1. Genetics of Humanness Blake Constant
Humans evolved into what we are today [homo sapiens] over a period of about 6 million years
Blake Constant

2. Are we really 99% chimp?
Research tells us that the human and chimp genome sequences are nearly 99% identical with at least 1/3 of proteins being the same
BUT is it really that simple?
If we were to match up the human
genome sequence with the chimp
genome sequence would they mirror
each other with 99% accuracy?

3. Modern Synthesis/Neo-Darwinism
gene-centric view of evolution that believes that humans evolved from chimps solely based upon random genetic mutations that produced gradual change through the process of natural selection
4 main proponents of the original theory:
Genetic change is random
Genetic change is gradual
Natural selection is solely responsible for particular gene variations
Impossibility of inheritance of acquired characteristics

4. Integrative Synthesis
Molecular genetics and genome sequencing have reintroduced physiological function and environmental interaction to the view of evolution influencing the speed and nature of inherited change
Nobel prize winner Barbara McClintock introduced idea that the genome is an “organ of the cell”
Jean-Baptist Lamarck was an early evolutionist who proposed that life forms could acquire information from their environment and pass it on in their genes

5. Epigenetics and Evolution
Evolutionary studies have shifted from simple sequence comparisons to more in-depth analysis where gene regulation is key to understanding the evolution of humans from chimpanzees
DNA methylation is the most prevalent chemical modification of genomic DNA
Ape ancestor
# of unique methylated genes
HUMANS
171
CHIMPS
101
BONOBOS
GORILLAS
ORANGUTANS
450

6. Brain Differences
These [TSS chromatin] networks in the human brain thought to play an important role in cognitive processes and neurological disorders
Important to note that the epigenome is tissue-specific and the patterns vary between the types of cells that are studied One key area of interest was the promoter region—the area preceding a gene that controls its function like a genetic switch.

7. Genetic change is random/gradual
Genetic change is NOT random and often not gradual
rates of epigenetic mutations, such as DNA methylation, are much higher than rates of mutations transmitted genetically and are easily reversed
Genetic regulation leads to genetic mutation based on evolutionary adaptation to external influences

8. Natural selection is responsible for particular gene variations
Trans-generational epigenetic inheritance
In Modern synthesis the germ-line was believed to be isolated from any influence by the rest of the organism and its response to the environment
epigenetic conservation in evolutionary timescale is linked to functional conservation
epigenetic divergence between closely related species may be related to functional specificity

9. Germ-line modifications
Charles Darwin proposed that there existed particles of inheritance, called “gemmules” or “pangenes,” that carried information of inheritance to the sexual elements and that these particles may be modifiable by the environment Testes show the highest quantity of transcription in the body Where brain tissue shows the second highest rate by a large extent less

10. Nutrition and Epigenetics
Our health is not only determined by what we eat, but also what our parents ate. So if a pregnant mother's diet can affect the child's epigenetic outcome, can dad's diet do the same? Records show that food availability between the ages of nine and twelve for the paternal grandfather affected the lifespan of his grandchildren. BUT not in the way you might think…

11. Why are we so different from each other if we all share the same DNA?
WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE? Why are we no longer covered in fur? Why do we have different variations in skin tone? How did our skulls change shape from our ancestors? Why are identical twins not identical? Why do some people hate the taste of certain foods?
EPIGENETICS IS THE ANSWER

12. Neo-Darwinism VERSUS Epigenetics
From a psychological perspective this can be view much like the argument for nature versus nurture The Greek prefix “epi” means “on top of” or “over”