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lfrontino's picture

Evolution at Work

 

Something that really struck me was how precisely tuned our bodies are. We discussed how our bodies only respond to the signals for which we have the proper proteins to bind to receptors. For some signals, like UV light, we do not have the proper proteins to pick up on them. I looked at pictures of some flowers under UV light, which have patterns that can be seen by bees, presumably leading the bees to pollinate these certain flowers. Humans don’t really have any need to see these patterns, since we don’t pollinate any flowers. It is clear by this example how much of a role evolution has in the abilities of our bodies and how the behaviors we exhibit are directly connected to our certain brain connections. 

It makes me wonder, what else is going on in the world that we aren’t aware of? As humans, we always consider ourselves to be the most aware and in charge of the animal kingdom, but it is probable that other animals are responding to certain stimuli that we have no idea even exist. Our sense of reality is so warped by our perception of the world, which is not even an accurate depiction. It reminds me of colors, and how different people may have different perceptions of ‘blue,’ but we would never know it, since we can’t see through their eyes. 

 

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