NOVA mentions the HAC gene before Paabo's Neanderthal report #172 Rockthrowing theory: central theory of Anthropology
Archimedes Plutonium
usual NOVA show. Some of NOVA's shows are 100% error such as "black
holes" or the recent "string theory" baloney.
But tonight's NOVA was a delight.
And it was a 2 hour long program.
It taught me that the current biology community thinks of the "junk
DNA" as that of not junk at all but rather where the "switches" exist
that turn on or turn off genes.
I was looking for the transcript of tonight's NOVA:
"What Darwin Never Knew" but was informed that
I would have to wait weeks and months before I could
see the transcript.
It showed Jim Noonan of Yale talking about the HAC gene, calling it
the "aristocrat" which enhances the Throwing arm and the opposable
thumb of humans.
So I have been waiting anxiously for the Paabo team
of researchers in Germany to give the Neanderthal genome as promised
by the end of this year but it looks as though they need extra time. I
am anxious because although the FOXP2 gene of Neanderthal is
identical to humans, that the HACNS1 gene of Neanderthal, I expect to
have several mutations, probably 3 at least mutations which indicates
that they
were extincted by our species because Neanderthal could not "throw" as
well as Homo sapiens.
In other words, what created the human species some
6 to 10 million years ago out of ape-stock was a ancient ape that had
a proclivity to pick up rocks and stones and to throw them frequently
to gain more food and females and to increase his rockthrowing
proclivity
into future generations.
Humanity was borne of rockthrowing.
So that Rockthrowing theory would predict that Neanderthal was a tad
off the throwing abilities that Cro-Magnon had. And that Neanderthal
was stonethrown into extinction by Cro-Magnon.
So I am surprized that NOVA would speak up about
the HAC gene and Noonan's research.
There were many other interesting features such as:
(1) spotted fruitfly switch
(2) stickleback fish and manatee switch
(3) finches of Galapagos switch
The information about mutations to make the human brain larger than a
chimp brain is incidental. When
the driving pressure of evolution is "better and accurate throwing"
drives for a larger brain to have the flight path
of a thrown rock in mind. So Throwing comes first, which creates
bipedalism much later in order to increase better throwing and much
later the brain increases in size to make throwing that much more
better and accurate.
So the brain increase is only a incidental offshoot of the driving
force of "better throwing."
Now, if only Paabo could report the full Neanderthal
Genome and as to whether the HACNS1 gene is identical in Neanderthal
versus Human or whether there
are mutations.
P.S. tonight was special for science because another PBS series on
exploration by ship was shown of three
French scientists-- La Condamine, Godin and Bouguer
who in the 1730s went sailing to South America in order to measure one-
degree meridian at the Equator
in order to determine the overall shape of planet Earth
as an oblate spheroid. In the process they discovered
rubber, correct quinine for malaria, and the metric system of
measurement. Quite a trip and it is fascinating how three scientist
can get along and achieve their goal that they started out with. Of
course it is unrelated to the NOVA show but I thought I would
mention it since this program preceded the above NOVA program.
Archimedes Plutonium
www.iw.net/~a_plutonium
whole entire Universe is just one big atom
where dots of the electron-dot-cloud are galaxies
jerry warner
Archimedes Plutonium wrote:
> Tonight was an excellent NOVA show which had far less errors than a
> usual NOVA show. Some of NOVA's shows are 100% error such as "black
> holes" or the recent "string theory" baloney.
You have gone gouge. Perly one. Palin siccop[hante'
Lee Olsen
<plutonium.archime...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> But tonight's NOVA was a delight.
> And it was a 2 hour long program.
A delight for those who think NOVA is a substitute for peer-reviewed
literature.
http://video.foxnews.com/v/3957395/gift-gone-wrong
The careful observer will notice the chimp assumes an upright position
BEFORE making his throw.
Humanity was borne of bipedalism.
>So that Rockthrowing theory would predict that Neanderthal was a tad
>off the throwing abilities that Cro-Magnon had. And that Neanderthal
>was stonethrown into extinction by Cro-Magnon.
Sorry, but there is good evidence Neandertals were throwing spears
hundreds of
thousands of years before Cro-Magnons showed up.
"The Schoningen spears now provide unambiguous evidence that large
animals
were killed in this manner by 400,000 years ago.
The spears have other exciting implications. First, the time and skill
needed to make them: each is made from the trunk of a 30-year-old
spruce tree;
in each, the end with the tip come from the base of the trunk, where
the wood
is hardest; and each has the same proportions, with the center of
gravity a
third of the way from the sharp end, as in a modern javelin. These
represent
considerable investment of time and skill--in selecting an appropriate
tree,
in roughing out the design and in the final stages of shaping. In
other
words, these hominids were not living within a spontaneous 'five-
minute
culture', acting opportunistically in response to immediate
situations.
Rather, we see considerable depth of planning, sophistication of
design, and
patience in carving the wood, all of which have been attributed only
to modern
humans." ~Robin Dennell, "The World's Oldest Spears," Nature 385(Feb.
27,
1997), p. 767-768
Archimedes Plutonium
It is going to be some weeks before NOVA posts their transcript of the
NOVA show
"What Darwin Never Knew".
I heard them pronounce something like "hac" so assumed it was the
HACNS1 region
of the genome. But upon looking it was HOX gene and Wikipedia has some
in depth coverage of the HOX gene.
Now what is the relationship of HOX gene to the HACNS1 coding? Is the
HACNS1
a switch of the HOX gene? So I need more searching to find out the
relationship.
In the NOVA program, Shubin was talking about paddlefish and starts
the conversation of the HOX gene and then it goes to Noonan talking
about enhancement of the opposable thumb
turned on by a switch with 13 mutations differing from the chimpanzee.
Sorry about the mistake of thinking HOX was HAC, but if there had been
a transcript I would
not have made that mistake.
So I need to find out what the relationship is between the HOX genes
and HACNS1. If Jim
Noonan was reading this post, he could immediately tell me what that
relationship is.
And Noonan would likely know why and how long is the delay in
reporting the Neanderthal
genome and whether Neanderthal had identical HACNS1 coding?