While you may joke around with your friends and tell them they’re out of this world or maybe even a completely different species, it is clear that, in reality, we are all humans. However, have you ever wondered what makes us human? What differs us from all other species on this planet?
While many people are probably thinking, “It’s our DNA! Our DNA makes us human,” that’s not really the case at all. Our human DNA is 99% identical to a chimp’s DNA and, to make things a little weirder, 50% identical to a banana’s. However, does that make us 50% banana or 99% chimpanzee?
One scientist and experimenter, Suddendorf, focused very heavily on young children and primates to try and understand the difference in mental evolution and development between the two. After much research, Suddendorf finally came to his own solid conclusion as to what makes us human. According to Suddendorf, what makes us human is “Our open-ended ability to imagine and reflect on different situations, and our deep-seated drive to link our scenario-building minds together.” Suddendorf believes that humans, unlike other species, are able to use our imagination and think beyond our reality. To read more about his study, click here.
Two other scientists, Matt Cartmill and Kaye Brown, argue that our ability to understand the motivations of those around us makes us human. They argue that humans can empathize and can relate to other humans. Animals, on the other hand, are focused on bettering themselves and can not feel another animal’s pain. No chimpanzee will ever share its food because it sees that its “friend” is hungry. Humans can relate and can understand the intentions and motivations of those around them.
Being quite frank, there is no way to argue that humans are different than other animals. It is also quite true that we are different because of the way we stand, interact, the size of our brains and all the other physical features that help to distinguish us. it is clear that one can not argue these facts. However, unlike Suddendorf and other scientists, I find it hard to believe that animals do not have the ability to imagine or reflect. There are new discoveries everyday and while maybe it has been proven that they don’t have the part of the brain necessary to imagine or they don’t have the mental capacity, I still believe that maybe we’re missing something. I am not trying to argue with science. I just believe that the world surprises us everyday and that we can’t be sure about anything. Anyway, whatever the reason is, I am thankful everyday for that 50% of my genome sequence that sets me aside from a banana.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-suddendorf/what-makes-us-human_b_4414357.html
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/sep/01/20-big-questions-in-science
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1002/evan.21328/asset/21328_ftp.pdf;jsessionid=9FCE7367CE84E35528F258A625A81612.f02t04?v=1&t=i1l5ojb0&s=efaf7128529288ee1aedcd369560cf4685e847d6
To be honest, I do believe that one day we will be able to genetically alter other animals to have the same intellectual ability as us. As far as the technology goes, I’m sure if someone really wanted it to happen, then it would. Science is always evolving and it is incredible to think of everything we have accomplished. There are studies being done about bringing back the extinct and cloning mammals so I totally think it’s possible that one day we will be able to alter mammals to interact with them. However, not to sound like the plot line of a movie, I feel like there could be some serious risks with that, especially because that means that everything we knew for our entire existence would suddenly change and be different. While it would be a great source of knowledge, it would also be a very difficult transition to make.
It’s amazing to see how close we are genetically to other animals, and even objects! Do you believe that because of this fact, we could genetically later other mammals to have the same intellectual ability as us? For example, monkeys are close to humans in their genetic make up. For this reason, they possess some of the qualities that humans do, such as the ability to comprehend demands. Maybe genetically altering monkeys could provide humans with an insight on how we can alter our society.