The Greatest Show On Earth by Richard Dawkins Essay

The Greatest Show On Earth by Richard Dawkins - Essay Example Dawkins makes the case that every form of life on this planet was created by way of non random natural selection, which in other words is understood as evolution (Ings, 2009). People who believe differently base their decisions on things that cannot be considered as evidence. Dawkins writes that natural selection has undergone different phases of rejection that were followed by acceptance. The author refers to intelligent design in terms of the ways in which every kind of life on Earth is created through some kind of natural selection, which is explained through reference to research on the evolution of bacteria carried out by Lenski. Dawkins has taken pains in claiming that intelligent design is a valid explanation for every aspect of nature, which is supported by the theory of evolution. It is in this context that he writes â€Å"evolution is a fact. Beyond reasonable doubt, beyond serious doubt, beyond sane, informed, intelligent doubt† (Dawkins, 2009, p.12). The primary objective of the author is to provide evidence for people that the theory of evolution is as good as any scientific fact. He states on page 85 of the book that â€Å"evolutionary scientists are in the position of detectives who come late to the scene of crime† (Dawkins, 2009, p.85). In making this statement he means that it becomes difficult to prove the evolutionary process to those that deny or doubt history. He refers to evolution repeatedly in his book and wants readers to understand how natural changes have been brought on the planet through microevolution and macroevolution. In explaining that science determines temporal sequence Dawkins has written that nature has clocks that ascertain the time taken for the effects of evolution to emerge. He means that evolutionary scientists have to make use of such wide range of clocks in terms of the processes available for dating

Catch A Yawn :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Catch A Yawn A trick in every girl's handbook: If you want to know if someone is checking you out, yawn and check to see who, if anyone, yawns back. While we may be using the contagious phenomenon of yawning to our advantage, the age-old question still lingers on - why, in fact, is yawning contagious? Plausible explanations range from historic origins to muscular requirements. However, one answer that encompasses all other questions about the cause and traits of yawning has yet to be found. First, let's tackle the question of why we yawn. An evolutional/psychological theory has claimed that yawning was once used as a non-verbal form of communication to synchronize group behavior among animals (9). For example, the leader of a pack of wolves would yawn to set a certain mood or signal a change of activity. Humans also being group-oriented animals may have assimilated to this form of agreement. In the same way that one pumped up team member can influence the level of aggression and team-spirit of an entire team, one yawning client can also affect the mood of sales-pitch meeting. Another good example of synchronization among humans is if a group is sitting around a campfire and the leader yawns, it most likely will act as a signal to the others that it may be time to call it a night. Yawning is commonly perceived to be a sign of boredom or tiredness. Dr. Robert Provine, known as the yawn-expert from the University of Maryland, performed a study on 17-19 year old students to test this perception. In comparison to a group of students who watched music videos for 30 minutes, a group who watched an uninteresting color test bar pattern for 30 minutes yawned more (10). Dr. Provine also suggested that yawning is like stretching (5). Much like stretching, blood pressure and heart rate can be increased just by yawning. Perhaps animals yawn instinctively when bored or tired to get their blood pumping so that they may be physically stimulated to move or seek a new activity. But then why is it that we yawn after waking up? If we yawn after waking as a physical prompt to become active that's one thing. But yawning as a sign of tiredness can be ruled out if we yawn after waking from a restful sleep. Maybe a study could be done in which a comparison could be made between the ho urs of sleep and the occurrence of yawning when waking.

People migrate to America

Reading Amy Tan's â€Å"Two Kinds† for the first time is confusing. The message is not quite clear until one studies the context of the story. The story deals with immigrants and the American expectation for success, but primarily of a daugthters relationship to her mother. â€Å"Two Kinds† tells the story of Jing-mei and her mother. Jing-mei's mother migrated to America after â€Å"losing everything in China. † When she was young, Jing-mei's mother told her the potential o being successful in America. â€Å"You can be a prodigy,† her mother says.Her mother had given Jing-mei piano lessons such that her talents will show. Eventhough Jing-mei recognizes that she has the talent, she refuses to give herself into it because she felt a sense of rebellion inside her. She was not able to show her true talents because of her own shortcomings. In the end her mother gives up her hopes for her daughter. The conflict lies within Jing-mei. She wants to be something els e and at the same time she wants just to be herself. She was at first just as excited to find her prodigy.But she felt the pressure coming from her mother and at the same time she felt impatient for it. Her mother. however, tried to impose to her what she cannot be. â€Å"I won't let her change me,† she tells herself in the mirror. Once she found out her inclination, she refused to pursue and sharpen it partly because of her defiance towards her mother. Her mother, on the other hand, acted the way she did because of her dream of success. People migrate to America in search of greener pastures, but scholars believe that what the immigrants could not achieve they pass to their sons or daughters.Jing-mei was a victim of such circumtance. Although, it was also the intention of her mother to see her daughter succeed in life, Jing-mei felt she's being pushed to something she's not. Jing-mei did not see that her mother had deep faith in her. Many years had passed before Jing-mei rea lized her mother's attempt to bring out her â€Å"prodigy† and found her true self. She had already realized her â€Å"prodigy† during the piano recital but she remained defiant. Even during her lessons, she knew she could be good at it, even become great with it.But she did not will it to happen. At her recital, she was confident she could do it, but because she did not take her lessons seriously, it ended shamefully for her and for her parents. When she grew old, her parents gave her as a gift the piano her mother bought for her when she was young. She was at first reluctant to accept it. Her mother explained: â€Å"this your piano†¦ Always your piano. You only one can play†¦ You have natural talent. You could be a genius if you want to. † Jing-mei found the gift as a peace offering.It gave her a chance to try again without feeling that she was doing it for the benefit of someone else. Playing it again, she found it easy enough to prove her mother ha d been right. In the end of the story where Jing-mei played the piano after some years without doing so, she played the â€Å"Pleading Child,† the same piece she played unsuccessfully during the recital. She also noticed for the first time the piece on the opposite side entitled â€Å"Perfectly Contented. † Jing-mei understood that she was playing two halves of the same song, and it reflected her feelings.She was the pleading child and when she realized her mother's intentions and trust to her, she became perfectly contented. The story's moral runs two ways. First is with the parents not to push their sons or daughters too hard as to give them a hard time. They are, after all, just children who does not understand the real world. Second is for the children to be obedient to their parents, for parents only want what is best for their children. A jing-mei's mother expressed: â€Å"Only two kinds of daughters†¦ Those who are obedient and those who follow their own m ind.† It was unfortunate that Jing-mei did not realize that her internal conflict did not arise from her mother's expectations but from the love and faith her mother had for her until her mother had already died. The story also points that one's â€Å"prodigy† lies in the person's will to succeed. Jing-mei's failure at the recital was because she lacked the will to succeed, and at the same time, her rebeliousness towards her mother. It could be said as well that had her mother not pushed her too hard, Jing-mei could have done better and she would have pursued it at her own will.I was not able to recognize the message the first time I read the story, most especially the connection of the piano pieces mentioned at the end: the â€Å"Pleading Child† and â€Å"Perfectly Contented. † But after reading it again and researching the context of the story, I came to appreciate it as giving lessons to parents and children. At the same time, the story also points to t he importance of will power to the success of a person. Defiance blinds us that even when we recognize our own strenghts and weaknesses, we sometimes refuse to let it show just to prove that others are wrong.We tell ourselves â€Å"I am who I am† without really knowing who we really are. But the beauty of it all is that at the end of the day, we will come to realize our own shortcomings when left to find who we really are by ourselves. Summing up the lesson given by the story, it is best to be both kinds: the kind that is obedient towards one's parents and the kind that follows one's own heart. It may not always be the case but, usually, once parents find out their child's talents, they can't help but enforce it, which, in the end, is best for the child. Show what you got and your parents will surely back you up. Works Cited Tan, Amy. â€Å"Two Kinds. †

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