Human evolution has slowed dramatically due to modern environments where natural selection is no longer a strong factor of survival. Genetic mutations that were previously disadvantageous, such as poor eyesight, low birth weight, or a tendency toward obesity, are now more likely to be passed on as modern medicine allows more people with these traits to survive and reproduce. As a result, traits that were previously weeded out by natural selection may become more common in human populations over generations.

1. Geology 3 Field Assignment By April Chavarria

2. Homosapians How we Evolve: How are we evolving? The current theory of evolution is that over the generations, in our population, we get random genetic changes (mutations) in our DNA (genome). Most of these changes are harmless and they might have a chance to be fixed within a population at a low frequency. But according to a leading geneticist, both visions are wrong because human evolution has ground to a halt. Professor Steve Jones, of University College London, says the forces driving evolution - such as natural selection and genetic mutation - no longer play an important role in our lives. (www.dailymail.co.uk) The people living one million years from now, should Man survive, will resemble modern-day humans. In a harsh environment where people are competing to survive, natural selection is a potent force. So in Ice Age Britain, a mutation which gave a baby more resilience against the cold or famine also gave it a strong competitive edge, making it more likely to survive and pass its genes on to others. But in a modern world of central heating and plenty of food, the same mutation is far less likely to give a child any advantage. Poor eyesight - having less than perfect vision no longer means that you are at a disadvantage because it can be corrected. So more people will survive with defective vision and pass on this to the next generation. Low birth weight / premature birth - as children who are born at low birth weight or prematurely now more often survive due to incubators and other medical interventions, any genetic tendency towards low birth weight or premature birth may become fixed in the population.

3. Food Hormones and evolution Early puberty in girls has been found to be associated with a higher risk for breast cancer. Height, weight, diet, exercise, and family history have all been found to influence age of puberty . Steroid hormones in food were suspected to cause early puberty in girls in some reports. However, exposure to higher than natural levels of steroid hormones through hormone-treated meat or poultry has never been documented. A concern about an increase in cases of girls reaching puberty or menarche early (at age eight or younger) in Puerto Rico, led to an investigation in the early 1980s by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Samples of meat and chicken from Puerto Rico were tested for steroid hormone residues. One laboratory found a chicken sample from a local market to have higher than normal level of estrogen. Also, residues of zeranol were reported in the blood of some of the girls who had reached puberty early. However, these results could not be verified by other laboratories. In another study in Italy, steroid hormone residues in beef and poultry in school meals were suspected as the cause of breast enlargement in very young girls and boys. However, the suspect beef and poultry samples were not available to test for the presence of hormones. Without proof that exposure to higher levels of steroid hormones occurred through food, it is not possible to conclude whether or not eating hormone-treated meat or poultry caused the breast enlargement in these cases. (www.cornell.edu) In these pictures, my daughter is only 16 years old.

4. Obesity and evolution Obesity - being obese no longer means being unable to escape a predator or defeat a rival in battle as in earlier stages of evolution. Any tendency towards obesity is likely to become fixed in the population. For centuries, writers have attempted to predict the future of the human race. Some have argued that we are destined to evolve into super-beings, others that we are turning into dim-witted goblins incapable of anything more demanding than watching TV. Obesity Statistics

5. The Pine Tree Pines are trees in the genus Pinus (paɪnəs) in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species. (www.wikipedia.com) The oldest known fossil of the pine family (Pinaceae) is a cone from the Lower Cretaceous period, about 130 million years ago. Pines grow throughout the Northern Hemisphere, and only one species (Pinus merkusii) is native to the Southern Hemisphere. More than 70 species are native to Mexico and Central America, and this is their likely center of origin. (www.science.jrank.org) Pine trees are known to cross pollinate naturally and produce naturally evolved and improved pine tree species. Picture taken at WHC Coaling

6. Pine Tree cont….. There are about 35 pine tree species in America. They are classified as evergreen plants, as they do not shed their leaves even in winter. They are very hard, slow growing trees that are resistant to drought and can survive in poor, sandy soil. Pine tree identification is very easy, as these trees stand out among a group of trees. The pine trees are coniferous trees and have leaves that look like needles, are in fascicles or bundles. They have a deciduous sheath and the stems branch out in whorls of 'racemose arrangement'. (www.buzzle.com) The pine trees leaves are dark green in color and are variously arranged. The peculiarity of genus Pinus is they have different kinds of leaves. The first type are small membranous scales and second prismatic green needles in groups of 2, 3 or 5 dwarf branches in the axils of there scales. Pine trees are have different and distinct inflorescence of stamens and ovules. The cones of pine trees are ½ to 12 inches in size. The Longleaf pine tree species are up to 10 inches in size that makes it one of the largest pine cones. Another pine tree fact is that the smallest cone is just 3/4" to 2" in size and it belongs to the Mugo pine tree species.

7. The flowering plants (angiosperms), also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies (derived characteristics). These characteristics include flowers, endosperm within the seeds, and the production of fruits that contain the seeds. (www.wikipedia.com) Bougainvillea is a genus of flowering plants native to South America from Brazil west to Peru and south to southern Argentina. The name comes from Louis Antoine de Bougainville, an admiral in the French Navy who discovered the plant in Brazil in 1768. They are thorny, woody, vines growing anywhere from 1-12 meters tall, scrambling over other plants with their hooked thorns. They are evergreen where rainfall occurs all year, or deciduous if there is a dry season. The leaves are alternate, simple ovate-acuminate, 4-13 cm long and 2-6 cm broad. The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts with the bright colors associated with the plant, including pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, or yellow. Bougainvillea glabra is sometimes referred to as "paper flower" because the bracts are thin and papery. (www.bgi-usa.com) Bougainvillea Plant Flowering plant in Coalinga

9. The dog was the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in human history.

10. The American Pit Bull Terrier has a long history which makes it almost impossible to be completely sure of its’ origin.

11. It is believed they derive from the Molossian family of dogs who derive from the Molossi tribe, a group of people who lived in ancient Greece.Theywere officially termed as canus molossi and were renowned for their fierceness, and for their innate ability to intimidate the enemies of the tribe.

12. The early Britons employed a variation of the Mastiffs as fighting dogs that could be used in either guardianship or warfare. When the Roman emperor defeated the Briton Chief these dogs were crossbred. (www.pitbull411.com)

13. Along the way they mixed other indigenous breeds throughout Europe, creating a genetic melting pot for the bulldogs that are thought to have been the immediate antecedents of the American Pit Bull Terrier. (www.pitbull411.com)This picture was taken in my backyard. American Pit Bull Terrier Baby ~ My two year old Pit Bull

14. Pansies The flowering plants (angiosperms), also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies (derived characteristics). These characteristics include flowers, endosperm within the seeds, and the production of fruits that contain the seeds. (www.wikipedia.com) The ancestors of flowering plants diverged from gymnosperms around 245–202 million years ago, and the first flowering plants known to exist are from 140 million years ago. They diversified enormously during the Lower Cretaceous and became widespread around 100 million years ago, but replaced conifers as the dominant trees only around 60-100 million years ago. Pansy is said to have ancestral links with viola, a flower that ages back to 4th century B.C. Viola had originated in continental Europe and were used as a herbal medicine. Later sometime a plant bearing similarities to viola was discovered growing in wild regions, often in open areas. Finders named it wild pansy as it thrived in alpine meadows and rocky surfaces. Wild pansy differed from viola in two significant ways. It stemmed from the ground and branched above the ground whereas viola branched below the ground and was larger in size. Later Europeans began cultivating both these plants and What we call Pansy today sprouted in Iver, Buckinghamshire in England. (www.agrigulturalproductsindia.com) By 1850, gardeners came up with several new varieties of Pansies. And through cross breeding desired traits were also developed and the final version was welcomed by gardeners all over the world. Today we can easily see and find Pansy in a wide range of colors like pink, rose, orange, blue and many more. Not only this but innovative and advanced breeding has produced varieties which are available in unusual bicolor designs. Picture taken in my garden

15. References www.dailymail.co.uk www.cornell.edu www.gallup-healthways.com www.science.jrank.org www.buzzle.com www.bgi-usa.com www.pitbull411.com www.agriculturalproducsindia.com www.wikipedia.com