Evolution

 The myth I chose to go over is that humans came from or are direct descendants of apes. I chose this one because I feel as though a lot of critics believe this to be the message that evolution delivers. Instead, scientists claim that we are all related and share a common ancestor, not that we are direct descendants of one another in a linear formation which is a myth for another time. I find it interesting that all life on Earth is somehow related to one another, however loose it may be. An easy way to think about it is that instead of a straight line, we are different leaves on tree branches coming from the same main tree. 

 Evolutionary trends are hard to find because first it has to be ensured it is an actual trend, not a random fluke. An evolutionary trend commonly referred to amongst evolutionists regards the dinosaur species, titanotheres. They displayed bony protrusions on their noses. It was not random because the direction of the horn was biased towards getting bigger. Although the cause of the trend is not obvious, it is thought to be from increasing size of the dinosaurs themselves.  Most trends scientists have noticed are not applicable to all species or lineages. Each one makes their own path. It is important to remember evolution was never and never will be a straight line.  It is more accurate to picture evolution as tree roots that have their own line. 

 My name is Annah Boone and I am a senior at OSU. I am currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Biology pre-med with a minor in neuroscience. My two dogs are my favorite things to talk about. I have a golden doodle, Rocky, and a labradoodle, Daisy. People who do not know me probably think they are my children.  Something new I learned from this week's material is that evolution is completely different that an animal adapting to a new environment.