2. Compile the information from the 3 articles and summarize the main ideas into one 6-8 sentence paragraph.

3. Find 4-6 pictures that help visually represent the main ideas that the articles were trying to get across to the reader.

4. What information was... new? interesting? confusing? helpful? left out?

    By 2010, experts acquired an assortment of statistical data that points to an interesting hypothesis -- that the controlled, consistent environment of culture has given humanity the ability to shape its own evolution. However, this is not a new idea in concept, being originally argued by scientists, Robert Boyd and Peter J. Richerson, with their example of the culture surrounding lactose tolerance in Northern Europe. And even though it was ignored in their time, this hypothesis has proven itself correct. “The descendants of an ancient cattle-rearing culture that emerged in the region some 6,000 years ago -- the gene is kept switched on in adulthood. Drinking raw milk has caused an evolutionary change in the human genome.” (Human Culture, an Evolutionary Force; paragraph 12.) Evolution within a species typically relies on a few factors: conventional pressure and the environment and climate of the population. Culture, likewise, has also been shown to also have a factor in this process. As a society becomes consistent in their actions and beliefs, their genetic structure adapts to become efficient in the desired lifestyle. “They could have changed in response to the social transition between as people moved from small hunter-gatherer groups to...towns inhabited by several thousand.” (Human Culture, an Evolutionary Force; paragraph 15) For example, the scanning of the genome of a human in a settled society was shown to have a smaller, skeletal structure, to make accommodations for a larger brain size. Diet could also easily affect a culture’s genetics. Asia, which is focused on carbs and vegetables will have citizens with a different appearance and proficiencies (culinary intellectualism, with enough food to accommodate the culture) than in Alaska, where meats are widely important (making it necessary for attributes such as enlarged bone structure and inherent strength.) Despite this evidence, these are simply logical conclusions drawn by statistical trends-- it’s not definitive. But one must ask-- what exactly makes a culture of this nature? There are many rules and requirements to be considered culture. For example, culture must be comprehensive, culture is learned rather than being something you’re born with, culture is manifested within boundaries of acceptable behavior, and failure to behave within the prescribed norms may lead to sanctions. Conscious awareness of cultural standards is limited, and cultures fall somewhere on a continuum between static and dynamic depending on how quickly they accept change. One might struggle understanding countries with different rules and expectations than their own. “One may violate the cultural norms of another country without being informed of this, and people from different cultures may feel uncomfortable in each other’s presence…” (Culture and Subculture; paragraph 7) Culture is an important aspect of life in general. It can be problematic when you are unfamiliar with the customs and beliefs of the people around you. It is necessary to prepare before you decide to go somewhere. People might act in ways unaccustomed to you, so it would be helpful to learn about their culture and viewpoints. Even if you can’t predict their moment-to-moment actions, you may be able to empathize with them, and thus, have an understanding of how to respond accordingly. If you can do the proper research on people and culture, it will give you a better understanding of the people on Earth, as well as the tools necessary to react to new situations with an appropriate level of perspective.

Culture ultimately helps to shape who you are, what you believe in, and the differences between you and the others around you.. As the article Culture and Subculture puts it, “Culture is part of the external influences that impact the consumer.” (paragraph 1) Culture has shaped the way humans have lived and evolved; and it will continue to do so as humans learn and grow.

The femininity and masculinity was very interesting as well as the effects of culture on moral beliefs and behavior. On the other hand, it was interesting to note the rate of the evolution of technology in proportion to the evolution of our genetic structure. That being in the fact that, in the existence of the modern human (about 2.5 million years), we had only just begun to exponentially evolve in both areas during the last 50,000 years or so. To which the natural question of, “Why didn’t this change come sooner,” comes to mind. Or rather, “Why hasn’t this type of change occurred within other known species of the modern day?” 

One of the specifics that seemed to have been left out of the picture, in terms of culture and evolution, was how things like breeding within different cultures and how specific occupations could’ve had an impact on the types of, and rate of, change in the human genome.

4. The information that touched on the fact that culture is often born overly dependent on how we view it was a new way to look at culture as a whole--the rest of the information was things my group members and I had either previously learned or had encountered in our own experiences.