, which is based on genetic inheritance, cultural change is transmitted by instruction. Simple beginnings of culture have been observed in various animals. However, the much advanced human culture became possible by its transmission by language, and by its being cumulative. The concept of cultural change as a progressive process, popular by 18th and 19th centuries thinkers, is nowadays rejected, and the uniqueness of each culture stressed. Although, there are some similarities between biological evolution and cultural change, important differences between these processes are emphasized. The rapid rate of cultural change （especially its technological aspect）, as compared to the rate of biological evolution, is noted. In addition, some cultural changes led to new phenomena, which in a time of crisis can be annulled. The possible consequences of the different rate of these two processes for humans as individuals, and for their societies are discussed.
文摘Due to lack of appreciation of the complexities of the interactions between nature and nurture, claims for the rapid improvements in medical care following the human genome project have been exaggerated. Although some progress has been made in certain fields, the full scope of genomic medicine may not be realised for many years.
基金supported by the State Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics,a FuRong Scholarshipthe National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No. 81171880)the National Basic Research Program of China(Grant No. 2011CB51001)
文摘Unbiased readings of fossils are well known to contradict some of the popular molecular groupings among primates,particularly with regard to great apes and tarsiers.The molecular methodologies today are however flawed as they are based on a mistaken theoretical interpretation of the genetic equidistance phenomenon that originally started the field.An improved molecular method the 'slow clock' was here developed based on the Maximum Genetic Diversity hypothesis,a more complete account of the unified changes in genotypes and phenotypes.The method makes use of only slow evolving sequences and requires no uncertain assumptions or mathematical corrections and hence is able to give definitive results.The findings indicate that humans are genetically more distant to orangutans than African apes are and separated from the pongid clade ～17.6 million years ago.Also,tarsiers are genetically closer to lorises than simian primates are.Finally,the fossil times for the radiation of mammals at the K/T boundary and for the Eutheria-Metatheria split in the Early Cretaceous were independently confirmed from molecular dating calibrated using the fossil split times of gorilla-orangutan,mouse-rat,and opossum-kangaroo.Therefore,the re-established primate phylogeny indicates a remarkable unity between molecules and fossils.
