The Biology of Survival
The Biology of Survival
According to Charles Darwin, the various species and individuals compete for the same territories, and thus organisms that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive, reproduce, and transmit their features or traits to the next generation.
Ø Ability to reproduce efficiently
In actuality, there are a few brain structures that give humans the arousal, desire, and necessity to reproduce. However, the Reticular Activating System and the Hypothalamus are particularly responsible for these needs. The Reticular Activating System serves primarily for arousal, while the Hypothalamus produces sexual behavior and mating desire. This is perhaps the most important factor of human survival, without these instincts and desires there would be no future for the continuation of human life.
Ø Ability to communicate superior to any other animal
Humans are able to communicate on the highest intelligible level ever known, we are able to communicate with body language, sign language, code and symbol language, and spoken language. The main part of the brain that instills us with this ability is the cerebral cortex. Humans are able to decipher speech (left cortex) and the imagery (right cortex) with cerebrum. Communication is essential to increasing knowledge from generation to generation, thus making humans the most intelligible of all animals. The main difference between human knowledge is that it can be taught, whereas all other animals have to re-learn what their parents learned. Humans are able to take over where the last generation left off because of our ability to communicate.
Ø Ability to adapt to almost any environment on earth
The hypothalamus limits and controls motivation and body temperature; the cerebrum also gives humans the ability to think, reason, and survive. Both of these structures are necessary for adaptation or migration to survive. Most animals are only capable of surviving in their natural habitat- or another habitat closely related, but humans have the ability to survive just about anywhere. This is so, because humans are equipped with enough reasoning that we can decide to protect ourselves from the environment. We are able to make clothing, artificial heat, and houses to keep us warm, we are able to realize if our body temperature is getting too high or low, we are able to make oxygen if there is not...