Friday, May 15, 2020

The Mystery of North Americas Black Wolves

Despite their name, gray wolves (Canis lupus) are not always just gray. These canids  can also have black or white coats—the ones with black coats are referred to, logically enough, as black wolves. The frequencies of the various coat shades and colors prevailing within  a wolf population often vary with habitat. For example, wolf packs that live in open tundra  consist mostly of  light-colored individuals; the pale coats of these wolves allow them to blend in with their surroundings and conceal themselves when pursuing caribou, their primary prey. On the other hand, wolf packs living in boreal forests contain higher proportions of dark-colored individuals, as their murky habitat enables darker-colored individuals to blend in. Of all the color variations in Canis lupus, the black individuals are the most intriguing. Black wolves are so colored because of a genetic mutation in their K locus gene. This mutation causes a condition known as melanism, an increased presence of dark pigmentation which causes an individual to be colored black (or nearly black). Black wolves are also intriguing because of their distribution. There are significantly more black wolves in North America than there are in Europe.   To better understand the genetic underpinnings of black wolves, a team of scientists from Stanford University, UCLA, Sweden, Canada, and Italy recently assembled under the leadership of Stanfords Dr. Gregory Barsh; this group analyzed the DNA sequences of 150 wolves (about half of which were black) from Yellowstone National Park. They wound up piecing together a surprising genetic story, stretching back tens of thousands of years to a time when early humans were breeding domestic canines in favor of darker varieties. It turns out that the presence of black individuals in Yellowstones wolf packs is the result of deep historical mating between black domestic dogs and gray wolves. In the distant past, humans bred dogs in favor of darker, melanistic individuals, thus increasing the abundance of melanism in domestic dog populations. When domestic dogs interbred with wild wolves, they helped to bolster melanism in wolf populations as well. Unraveling the deep genetic past of any animal is a tricky business. Molecular analysis provides scientists with a way to estimate when genetic shifts could have occurred in the past, but its usually impossible to attach a firm date to such events. Based on genetic analysis, Dr. Barshs team estimated that the melanism mutation in canids arose sometime between 13,000 and 120,00 years ago (with the most likely date being about 47,000 years ago). Since dogs were domesticated around 40,000 years ago, this evidence fails to confirm whether the melanism mutation arose first in wolves or domestic dogs. But the story does not end there. Because melanism is far more prevalent in North American wolf populations than it is in European wolf populations, this  suggests that the cross between domestic dogs populations (rich in melanistic forms) likely occurred in North America. Using the data collected, study coauthor Dr. Robert Wayne has dated the presence of domestic dogs in Alaska to about 14,000 years ago. He and his colleagues continue to investigate ancient dog remains from that time and location to determine whether (and to what degree) melanism was present in those ancient domestic dogs.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Strengths And Weaknesses Of School Based Therapy Essay

Owens, Granader and Baron-Cohen acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of school-based therapy versus clinical based therapy. While the school-based therapy is more adept to focusing on â€Å"theory of mind, eye contact and play with preferred toys† (Owens et al., 2008, p. 1945) due to the possibility of larger and more frequent group settings. Peer â€Å"therapists† can also be brought in as a play mentor and model. Sessions at a clinic tend to focus more on â€Å"social initiations and responses, emotion recognition and group problem solving† (Owens et al., 2008, p. 1945). One play-based method of therapy includes the use of LEGOs. Groups of three children are given specific jobs with the task of creating a designated project. Interest to complete the project is high due to the fact that many AS children enjoy LEGOs. They play centered around building appropriate social interactions, identifying verbal and nonverbal rules, solving problems creatively and work ing together to complete the task. Research found that those participating in the study were better able to generalize their learned skills when playing in other situations (Owens et al., 2008, p. 1945). Going to physical and occupational therapy can improve a child’s motor skills and help them with daily tasks such as eating, playing and sleeping (Attwood, 2007, p. 17). â€Å"One of the movement disturbances associated with Asperger’s syndrome is lax joints† (Attwood, 2007, p. 263). David Miedzianik gives his account of theShow MoreRelatedTheory Analysis1707 Words   |  7 Pagessexuality.  · Strengths and Usefulness - This theory emphasized the impact of childhood experiences on later life. 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Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Trapped free essay sample

In the society today, more often than not, it is the men who has control over things. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are better than the women but this has just been the case for the longest time that it has already become a tradition or part of the culture. When a man likes a woman, for example, he has the option to show this to her or initiate something for their relationship to develop. On the other hand, when it is the woman who likes a man, she has to wait for the man to like her also before she can show her affection to him. This control of men over certain things doesn’t just apply to love or relationships. It also applies in a lot of other situations like in the family etc. In the story â€Å"The Corral† by Edith Tiempo, we see a woman named Pilar who struggles in her life because her decisions are bounded by the people around her and this culture of being conservative for the women in her society. We will write a custom essay sample on Trapped or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the story, it doesn’t directly say that Pilar is attracted to Gregorio, a man who is introduced as a relatively handsome and hardworking guy, an alpha male, but it is quite obvious that she is interested in him on the basis of her actions towards the man. After their first meeting, she asks Elmo, their servant child, some questions about the man and also talks about him in some instances. â€Å"That man Gregorio, where is he taking all that firewood? † (Tiempo). She also watched closely as Gregorio stretched after eating and left him additional water before she went on in their second meeting in the grove. However, even though Pilar is interested in Gregorio, she is unable to show him much about this affection. In their second meeting. he tries her best to conceal her liking of the man by not throwing herself at him and keeping her silence until Gregorio starts talking because a woman who is too showy is badly looked upon in her society. In their second meeting also, it is noticeable that it is Gregorio, the man, and not Pilar who starts up the conversation this shows the norm in the society that in this kind of situation, it is the man who is more accepted to make the first move and not the woman. Thus, it is also the man who has the control over the situation. As the story goes on, it is seen that Pilar is not only repressed by the norms in the society but also by the people around her. Looking now at her relationship with her father, we see that Pilar is unhappy about some of her father’s actions but she is unable to confront him about these things. â€Å"She didnt want to be irritated at her father because there has already been to much politeness between them lately, and it was a strain. † (Tiempo) This shows that Pilar sometimes feels bad about how she is treated by her father but she holds back her emotions so as not to ruin the courtesy between them. Also, because of her father’s authority, she is pushed around to do things according to her father’s desires. â€Å"You rather enjoy being my reason, Father, don’t you? You rather like it. †Ã‚   (Tiempo). This was Pilar’s follow up when she said that she told Mr. Perfecto that she quit her job because she had to take care of her father which shows that what she is doing, quitting her job and taking care of the household is all for her father’s satisfaction. This authority of his father is what leads her to pursue her father’s wants rather than her own.