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Your Inner Fish Book Review

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As a secular person who takes an interest in science, I have always been fascinated by the academic field of evolutionary biology. Because of this, it should come as no surprise to anyone that the book I chose to review is entitled Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body. Written by Neil Shubin, this piece aims to outline the origins of humanity, as well as present a plethora of compelling pieces of evidence for the theory of evolution. He does this by reviewing scientific discoveries in areas of comparative anatomy, genetics, and the examination of fossils. Interestingly enough, he also integrates some of the most basic senses that we possess, such as sight and smell. If read properly with an open mind, …show more content…

The author explains how to extract DNA from something using household goods that one can find in their kitchen, which is exactly what we did using strawberries. He used this as a catalyst to speak on how our DNA/genetics are directly related to our sense of smell, as the scents that we inhale react with particular proteins that are present in our noses. According to the author, cetaceans (marine mammals) have lost their senses of smell. While one would assume that their bodies would just readjust and revert back to having a genome that promoted effective water-based genes, that isn't the reality. They cannot smell at all! Interestingly enough, a lot of these same genes used for the sense of smell are present in a plethora of other animals. Although some interesting points such as this one were made in this chapter, I feel that this was the weakest chapter out of all of them. He doesn't seem to articulate himself as well as he did in the previous chapters, and it seems like an outlier compared to the rest of the book. I think the root of the reader's potential confusion for this chapter could be the fact that not all of us are as educated on the field of genetics as he is, and even though he attempted to explain it, it wasn't as thorough as it probably should have

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Ella Aerts Period 5 Your Inner Fish Discussion Answers Chapter 1 - Finding Your Inner Fish Neil and his colleagues focused on rocks from 375 million years ago because fossils from 360 million years ago were amphibians with necks and four legs. However rocks that are 380 million years old looked more like fish we know today, with fins and scale. So, it made sense that they would find the transitioning fossils in rocks that was 375 million years old.

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1334 Words | 6 Pages

The criticism may be true; however the book gives a universal view of the course of

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748 Words | 3 Pages

Jasmine Elliott Due Date: Friday 25th Journal 1 I am reading “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” by W.D. Wetherall. This story is about a teenage boy that has to decide between his biggest crush and his most favorite thing to do. In this journal, I will questioning and ______. G pick bass or Sheila?

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1592 Words | 7 Pages

The sequences of DNA that make us what we are and any other living things what they are. Neil tells us that his lab is divided into two parts. One to study fossils and one to study DNA and embryonic development. So, while Shubin was in the Arctic, another researcher in his lab was busy injected a form of Vitamin A into shark and skate embryos. They wanted to see how the limbs would know how to develop.

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458 Words | 2 Pages

I am reading “The Bass, The River, and Sheila Mant” by W. D. Wetherell, and I am on page 3. So far this book is about a boy who falls in love a girl who lives next door. He takes the girl out on a boat ride to a concert but realizes that he forgot to take his fishing line off of the boat until a very large bass comes along and pulls on his line. He tries to hide the fish on the line, because he knows that Sheila does not like to fish so he’s trying to hide the evidence. In this journal I will be questioning and connecting.

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917 Words | 4 Pages

Antwone Fisher Memoir Essay Finding Fish is a story of a young, unloved boy growing up and overcoming all obstacles and hardships in order to become an amazing man. Antwone Quenton Fisher was born on August 3, 1959, in Cleveland, Ohio. He was born in a prison to Eva Mae Fisher and Eddie Elkins, who was killed before he was born. As a result of this, Antwone grew up in the foster system and he was placed in the unloving home of his foster parents, Mrs. Isabella Pickett and Reverend Ulysses Pickett.

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905 Words | 4 Pages

There is a common misconception about the field of paleontology. Many people believe it’s boring, that it’s irrelevant, and that it’s even a waste of time. However, as award winning paleontologist and author Neil Shubin argues in his novel, Your Inner Fish, the field of paleontology has the potential to change the way we view our bodies. Shubin rose to fame in the mid ‘00s after discovering a brand new fossil on the coast of Ellesmere Island. This fossil was of a creature that was part land animal and part fish, containing the flat head and joints of a land animal and the fins and webbing of a fish.

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367 Words | 2 Pages

To begin with, both Tan and Crutcher utilize characterization to pursue the shared theme, that a strong sense of self is crucial when under the pressure of the expectation of others. In “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, Amy feels propelled to conform because she feels judged for not being “normal”. Tan states, “What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas” (2). Also, it’s obvious Amy was self-conscious about the Chinese style of cooking and in this sentence she’s self-conscious because she says, “For Christmas I prayed for this blond-haired boy, and a slim new American nose”(1). In the first quote, she was over thinking and doubting that Robert would not like “our shabby Chinese Christmas” though in the end she was correct about Robert

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613 Words | 3 Pages

‘A Natural History of The Senses’ by Diane Ackerman allows the readers truly appreciate the sense smell. Ackerman goes throughout history, scientific evidence and different colorations on varying aspects of smell. She therefore allows the readers believe in smell as though it was a touchable sensation. She also allows the readers to creatively visualize memories, ideas and so forth. Ackerman allows the readers to think more in depth with how smell can be used in the daily lifestyle.

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1156 Words | 5 Pages

Over the eras, many scientists have expressed concerns with Darwin's evolution theory and in "Was Darwin Wrong?" by David Quammen one can learn about the proof behind the theory of evolution. Many people do not believe in evolution due to an overall unawareness about the theory and religious upbringing. However, Quammen clarifies the truth behind evolution in his article. The article states five positions of evidence biogeography, embryology, morphology, paleontology, and the bacterial resistance to antibiotics discovered in humans.

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The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde: Charles Darwin’s revolutionary idea of evolution sparked dramatic debate in the scientific and, most especially, religious communities, as well as inspiring a new wave of thought in the minds of the world. There was also plenty of controversy, particularly from the many believers of creationism during the Victorian Age. But by denying creationism with his own theories, Darwin “made room for strictly scientific explanations of all natural phenomena”, and as a result, initiated a “powerful intellectual and spiritual revolution” whose effects last to this day. Its profound impact meant that “nearly every field of social and cultural life was affected by the idea of evolution.” Darwin’s idea of natural

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Darwin and Bacon (The Analysis of the Concurrences between Darwin and Bacon) The anomaly that is the Earth works in strange ways, while failing to balance on one foot all one has to do is place one finger on the wall and you are safe from crashing to the ground. This phenomenon seems to suggest that all things are connected; however there is a delicate balance to be maintained. Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection proposes that there is a balance that allows for the life on Earth to maintain the equilibrium of evolution. On the other hand, Francis Bacon composed an idea of the levels of the mind called the four idols which obstructed the path for scientific reasoning and observation.

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761 Words | 4 Pages

Critical thinking questions: physical anthropology textbook 1. Given that you’ve only just been introduced to the field of physical anthropology, why do you think subjects such as skeletal anatomy, genetics, nonhuman primate behavior, and human evolution are integrated into a discussion of what it means to be human? The study of physical anthropology integrates the subjects of skeletal anatomy, genetics, nonhuman primate behavior, and human evolution because anthropologists look to the fossilized remains of hominins to see what their environments were like and what they ate. In addition to these sub fields, anthropologists look to skeletal anatomy to see any evolutionary change or if the hominin had died from any diseases and how old and tall

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827 Words | 4 Pages

Why not all agree, as you can all read the book?” Therefore, he questions the diverse kinds of

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2049 Words | 9 Pages

Your Inner Fish In the book Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin, Dr. Shubin, a 55-year old paleontologist, explains how every living organism can somehow be drawn back to a common ancestor, and that we are all theoretically related. Shubin explains in depth about the “Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body,” and how we are all intertwined and connected back to the very first living organisms. Dr. Shubin bases a lot of the book on things he has found while looking for fossils, and things he had studied while in college, naming many different scientists and how they helped him to put together facts and puzzle pieces to write this book. You find that Doctor Shubin always relates his topics back to his personal story of expeditions

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