3. THEN CAME HUMANS

5. The evolution of speech
Humans uniquely have a complex oral communication capability based on speech and speech recognition.
This trait has allowed our species to rapidly communicate information without resorting to genetic selection
Has speech allowed humans to escape the Red Queen contraint?
The biology of speech

6. The Foxp2 gene – A gene for the evolution of language?
MMQESATETISNSSMNQNGMSTLSSQLDAGSRDGRSSGDTSSEVSTVELL HLQQQQALQAARQLLLQQQTSGLKSPKSSDKQRPLQVPVSVAMMTPQVIT PQQMQQILQQQVLSPQQLQALLQQQQAVMLQQQQLQEFYKKQQEQLHLQL LQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQHPGKQAKE QQQQQQQQQQLAAQQLVFQQQLLQMQQLQQQQHLLSLQRQGLISIPPG QAALPVQSLPQAGLSPAEIQQLWKEVTGV HSMEDNGIKHGGLDLTTNNSSSTTSS {N}TSKASPPITHHSIVNGQSSVL{S} ARRDSSSHEETGASHTLYGH <GVCKWPGCESICEDFGQFLKHLNNEH> ALDDRSTAQCRVQMQVVQQLEIQLSKERERLQAMMTHLHMRPSEPKPSPK PLNLVSSVTMSKNMLETSPQSLPQTPTTPTAPVTPITQGPSVITPASVPN VGAIRRRHSDKYNIPMSSEIAPNYEFYKNADV [RPPFTYATLIRQAIMESSDRQLTLNEIYSWFTRTFAYFRRNAATWK NAVRHNLSLHKCFVRVENVKGAVWTVDEVEYQKRRSQKITGSPTL] VKNIPTSLGYGAALNASLQAALAESSLPLLSNPGLINNASSGLLQAVHED LNGSLDHIDSNGNSSPGCSPQPHIHSIHVKEEPVIAEDEDCPMSLVTTAN HSPELEDDREIEEEPLSEDLE

7. FOXP2 (forkhead box P2) is located on human chromosome 7q31, and its major splice form encodes a protein of 715 amino acids belonging to the forkhead class of transcription factors2.
It contains a glutamine-rich region consisting of two adjacent polyglutamine tracts, encoded by mixtures of CAG and CAA repeats.
Such repeats are known to have elevated mutation rates.

8. When compared with a collection of 1,880 human–rodent gene pairs5, FOXP2 is among the 5% most-conserved proteins.

9. The evolutionary lineages leading to humans and mice diverged about 70 million years (Myr) ago.
Thus, during the roughly 130 Myr of evolution that separate the common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees from the mouse, a single amino-acid change occurred in the FOXP2 protein.

10. The fixation of the Fox2P genes in humans occurred during the last 200,000 years of human history, that is, concomitant with or subsequent to the emergence of anatomically modern humans.
This is compatible with a model in which the expansion of modern humans was driven by the appearance of a more-proficient spoken language.

11. The evolution of KNOWLEDGE - Lateral knowledge transfer
Individual knowledge
Collective knowledge
Moral or altruistic knowledge

12. Humans have massively altered Earth’s biological and biogeochemical processes
The evolution of “economies”, “wealth” and religion
Fear of death and derivations of new fitness models based on acquisition of resources rather than acquisition of survival skills. Wealth provides a mechanism of ensuring progeny without skills.

13. The Antropocene
Source: Falkowski 2002 Scientific American

15. Who Is Using What ? Size of the Country Shows Relative Proportion of Indicated Parameter
FuelUse
Population
Fuel Imports
Fuel Use Increase

16. Renewables Share of U.S. Energy Supply (2004 data)
Wind 2%
Hydroelectric 45%
Geothermal 5%
Solar <1%
Renewable 6%
Natural Gas 23%
Nuclear 8%
Petroleum 40%
Coal 23%
Biomass 47%
Source: Renewable Energy Trends 2004; Energy Information Administration, August 2005.
Note: Total U.S. Energy Supply is QBtu; Energy Information Administration, August 2005.

17. Renewable Energy Sources
Renewable, CO2-free
energy sources …
GEOTHERMAL: 92,000 TW-YR
TIDAL POWER: 0.1 TW-YR
BIOMASS: 172 TW-YR
OCEAN THERMAL: 10 TW-YR
WIND: 5 TW-YR
WAVE: 2 TW-YR
SOLAR: 126,000 TW
GEOTHERMAL: 92,000 TW
TIDAL POWER: 0.1 TW
BIOMASS: 172 TW
OCEAN THERMAL: 10 TW
WIND: 5 TW
WAVE: 2 TW
FUEL (H2)?
WORLD ENERGY DEMAND: 13.5 TW
Thanks to Ben Hankamer

18. Areas of Corn, Switchgrass, and Algal Photobioreactors Required in the US to Displace All Gasoline or Diesel Consumed
Third Generation
Corn Grain Ethanol to Displace all US Gasoline—0.05% solar efficiency
Algal H2 at 10% Solar Efficiency to Displace all US Gasoline
First Generation
Second Generation
2006 Corn Crop
Algal BioDiesel at 2% Solar Efficiency to Displace all US Diesel
Cellulosic Ethanol to Displace all US Gasoline—0.5% solar efficiency
Copyright 2009, Midwest Research Institute. Created with U.S. Government funding.

19. Trajectory of Global Fossil Fuel Emissions
50-year constant growth rates
to 2050
B %,
A1B %,
A %
A1FI 2.4%
2006
2005
Current emissions are tracking above the most intense fossil fuel scenario established by the IPCC SRES (2000), A1FI- A1 Fossil Fuel intensive; and moving away from stabilization scenarios of 450 ppm and 650 ppm.
Observed %
Raupach et al. 2007, PNAS

24. Changes in Glacier Mass

25. Oculina kept in pH 7.2 …after 2 months …after 4 months
From Dani Tchernov
…after 4 months

26. Phytoplankton & Climate
Stratified Oceans

27. Earth is “hard wired” by mircobial metabolism
Effectively, the metabolism of Earth was created over 2 billion years ago - and hasn’t changed very much.
Humans are effectively, fragile, inefficient E. coli that have learned how to plunder the planet

28. CONCLUSIONS
THE EARTH IS FUNDAMENTALLY A “BOTTOM UP” SYSTEM IN WHICH MICROBES HAVE ADAPTED OVER (LITERALLY) BILLIONS OF YEARS TO MAINTIAN A QUASI-STEADY STATE
HUMANS, THROUGH EFFICIENT RESOURCE PLUNDER, WILL MODIFY EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE - BUT MICROBES WILL EASILY SURVIVE.
ANIMALS (INCLUDING HUMANS) AND SOME PLANTS ARE EXTREMELY VULNERABLE TO HUMAN ACTIVITIES - AND MANY SPECIES PROBABLYWILL GO EXTINCT IN THIS CENTURY.