SH+2015+P6+Atavism

Aim- Benjamin Dorathy: The aim of the topic of atavism is of two different things. One is of the re-emergence of dormant genes or mutations. “Evolutionarily, traits that have disappeared phenotypically do not necessarily disappear from an organism's DNA” (Atavism). Examples include whales with hind legs or horses with extra toes. Another aim of this topic is of returning to ancestral or ancient customs in modern society. “Some [|social scientist]s describe the return of older, "more primitive" tendencies (e.g. warlike attitudes, "[|clan] identity", anything suggesting the social and political atmosphere of thousands of years ago) as "atavistic" (Atavism). They return to older religious beliefs and practices.

Audience- Alina Jones: The audience of the topic of atavism would be scientists, medical professionals, and those who study genetic development. In this article, "atavism was used to account for the reappearance in an individual of a trait after several generations of absence" (Atavism). The primary audience would be scientists, the secondary audience would be doctors and/or veterinarians, anyone who can study genetic deformities/mutations. The author doesn't know much about their audience, they know that not many people know much about these rare cases of genetic deformities, and is trying to convey the information that they discover through their findings and experiments. This is neither a strength nor a weakness, as this is not common knowledge that most people have. These scientists and medical professionals do not "understand" their audiences, they are simply writing about their findings to further inform their peers.

Historical- Juliet Buntin:  Throughout history, atavism has allowed for people to see strange instances involving genetics, which impacted people in a way that allowed them to expand their knowledge on the subject. In an article about the topic of atavism it stated, “An atavism is the reappearance of a lost character specific to a remote evolutionary ancestor and not observed in the parents or recent ancestors of the organism displaying the atavistic character” (Theobald). When scientists study atavism, they get to see the historic trait coming into play in their modern generation. Since these traits that come back are practically the same as those of ancient people, it can give scientists a better understanding of how humans and animals physically looked or how they acted in age old generations. Scientists gain more knowledge about the topic of ancient genetics the more they study cases of atavism in living organisms. Without the instances of atavism in history, people would have a weaker grasp for the topic. Therefore, the history of atavism impacts people by allowing them to further their knowledge on genetics from long ago.
 * What is the historical impact of atavism?:

Cultural- Ashley Ala: There are many cases of Atavism, from snakes with legs, to unnatural harry humans. Does this brings the theory of evolution? Perhaps, but in Jiaxue’s case, it’s complicated. Jiaxue is a four year old boy who is unnaturally furry. The first assumption is that Jaixue had relapse one of the ape genes, however Apes and chips don’t have hair on their face like Jiaxue dose. This is an example of vestigial structures. “Vestigial structures are body parts that survive as degenerate, imperfect versions of what they should be” (Lambert). In other words, Jiaxue’s hair is a modification that is uncommon for most people. Scientists today aren’t completely sure how, or why some people have furry bodies, or tails, but research is being done to find where these traits are coming from.

Works Cited: Theobald, Douglas. “29+ Evidences For Macroevolution- Part 2: Past History.” //The Talk Origins//  //Archive//. 1999-2004. Web. 1 August 2015. 

"Atavism." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 31 July 2015. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;"><[|__https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atavism__]>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">//Merriam-Webster//. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 31 July 2015.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Lambert, Katie. "How Atavisms Work." //HowStuffWorks//. HowStuffWorks.com, n.d. Web. 01 Aug. 2015. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/atavism.htm>.