A summary on the Article Bare, Bones and a Few Stones Essay

A summary on the Article Bare, Bones and a Few Stones - Essay Example Their minds and brains were not developed as Ehrlich describes, ‘they grabbed for roots, grabbed for an occasional mouthful’. What the author wants to discuss here is how our ancestors used the bigger brains to evolve the general kinds of nature that we have today and how they spread from Africa to all over the planet. He also points out that bones, skeletons and the stones brought about certain but not conclusive evidence of the evolution process. Ehrlich describes the genus, Homo used the forelimbs to carry and use tools and weapons. The early human beings were the original makers of the stone tools. The author expresses doubt if this is correct. Uncertainties remain with the human fossil record. From the samples it is not possible to draw conclusions about how many species of homos were there long ago. The evolutionary process, the physical appearance, the shape and size of the teeth, the jaws, all had a definite function and changed as human beings evolved from one stage to another. The teeth was used as a tool while the hair provided protection against insects. Our ancestors had the manual dexterity to produce tools and the foresight that these would be needed. Research suggests that technology differed from place to place, which depended on the environment as well as the skills of the homos making the tools. Human nature too differed geographically. Ehrlich suggests that although people share a common genetic code, the human nature is not a result of genetic coding. Cultural conditioning and environmental factors influence it. The molecular biologists are able to determine the sequence of molecular building blocks in Mitochondial DNA. MtDNA is passed from the mother to the child. These energy producing organs are present in the eggs and not in the sperm that penetrates the eggs. Analysis of mtDNA helps determine when two different populations of people last had a common ancestor. It is difficult to imagine how genes