Look at your data for the touch sensitivity experiment. Why do you think humans

Question

Look at your data for the touch sensitivity experiment. Why do you think humans and other primates have evolved such differences in sensitivity among these different areas?

Data:

Fingertip: 1cm

Back of hand: 2.3cm

Forearm: 1.3cm

EDIT:

You will now conduct what is referred to as a two-point touch test to determine sensitivity. This test is used to determine how well a particular area of skin is innervated.

Procedure: you will use calipers to gently touch the areas listed.

1. Move the calipers outward so that your partner (without looking) can feel two distinct points on their fingertip/back of hand/forearm.

2. Slowly reduce the distance between the calipers until your partner only feels one point.

Explanation / Answer

Human and other primates like chimpanzees, displaying more than 99% nonsynonymous DNA sequence similarity. However, the dramatic behavioral differences between modern humans and other primates is probably due to the remarkable alteration in brain organizations. The brain size has expanded since the last common ancestor of primates and human, shared by the hominins. Modern human brain have been described at many different level of neuronal organizations, including gross brain size, the relative extent of neocortical areas, asymmetry, developmental patterning, the distribution of cell types, histology, and gene expression. Therefore, the development of brain may be the central to the evolution of modern human. Subtle modifications in neural microstructure and gene expression can have a significant impact on behavior or sensitivity. Evolutionary processes, therefore, can mold behavioral or sensitive phenotypes using a host strategies.

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