Monday, December 11, 2023

What Makes us Human and other Information.

 

 


There is no full understanding of human beings without understanding human biology, anatomy, and physiology. Most human beings have legs, a torso, arms, a neck, and a head. The whole adult human body has about 100 trillion cells. Most of the body systems in humans are the nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, immune, integumentary, lymphatic, musculoskeletal, reproductive, respiratory, and urinary systems. The dental formula of humans is: 2.1.2.3/2.1.2.3. Humans have proportionately shorter palates and much smaller teeth than other primates. Humans have short, relatively flush canine teeth. Humans have characteristically crowded teeth, with gaps from lost teeth usually closing up quickly in young individuals. Humans are gradually losing their third molars, with some individuals having them congenitally absent. Human beings have an appendix, flexible shoulder joints, grasping fingers, and opposable thumbs. While humans have a density of hair follicles comparable to other apes, it is predominantly vellus hair, most of which is so short and wispy as to be practically invisible. Humans have about 2 million sweat glands spread over their entire bodies, many more than chimpanzees, whose sweat glands are scarce and are mainly located on the palm of the hand and on the soles of the feet. It is estimated that the worldwide average height for an adult human man is about 171 cm (5 ft 7 in), while the worldwide average height for adult human women is about 159 cm (5 ft 3 in). Shrinkage of stature may begin in middle age in some individuals but tends to be typical in the extremely aged. Throughout history, human populations have universally become taller, probably as a consequence of better nutrition, healthcare, and living conditions. The average mass of an adult human is 59 kg (130 lb.) for women and 77 kg (170 lb.) for men. Like many other conditions, body weight and body type are influenced by both genetic susceptibility and environment and vary greatly among individuals. Humans have a far faster and more accurate throw than other animals. Humans are also among the best long-distance runners in the animal kingdom, but slower over short distances. Humans' thinner body hair and more productive sweat glands help avoid heat exhaustion while running for long distances. 



Humans are a diploid and eukaryotic species. Each somatic cell has two sets of 23 chromosomes, each set received from one parent; gametes have only one set of chromosomes, which is a mixture of the two parental sets. Among the 23 pairs of chromosomes, there are 22 pairs of autosomes and one pair of sex chromosomes. Like other mammals, humans have an XY sex-determination system, so that women have the sex chromosomes XX and men have XY. Genes and environment influence human biological variation in visible characteristics, physiology, disease susceptibility, and mental abilities. The exact influence of genes and environment on certain traits is not well understood. While no humans – not even monozygotic twins – are genetically identical, two humans on average will have a genetic similarity of 99.5%-99.9%. This makes them more homogeneous than other great apes, including chimpanzees. This small variation in human DNA compared to many other species suggests a population bottleneck during the Late Pleistocene (around 100,000 years ago), in which the human population was reduced to a small number of breeding pairs.



The human genome was first sequenced in 2001 and by 2020 hundreds of thousands of genomes had been sequenced. In 2012 the International HapMap Project had compared the genomes of 1,184 individuals from 11 populations and identified 1.6 million single nucleotide polymorphisms. African populations harbor the highest number of private genetic variants. While many of the common variants found in populations outside of Africa are also found on the African continent, there are still large numbers that are private to these regions, especially Oceania and the Americas. By 2010 estimates, humans have approximately 22,000 genes. By comparing mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited only from the mother, geneticists have concluded that the last female common ancestor whose genetic marker is found in all modern humans, the so-called mitochondrial Eve, must have lived around 90,000 to 200,000 years ago.



All humans experience an interesting life cycle. After fertilization, the average gestation period is 38 weeks. The embryo turns into a fetus. Some people have early labor, and some have a cesarean section if the child needs to be born earlier for medical reasons. High levels of infant mortality exist in developing countries corresponding to lower birth weight. Developed nations have infants being born in 7-9 pounds and 19-21 inches in height at birth. New medical technologies have made labor more successful, but problems do exist like maternal death and other complications. Mothers and fathers care for children, and culturally most parental care is done by the mother. Humans reach sexual maturity at 15 to 17 years old. The human life span exists from infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Among cultures, these times vary, but there is a rapid growth spurt among humans during adolescence. Human women undergo menopause and become infertile at around the age of 50. The life span of an individual depends on two major factors, genetics and lifestyle choices. For various reasons, including biological/genetic causes, women live on average about four years longer than men. As of 2018, the global average life expectancy at birth of a girl is estimated to be 74.9 years compared to 70.4 for a boy. There are significant geographical variations in human life expectancy, mostly correlated with economic development – for example, life expectancy at birth in Hong Kong is 87.6 years for girls and 81.8 for boys, while in the Central African Republic, it is 55.0 years for girls and 50.6 for boys. The developed world is generally aging, with the median age around 40 years. In the developing world, the median age is between 15 and 20 years. While one in five Europeans is 60 years of age or older, only one in twenty Africans is 60 years of age or older. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarians (humans of age 100 or older) worldwide. 


Most humans are omnivorous eating both plant and animal material. Some are vegan and primarily carnivorous. In some cases, dietary restrictions in humans can lead to deficiency diseases; however, stable human groups have adapted to many dietary patterns through both genetic specialization and cultural conventions to use nutritionally balanced food sources. The human diet is prominently reflected in human culture and has led to the development of food science. In general, humans can survive for up to eight weeks without food, depending on stored body fat. Survival without water is usually limited to three or four days, with a maximum of one week. In 2020 it is estimated that 9 million humans die every year from causes directly or indirectly related to starvation. Childhood malnutrition is also common and contributes to the global burden of disease. There is biological variation in the human species – with traits such as blood type, genetic diseases, cranial features, facial features, organ systems, eye color, hair color and texture, height and build, and skin color varying across the globe. The typical height of an adult human is between 1.4 and 1.9 m (4 ft 7 in and 6 ft 3 in), although this varies significantly depending on sex, ethnic origin, and family bloodlines. Body size is partly determined by genes and is also significantly influenced by environmental factors such as diet, exercise, and sleep patterns. Populations can adapt. Many genes that allow adult humans to digest lactose have a long history of cattle domestication and are dependent on cow milk. Sickle cell anemia, which may provide increased resistance to malaria, is frequent in populations where malaria is endemic.



Populations that have for a very long time inhabited specific climates tend to have developed specific phenotypes that are beneficial for those environments – short stature and stocky build in cold regions, tall and lanky in hot regions, and with high lung capacities or other adaptations at high altitudes. Some populations have evolved highly unique adaptations to very specific environmental conditions, such as those advantageous to ocean-dwelling lifestyles and freediving in the Bajau. Hair color and skin color do depend on melanin. 



The greatest degree of genetic variation exists between men and women. While the nucleotide genetic variation of individuals of the same sex across global populations is no greater than 0.1%–0.5%, the genetic difference between men and women is between 1% and 2%. Men on average are 15% heavier and 15 cm (6 in) taller than women. On average, men have about 40–50% more upper body strength and 20–30% more lower body strength than women at the same weight, due to higher amounts of muscle and larger muscle fibers. Women generally have a higher body fat percentage than men. As there are chromosomal differences between women and men, some X and Y chromosome-related conditions and disorders only affect either men or women. After allowing for body weight and volume, the voice of men voice is usually an octave deeper than the woman's voice. Women have a longer life span in almost every population around the world. There are human beings who are intersexual people. 


   


Human psychology is one of the most important issues about humanity. This subject is related to the human brain, the central nervous system, and the peripheral nervous system. In addition to controlling "lower", involuntary, or primarily autonomic activities such as respiration and digestion, it is also the locus of "higher" order functioning such as thought, reasoning, and abstraction. These cognitive processes constitute the mind, and, along with their behavioral consequences, are studied in the field of psychology. Since humans have a larger and more developed prefrontal cortex than other primates, that region of the brain deals with higher cognition. Humans are more intelligent than any other species on Earth. Humans may be the only beings with episodic memory and can have mental time travel to think about past events. Humans have a high degree of flexibility in their facial expressions. Humans can cry emotional tears that animals can't do. Humans can dream too with sensory images and sounds. Dreams happen by the pons and mostly happen during the REM phase of sleep. Humans can have 3 to 5 dreams per night. Dreamers are more likely to remember the dream if awakened during the REM phase. The events in dreams are generally outside the control of the dreamer, except in lucid dreaming, where the dreamer is self-aware. Dreams can at times make a creative thought occur or give a sense of inspiration. Human consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience or awareness of internal or external existence Consciousness, knowledge, cognition, the senses, and imagination all deal with psychology. Emotions are biological states associated with the nervous system. Moods such as pleasure, anger, creativity, etc. reflect on human behavior. Acting on the extreme or having uncontrolled emotions can lead to social disorder or crimes. Studies document how criminals may have a lower emotional intelligence than normal. For humans, sexuality involves biological, erotic, physical, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, that has varied with historical contexts over time, it lacks a precise definition. The biological and physical aspects of sexuality largely concern the human reproductive functions, including the human sexual response cycle. Sexuality also affects and is affected by cultural, political, legal, philosophical, moral, ethical, and religious aspects of life. Most humans are heterosexual, and other humans are non-heterosexual. Human psychology has been studied by the experts for centuries and thousands of years. 



 


Winter times are coming and new facts about how the world functions transpire. Liz Cheney released her book called "Oath and Honor." This book exposes the Trump movement and the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. It is a book that not only Trump but his enablers. She has criticized pro-Trump Republicans as enablers and collaborators. These people made a conscious decision to violate the oath to the Constitution out of their sick political allegiance to the corrupt Donald Trump. Liz Cheney called Trump "the most dangerous man ever to inhabit the Oval Office." Trump is the most corrupt President of the 21st century and one of the top five worst Presidents in American history in my view. Cheney also condemned the actions of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (she said he told her that Trump knew he had lost the 2020 election). She has criticized the Republican Congressman Mark Green of Tennessee as calling Trump Orange Jesus (Green denies making that comment about Trump). Liz Cheney said that she would do everything to try to not make Trump win the 2024 election. She said that if Trump is the party's nominee in 2024, she will leave the GOP. The treason that Donald Trump and his allies did for years will never be forgotten by us. Now, Israel has used strikes in southern Gaza which contradicts their previous act of bombing northern Gaza. Today, we have a situation where even Vice President Kamala Harris is right to say to the Israeli government that Israeli military forces have a right to disagree with Hamas's terrorism, but they must adhere to international law in dealing with civilians. Massive Palestinian civilians and innocent Israelis have unjustly died in that conflict. Now, you have AIPAC targeting progressive black human beings (who are in Congress) and other members of color Congresspeople disproportionately because these Congresspeople believe in the dignity of Palestinian life (and they use critiques against the far-right extremist Benjamin Netanyahu). AIPAC interests funded MAGA Republicans, who believe in the 2020 election lie too making that group filled with hypocrites (in claiming to be for democracy and funding people who represent the antithesis of democracy). AIPAC is not only targeting Ilhan Omar and Jamaal Bowman. They are targeting Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Cori Bush, and Ayanna Pressley. Centrist CBC members support AIPAC heavily. Years ago, AIPAC even wanted Donna Edwards from Maryland out of office. In August 2005, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) were indicted under the Espionage Act on the extraordinary charge that they had improperly received and transmitted classified information that was provided to them by a government official. At the end of the day, Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in peace, liberty, equality, and justice without Hamas terrorism and without occupation.




 



I found information on the marriage bond document between Isham Tiller and Martha Jane Randolf. The couple was married on January 6, 1866, at North Carolina (in Halifax County). The bondsman was John Moore. The witness was Jas H. Whitaker. The ceremony was performed by Henry Epps, the African Minister of the Gospel. Ishan Tillery and Matha Jane Randolf are my 3rd great-grandparents. Ishan Tillery and Martha Jane Randolf had many children who were Walter Tillery (1868-1927), Georganna Tillery (1868-1954), Medrick Tillery (b. 1871), and John Tillery (b. 1873). My 2nd great-granduncle Walter Tillery married Sallie Gary (1869) in 1888. Their children are Carolina Tillery (b. 1890), Cora Lee Tillery (1895-1955), Rufus Flint Tillery (1896-1965), and Lucy Tillery Smith (1906-1931). Walter Tillery later married Anna Page with the children of Noah Tillery (b. 1908), Bessie L. Tillery (1917-1978), and Walter Tillery Jr. (1919-1987). My first cousin Carolina Tillery married Cleveland Bigs on August 22, 1908, at Lenoir, North Carolina. Their daughter was Ethel Biggs (1928-1995). Ethel Biggs had 2 children, who are my 3rd cousins, with William Jordan (1930-1968) whose names are Arrasheed Jordan (b. 1953) and Mildred Dorrea Jordan (b. 1963). Mildred Dorrea Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York City. She married Charles Nathan Newton (b. 1961), and their child is Charles Nathan Amin Newton (b. 1981). The couple has lived in Ohio before. 



Vivian D. was my 1st cousin who was born in June 25, 1934, in Halifax, North Carolina. She had the following children with John Henry Dew Sr. (b. 1918): Lauraine Dew (b. 1951), John H. Dew Jr. (b. 1952), Ashely C. Dew (b. 1957), and Edith Luevenia Dew (b. 1953). Later, Vivian D. married Sylvester Whitfield (1927-1981) in 1966 in New Jersey. Lauraine Dew had 2 children Barbara Ann Dew (b. 1968) and Nathaniel R. Dew (b. 1970). My 2nd cousin Edith Luevenia Dew had the child of Edith L. Dew (b. 1970), and Edith L. Dew's child is Tyra Murray (who is my 2nd cousin whose father was the late Tyree Murray). Shayla I. Taylor Jackson was born in Bellevue, Nebraska, and is a descendant of Arthur Boss Claude. 


By Timothy


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