DOCSLIB.ORG

Rift Valley Lake Fish and Shellfish Provided Brain-Specific Nutrition for Early Homo

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Rift Valley Lake Fish and Shellfish Provided Brain-Specific Nutrition for Early Homo Downloaded from British Journal of Nutrition (1998), 79, 3-21 3 https://www.cambridge.org/core Review article Rift Valley lake fish and shellfish provided brain-specific nutrition for early Homo . IP address: C. Leigh Broadhurst'*t, Stephen C. Cunnane2 and Michael A. Crawford3 122"d Century Nutrition Inc., 1315 Harding Lane, Cloverly, MD 209054007, USA and Visiting Scientist, Nutrient 170.106.40.219 Requirements and Functions Laboratory, Building 307, Room 224, USDA Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA 2Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, FitzGerald Building, 150 College Street, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S IA8, Canada , on 31nstitute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, University of North London, 166-222 Holloway Road, 23 Sep 2021 at 17:29:05 London N78DB, UK (Received 3 January 1997 - Revised 2 September 1997 - Accepted 3 September 1997) , subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at An abundant, balanced dietary intake of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids is an absolute requirement for sustaining the very rapid expansion of the hominid cerebral cortex during the last one to two million years. The brain contains 600 g lipid/kg, with a long-chain poly- unsaturated fatty acid profile containing approximately equal proportions of arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid deficiency at any stage of fetal and/or infant development can result in irreversible failure to accomplish specific components of brain growth. For the past fifteen million years, the East African Rift Valley has been a unique geological environment which contains many enormous freshwater lakes. Paleoan- thropological evidence clearly indicates that hominids evolved in East Africa, and that early Homo inhabited the Rift Valley lake shores. Although earlier hominid species migrated to Eurasia, modem Homo supiens is believed to have originated in Africa between 100 and 200 thousand years ago, and subsequently migrated throughout the world. A shift in the hominid resource base towards more high-quality foods occurred approximately two million years ago; this was accompanied by an increase in relative brain size and a shift towards modem patterns of fetal and infant development. There is evidence for both meat and fish scavenging, although sophisticated tool industries and organized hunting had not yet developed. The earliest https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms occurrences of modem H. supiens and sophisticated tool technology are associated with aquatic resource bases. Tropical freshwater fish and shellfish have long-chain polyunsaturated lipid ratios more similar to that of the human brain than any other food source known. Consistent consumption of lacustrine foods could have provided a means of initiating and sustaining cerebral cortex growth without an attendant increase in body mass. A modest intake of fish and shellfish (6-12 % total dietary energy intake) can provide more arachidonic acid and especially more docosahexaenoic acid than most diets contain today. Hence, 'brain-specific' nutrition had and still has significant potential to affect hominid brain evolution. Fish: Brain-specific nutrition: Long-chain PUFA: East Africa Rift Valley Lakes . https://doi.org/10.1079/BJN19980004 Marked expansion of the hominid cerebral cortex took gical and ecological environment of the East African Rift place only in the last one to two million years. During this Valley provided an equally unique nutritional resource base small evolutionary window, genus Australopithecus be- for the enlargement of the Homo brain, culminating in came extinct while Homo greatly expanded. Sophisticated Homo sapiens. How in this remarkably short stretch of tool manufacture, organized hunting, culture, and speech evolutionary history did our intelligence arise? While many followed rapidly. We hypothesize that the unique geolo- physical (i.e. development of bipedalism, speech), ecolo- Abbreviations: AA, arachidonic acid; CNS, central nervous system; DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; EQ, encephalization quotient; FD, high-fish mixed-diet population group; LA, linoleic acid; LC-PUFA, long-chain PUFA; LNA, a-linolenic acid; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids; VD, vegetarian-diet population group. *Corresponding author: Dr C. Leigh Broadhurst, email [email protected] ?Author is not USDA employee. Downloaded from 4 C. L. Broadhurst et al. gical (adaptation to omnivorous diet, drier climatic condi- to lie between. We envision something such as: horninids https://www.cambridge.org/core tions) and cultural adaptations (use of tools, living in scavenged fish and/or fished opportunistically, which groups) have roles, these adaptations alone are apparently helped increase intelligence enough for them to fish more not sufficient to account for the unique intelligence and often and more successfully. We aim to bring attention to culture we have today. If these adaptations alone were the fact that the latter end-member, in which nutrition plays sufficient, then in all cases we must ask ourselves why no a crucial role in the origin and maintenance of intelligence, other primates developed as such. has not been given adequate consideration. Previous authors (Martin, 1983; Harvey & Clutton- Brock, 1985; Blumenschine, 1991; Foley & Lee, 1991; . IP address: McHenry, 1994) have considered an ecological approach to human evolution. In these arguments, the high metabolic Encephalization quotients (EQ): quantifying cerebral energy requirements of the brain require that hominids expansion 170.106.40.219 must have accessed relatively-high-quality and abundant The term EQ was introduced in the 1970s to account for the food resources. Various selective pressures affecting influence of body size on brain size, thereby permitting a hominid evolution might be necessary, but are not scale of comparison between species that would identify sufficient conditions for cerebral expansion. Whatever the relatively larger-brained species independent of body size , on selective pressures, they can only be satisfied in a context (Martin, 1983). The EQ compares brain weight : overall 23 Sep 2021 at 17:29:05 where sufficient dietary energy and essential nutrients are body weight for all species of interest, and is scaled so that available to fuel the added brain growth. Sufficient protein, the comparison among brains is in effect done for constant vitamins, and trace elements are certainly required, but body size. It has become a valuable tool for quantifying the dletary essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are remarkably larger brain size in H. sapiens v. other extant probably the most limiting nutrients for neural growth primate and extinct hominoid species (Table 1). By (Crawford & Sinclair, 1972). If hominid diets were providing a quantitative and reproducible scale, the EQ , subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at consistently deficient in long-chain (LC-) PUFA, the has helped evolutionists focus on developing an adequate uniquely complex human neurological system could not explanation for the enlargement of the evolving human have developed, regardless of the diverse stimuli that may brain. Exact EQ values vary among sources, depending on have been involved. the method of calculation and the database used; however, We are in agreement with the ecological approach to all sources consistently show that adult H. sapiens has an evolution of human intelligence, and propose that nutrition EQ about 2.4-2.7 times larger than adult Pan troglodytes played a more crucial role in the rapid neural development (modem chimpanzee). They also consistently show that as of genus Homo than has been considered previously. We hominids evolved, EQ increased from about 1.4 in concentrate specifically on the nutrition provided by the Australopithecus africanus to about 2..4 in Homo erectus. unique ecosystem of the East African Rift Valley lakes. EQ values are not as different between neonates of The fossil evidence clearly indicates that Homo arose in the various primate species as they are between adults, vicinity of these lakes, which are geologically better suggesting that both brain and body growth postnatally classified as ‘proto-oceans’. The diverse alkaline-fresh- have an influence on the resultant EQ of adults. It should be water fish species within those lakes provided, either noted that overall body weight is still a key reference point directly or indirectly, a source of both protein and PUFA. In for establishing EQ values, and modem-day primates are https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms particular, the freshwater-fish lipid profile has a docosa- significantly leaner than humans. Hence, the presence of hexaenoic acid (DHA) : arachidonic acid (AA) value that is 15-30 % body fat in humans actually reduces the EQ closer to that in our brain phospholipids than any other food difference between primates (or hominids) and H. sapiens. source known. We hypothesize that consistent consumption This is especially true for neonates, since human infants of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and other lacustrine species have much more body fat than infants of other primate from the lake margins provided a facile means of both species. initiating and sustaining growth of the cerebral cortex without an attendant increase in body mass. Table 1. Mean brain volumes and encephalization quotients (brain We are aware that the origin of human intelligence is one weight : overall body weight; EQ)
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Climatic Effects on Lake Basins. Part I: Modeling Tropical Lake Levels
    15 JUNE 2011 R I C K O E T A L . 2983 Climatic Effects on Lake Basins. Part I: Modeling Tropical Lake Levels MARTINA RICKO AND JAMES A. CARTON Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland CHARON BIRKETT Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland (Manuscript received 28 December 2009, in final form 9 December 2010) ABSTRACT The availability of satellite estimates of rainfall and lake levels offers exciting new opportunities to estimate the hydrologic properties of lake systems. Combined with simple basin models, connections to climatic variations can then be explored with a focus on a future ability to predict changes in storage volume for water resources or natural hazards concerns. This study examines the capability of a simple basin model to estimate variations in water level for 12 tropical lakes and reservoirs during a 16-yr remotely sensed observation period (1992–2007). The model is constructed with two empirical parameters: effective catchment to lake area ratio and time delay between freshwater flux and lake level response. Rainfall datasets, one reanalysis and two satellite-based observational products, and two radar-altimetry-derived lake level datasets are explored and cross checked. Good agreement is observed between the two lake level datasets with the lowest correlations occurring for the two small lakes Kainji and Tana (0.87 and 0.89). Fitting observations to the simple basin model provides a set of delay times between rainfall and level rise ranging up to 105 days and effective catchment to lake ratios ranging between 2 and 27.
    [Show full text]
  • Flamingo Newsletter 17, 2009
    ABOUT THE GROUP The Flamingo Specialist Group (FSG) is a global network of flamingo specialists (both scientists and non-scientists) concerned with the study, monitoring, management and conservation of the world’s six flamingo species populations. Its role is to actively promote flamingo research, conservation and education worldwide by encouraging information exchange and cooperation among these specialists, and with other relevant organisations, particularly the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), and BirdLife International. The group is coordinated from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, UK, as part of the IUCN-SSC/Wetlands International Waterbird Network. FSG members include experts in both in-situ (wild) and ex-situ (captive) flamingo conservation, as well as in fields ranging from research surveys to breeding biology, infectious diseases, toxicology, movement tracking and data management. There are currently 286 members representing 206 organisations around the world, from India to Chile, and from France to South Africa. Further information about the FSG, its membership, the membership list serve, or this bulletin can be obtained from Brooks Childress at the address below. Chair Dr. Brooks Childress Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge Glos. GL2 7BT, UK Tel: +44 (0)1453 860437 Fax: +44 (0)1453 860437 [email protected] Eastern Hemisphere Chair Western Hemisphere Chair Dr. Arnaud Béchet Dr. Felicity Arengo Station biologique, Tour du Valat American Museum of Natural History Le Sambuc Central Park West at 79th Street 13200 Arles, France New York, NY 10024 USA Tel : +33 (0) 4 90 97 20 13 Tel: +1 212 313-7076 Fax : +33 (0) 4 90 97 20 19 Fax: +1 212 769-5292 [email protected] [email protected] Citation: Childress, B., Arengo, F.
    [Show full text]
  • Rift-Valley-1.Pdf
    R E S O U R C E L I B R A R Y E N C Y C L O P E D I C E N T RY Rift Valley A rift valley is a lowland region that forms where Earth’s tectonic plates move apart, or rift. G R A D E S 6 - 12+ S U B J E C T S Earth Science, Geology, Geography, Physical Geography C O N T E N T S 9 Images For the complete encyclopedic entry with media resources, visit: http://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/rift-valley/ A rift valley is a lowland region that forms where Earth’s tectonic plates move apart, or rift. Rift valleys are found both on land and at the bottom of the ocean, where they are created by the process of seafloor spreading. Rift valleys differ from river valleys and glacial valleys in that they are created by tectonic activity and not the process of erosion. Tectonic plates are huge, rocky slabs of Earth's lithosphere—its crust and upper mantle. Tectonic plates are constantly in motion—shifting against each other in fault zones, falling beneath one another in a process called subduction, crashing against one another at convergent plate boundaries, and tearing apart from each other at divergent plate boundaries. Many rift valleys are part of “triple junctions,” a type of divergent boundary where three tectonic plates meet at about 120° angles. Two arms of the triple junction can split to form an entire ocean. The third, “failed rift” or aulacogen, may become a rift valley.
    [Show full text]
  • Characterization of Water Level Variability of the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes
    Article Characterization of Water Level Variability of the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes Mulugeta Dadi Belete 1,2,3,*, Bernd Diekkrüger 1 and Jackson Roehrig 2 Received: 26 October 2015; Accepted: 21 December 2015; Published: 25 December 2015 Academic Editor: Luca Brocca 1 Department of Geography, University of Bonn, Bonn 53115, Germany; [email protected] 2 Institute for Technologies in the Tropics, Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Köln 50678, Germany; [email protected] 3 Institute of Technology, School of Water Resources Engineering, Hawassa University, Awassa, Ethiopia * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +251-46-212-29-71; Fax: +251-46-220-65-17 Abstract: In this paper, the water level fluctuations of eight Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes were analyzed for their hydrological stability in terms of water level dynamics and their controlling factors. Long-term water balances and morphological nature of the lakes were used as bases for the analyses. Pettit’s homogeneity test and Mann–Kendall trend analysis were applied to test temporal variations of the lake levels. It is found that the hydrological stability of most of the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes is sensitive to climate variability. In terms of monotonic trends, Lake Ziway, Hawassa, Abaya and Beseka experienced significant increasing trend, while Ziway, Langano and Chamo do not. In addition, homogeneity test revealed that Lake Hawassa and Abaya showed significant upward shift around 1991/1992, which was likely caused by climate anomalies such as the El Niño / Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomena. Lake Abiyata is depicted by its significant decreasing monotonic trend and downward regime shift around 1984/1985, which is likely related to the extended water abstraction for industrial consumption.
    [Show full text]
  • Agricultural Development in the Central Ethiopian Rift Valley: a Desk-Study on Water-Related Issues and Knowledge to Support a Policy Dialogue
    Agricultural development in the Central Ethiopian Rift valley: A desk-study on water-related issues and knowledge to support a policy dialogue Huib Hengsdijk1 & Herco Jansen2 1 Plant Research International, Wageningen 2 Alterra-ILRI, Wageningen Plant Research International B.V., Wageningen January 2006 Note 375 © 2006 Wageningen, Plant Research International B.V. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Plant Research International B.V. Plant Research International B.V. Address : Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen, The Netherlands : P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands Tel. : +31 317 47 70 00 Fax : +31 317 41 80 94 E-mail : [email protected] Internet : www.pri.wur.nl Alterra-ILRI Address : Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB WAGENINGEN, The Netherlands P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands Tel. : +31 317 4 74700 Fax : +31 317 419000 E-mail : [email protected] Internet : ww.alterra.wur.nl Table of contents page Summary 1 1. Introduction 3 2. Physical setting 5 2.1 Location and topography 5 2.2 Climate 7 2.3 Land use 7 2.4 Surface water 8 2.5 Groundwater 9 2.6 Ecology 10 3. Water resources assessment 13 3.1 Lake Ziway 13 3.1.1 Water quantity 13 3.1.2 Water quality 13 3.2 Lake Abyata 14 3.2.1 Water quantity 14 3.2.2 Water quality 14 3.3 Groundwater 15 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Great Rift Valley
    Great Rift Valley For other uses, see Great Rift Valley (disambiguation). Rift Valley (African rift valley) The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately 6,000 kilo- metres (3,700 mi) in length, that runs from northern Jordan Rift Valley in Asia to Mozambique in South East- ern Africa.[1] The name continues in some usages, al- though it is today considered geologically imprecise as New Ocean Basin it combines features that are today regarded as separate, (Red Sea) although related, rift and fault systems. Today, the term is most often used to refer to the val- ley of the East African Rift, the divergent plate boundary which extends from the Afar Triple Junction southward across eastern Africa, and is in the process of splitting the African Plate into two new separate plates. Geolo- gists generally refer to these incipient plates as the Nubian Mature Ocean Plate and the Somali Plate. (Atlantic) Mid-Ocean Ridge Sediments Crust 1 Theoretical extent Mantle Diagram of a rift valley’s future evolution into a sea. 2 Asia Further information: Sinai peninsula The northernmost part of the Rift, today called the Dead Sea Transform or Rift, forms the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon separating the Lebanon Mountains and Anti- Lebanon Mountains. Further south it is known as the Hula Valley separating the Galilee mountains and the Golan Heights.[3] Satellite image of a graben in the Afar Depression. The River Jordan begins here and flows southward through Lake Hula into the Sea of Galilee in Israel.
    [Show full text]
  • An Overview of African Wetlands
    An Overview of African Wetlands Item Type Working Paper Authors Kabii, T. Download date 03/10/2021 19:19:57 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/457 An Overview of African Wetlands By Tom Kabii, Technical Officer for Africa, Ramsar Bureau, Switzerland Introduction The African region as described in this overview includes the mainland continent and the island states of Cape Verde, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Sao Tome & Principe, and Seychelles, making up a total of 53 States, 23 of which are Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention. Africa's size and diversity of landscape are striking: bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Indian and Atlantic oceans to the east and west respectively, and the Antarctic in the south, it covers 70º of latitude, several climatic zones, and a considerable altitudinal range. Various wetland types characterize the diverse and panoramic African environment, from mountains reaching an altitude of 6,000m through deserts to coastal zones at sea level. Although wetlands constitute only around 1% of Africa's total surface area, (excluding coral reefs and some of the smaller seasonal wetlands), and relatively little scientific investigation has been undertaken in them in comparison to other ecosystems such as forest or to wetlands in other parts of the world, their important role in support of the region's biodiversity and the livelihood of large human populations is becoming increasingly clear from ongoing studies. General Distribution and Diversity of Wetland Types The greatest concentration of wetlands occurs roughly between 15°N and 20°S and includes some rather spectacular areas: wetlands of the four major riverine systems (Nile, Niger, Zaire and Zambezi); Lake Chad, and wetlands of the Inner Niger Delta in Mali; the Rift valley lakes (notably Victoria, Tanganyika, Nyasa, Turkana, Mweru and Albert); the Sudd in southern Sudan and Ethiopia; and the Okavango Delta in Botswana, all of which display a richness and uniqueness in biodiversity.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Assessment of the East African Rift Valley Lakes
    Aquat. Sci. 65 (2003) 254–271 1015-1621/03/030254-18 DOI 10.1007/s00027-003-0638-9 Aquatic Sciences © EAWAG, Dübendorf, 2003 Overview Article Environmental assessment of the East African Rift Valley lakes Eric O. Odada 1, *, Daniel O. Olago 1,Fred Bugenyi 2, Kassim Kulindwa 3,Jerome Karimumuryango 4, Kelly West 5, Micheni Ntiba 6, Shem Wandiga 7,Peninah Aloo-Obudho 8 and Pius Achola 9 1 Department of Geology, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197, Nairobi, Kenya 2 Department of Zoology, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda 3 Economics Research Bureau, University of Dar-es-Salaam, P.O. Box 35096, Dar-es-Salaam 4 Director General de L’NECN, Institute National pour L’Environment et la Conservation de la Nature, BP 56, Gitega, Burundi 5 IUCN Eastern Africa Regional Office, P.O. Box 68200, Nairobi, Kenya 6 Department of Zoology, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197, Nairobi, Kenya 7 Kenya National Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 39450, Nairobi, Kenya 8 Kenyatta University, P.O. Box 43844, Nairobi, Kenya 9 Kenya Red Cross Society, P.O. Box 40712, Nairobi, Kenya Received: 1 October 2002; revised manuscript accepted: 12 June 2003 Abstract. An assessment of the East African Rift Valley ities. Pollution is from uncontrolled discharge of wastes lakes was initiated by the United Nations Environment directly into the lakes. Unsustainable exploitation of fish- Programme (UNEP) with funding from Global Environ- eries and other living resources is caused by over-fishing, ment Facility as part of the Global International Waters destructive fishing practices, and introduction of non-na- Assessment (GIWA).
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix: Lakes of the East African Rift System
    Appendix: Lakes of the East African Rift System Alkalinity Country Lake Latitude Longitude Type Salinity [‰]pH [meq LÀ1] Djibouti Assal 11.658961 42.406998 Hypersaline 158–277a,d NA NA Ethiopia Abaja/Abaya 6.311204 37.847671 Fresh-subsaline <0.1–0.9j,t 8.65–9.01j,t 8.8–9.4j,t Ethiopia A¯ bay Ha¯yk’ 7.940916 38.357706 NA NA NA NA Ethiopia Abbe/Abhe Bad 11.187832 41.784325 Hypersaline 160a 8f NA Ethiopia Abijata/Abiyata 7.612998 38.597603 Hypo-mesosaline 4.41–43.84f,j,t 9.3–10.0f,t 102.3–33.0f,j Ethiopia Afambo 11.416091 41.682701 NA NA NA NA Ethiopia Afrera (Giulietti)/ 13.255318 40.899925 Hypersaline 169.49g 6.55g NA Afdera Ethiopia Ara Shatan 8.044060 38.351119 NA NA NA NA Ethiopia Arenguade/Arenguadi 8.695324 38.976388 Sub-hyposaline 1.58–5.81r,t 9.75–10.30r,t 34.8–46.0t Ethiopia Awassa/Awasa 7.049786 38.437614 Fresh-subsaline <0.1–0.8f,j,t 8.70–8.92f,t 3.8–8.4f,t Ethiopia Basaka/Beseka/ 8.876931 39.869957 Sub-hyposaline 0.89–5.3c,j,t 9.40–9.45j,t 27.5–46.5j,t Metahara Ethiopia Bischoftu/Bishoftu 8.741815 38.982053 Fresh-subsaline <0.1–0.6t 9.49–9.53t 14.6t Ethiopia Budamada 7.096464 38.090773 NA NA NA NA Ethiopia Caddabassa 10.208165 40.477524 NA NA NA NA Ethiopia Chamo 5.840081 37.560654 Fresh-subsaline <0.1–1.0j,t 8.90–9.20j,t 12.0–13.2j,t Ethiopia Chelekleka 8.769979 38.972268 NA NA NA NA Ethiopia Chitu/Chiltu/Chittu 7.404516 38.420191 Meso-hypersaline 19.01–64.16 10.10–10.50 22.6–715.0f,t f,j,t f,j,t Ethiopia Gemeri/Gummare/ 11.532507 41.664848 Fresh-subsaline <0.10–0.70a,f 8f NA Gamari Ethiopia Guda/Babogaya/ 8.787114 38.993297
    [Show full text]
  • Did Modern Humans Come out of the Great Rift Valley Africa?
    DID MODERN HUMANS COME OUT OF THE GREAT RIFT VALLEY AFRICA? Prepared by Dr. Sarah Namukoa, a Kenyan native, for GFUUPSS, and a commentary on humans who impact the world, by Caleb Page, CEO, Global Foundation to Upgrade Undeserved Primary and Secondary Schools (GFUUPSS) A recommended reading for children and adults. Website: www.everychildcanachieve.org Campaign page: https://www.gofundme.com/suport-underrepresented-kids _______________________________________________________ (We chose these small sampling of humans to show the positive and negative impacts humans have had on our planet and societies at large. The irony is that humans descended from the same ancient gene, place of origin, and the same “parent” Lucy. However, their mark on society ranged from being visionary, compassionate, but despotic dictators and murderers of humans. What are the genetic components which contributed to human behavioral differences, the behavioral differences that geneticists and social scientists should investigate? Perhaps if we understand the differences, we would learn how to cope with each other regardless of where we live. Professor Jim Li (see video in video references) wisely pointed out that although “humans are not so different from each other.” We are all of the same origins.) You can’t believe that the answer to your difficult question: the origin of humanity lies in the Great Rift Valley. Evidence from anthropology studies done in Africa show fossils from over 5 individuals dated at 1.8 million years (Wilford, 2013; Tattersall, 2009). The exact spot in Africa where the human fossils were discovered is the Great Rift Valley (Morgan, 1994). As reflected in the name, Great Rift Valley describes a continuous geographic trench that runs from South Eastern Africa through Mozambique to Beqaa Valley in Lebanon (see figure 1) (Tattersall, 2009).
    [Show full text]
  • 12066395 01.Pdf
    The Study on Groundwater Resources Assessment JICA in the Rift Valley Lakes Basin in Ethiopia, Final Report (Main Report) KOKUSAI KOGYO CO., LTD. Executive Summary 1. Background of the Study Ethiopia launched the Universal Access Program (UAP) in 2005 due to its low rate of access to safe water, which at the time in rural and urban areas remained at approximately 38%. The UAP aims to achieve water supply coverage of 98% in rural areas and 100% in urban areas by 2012. After that the target year was changed to 2015 and water supply coverage of 100% in both rural and urban area. Presently, however, there is a lack of information to accurately grasp the abundance of groundwater resources in Ethiopia, having an adverse effect on the sustainable use and effective development of groundwater resources. Meanwhile, out of the need to acquire information on groundwater potential for water resource development, Ethiopia has worked towards capacity development through its national master plan—the Ethiopian Groundwater Resources Assessment Program (EGRAP)—by establishing the Ethiopia National Groundwater Database (ENGDA), implementing a survey of groundwater potential, making hydrogeological maps and founding the National Groundwater Institute (NGI). However, due to its ineffective operation, an improved plan was re-established until the end of phase-3 in 2014, with phase-1 of the new program EGRAP+ (or new EGRAP) starting from 2007 until 2010, in an attempt to revitalize it. The EGRAP+ activates the discussion for the introduction of ENGWIS (Ethiopian National Groundwater Information System), because of the establishment of a GIS/Database system. Based on the above background, the Government of Ethiopia requested the Government of Japan to implement a survey on groundwater potential with the purpose of making hydrogeological maps for the Walikte, Wolisso and Ambo areas, and a development study with the purpose of technology transfer to relevant engineers.
    [Show full text]
  • Recent Research in the African Great Lakes: Fisheries, Biodiversity and Cichlid Evolution
    Recent research in the African Great Lakes: fisheries, biodiversity and cichlid evolution Item Type article Authors Lowe-McConnell, Rosemary Download date 30/09/2021 23:17:08 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/22270 4 RO LOWE-MCCONNELL RECENT RESEARCH IN THE AFRICAN GREAT LAKES: FISHERIES, BIODIVERSITY AND CICHLID EVOLUTION ROSEMARY LOWE-McCONNELL Dr R. H. Lowe-McConnell, Streatwick, Streat Near Hassocks, Sussex BN6 8RT, UK Abstract The East African Great Lakes are now well known for (1) their fisheries, of vital importance for their rapidly rising riparian human populations, and (2) as biodiversity hotspots with spectacular endemic faunas, of which the flocks of cichlid fishes unique to each of the three largest lakes, Tanganyika, Malawi and Victoria, offer unique opportunities to investigate how new species evolve and coexist. Since the early 1990s research involving over a hundred scientists, financed by many international bodies, has produced numerous reports and publications in widely scattered journals. This article summarizes their main discoveries and examines the status of, and prospects for, the fisheries, as well as current ideas on how their rich endemic fish faunas have evolved. It first considers fisheries projects in each of the three lakes: the deep rift valley lakes Tanganyika and Malawi and the huge Victoria, all of which share their waters between several East African countries. Secondly it considers the biodiversity surveys of each lake, based on underwater (SCUBA) observations of fish ecology and behaviour which
    [Show full text]