biology

Nearly 170 years ago, Darwin introduced the story of evolution. Darwinian evolution explains the small differences within the same type of individuals and how this variation creates competition for the best to survive and pass on the best genes (1). Now, 170 years later, Darwinian evolution still prevails, even in the household of every family.

It is no surprise to see siblings in argument, especially because of clashing personalities. But why is the fighting so common? Is it only due to differences in personalities? Or could this fight actually be Darwinian evolution in the works? Could this fight be a form of competition to seek superiority?

The days are getting shorter and darker, and, if you’re anything like me, it’s making you want to curl up in a little ball and, well, hibernate. Animals have the right idea—as soon as winter hits they burrow into their caves and settle down to wait it out. So can we do that too? After all, we’re not that biologically different. Could we, at one point, have been able to hibernate as animals do—storing food and sleeping for several months at a time? Have we lost our

Bone Marrow Transplants: The Search for a Match

A friend of mine recently presented me with a question to use as a place to begin research for this paper. She had been studying blood types in one of her classes, and after asking about my family’s blood types, she inquired, “If you and your brother have different blood types, how could you give him bone marrow?”

Soldiers in the Evolutionary War

“...and all the people that you made in your image

see them fighting in the street

'cause they can't make opinions meet

about God...”

~ Dear God, XTC

Before beginning research on this paper, I was relatively confident that there was a specific gene in our bodies that directly influenced our sexual preference. After all, most people know with much certainty from an early age their sexuality, so there must be some sort of inherent trait that determines it. I turned to a field previously unknown to me, that of Behavioral Genetics, to answer my question of whether or not our sexuality is predetermined. I soon learned that the field of Behavioral Genetics is incredibly controversial, from the way studies are conducted to the ethical and moral issues that inevitably surround almost every topic,