Lucy Blog

As humans we are used to thinking of barriers between us and animals. As a sort of border to keep us differentiated from one another. But what happens when those barriers come down? In other words, under certain circumstance animals have the ability to break the barriers and exceed the expectation of the simple creatures they are suppose to be.

The story began with the adoption of a chimpanzee. Lucy was adopted and raised by Maurice and Jane Temerlin as an experiment to see just how human-like a chimpanzee could become. They raised her as their own daughter in their home, teaching her how to eat with silverware, get dressed, and act as a normal human being. She was taught sign language by a teacher, and her life was a monitored experiment. Lucy was no longer a chimpanzee but the in between of a chimp and a human. When she became stronger and to aggressive for her parents, they decided the best thing to do was to let her go. Jane attemped to help Lucy adapt to the new envirnoment for three weeks, but soon brought her to an island with other chimps. For an entire year, jane struggled with helping Lucy adapt to become what she was born to be. Eventually, Lucy was able to survive on her own, and when reunited with Jane she welcomed her with a hug and left her. Then one day when Jane went to visit Lucy, her skeleton was found and was suspected of being killed by a poacher.

1. What did Lucy teach us about chimpanzees?
Lucy taught us that chimpanzees capable of becoming remarkably close to the human species. She taught us that with human influences and a life away from their natural habitat, an average chimpanzee  can become the closest thing possible to becoming a human.

2. What did Lucy teach us about humans?
Lucy taught us that the human being life is a very complex, but beautiful thing. It makes the little things we do on a daily basis stand out when we see another species do it. She taught us that the things we practice as humans, can be copied by another species.

3.Do you have a different perspective on Chimps after this story?
After listening to this story I have a very different perspective on chimps and what they are capable of. I had prior knowledge of chimps being the smartest animals as well as very similar traits as us. This story emphasized everything that I had thought about chimps. It made me realize the potential and close relations we have with these chimps. The fact that Lucy lied to her Dad and was able to sign to him about the flavor of her food baffles me, and sparks so many questions about chimpanzees.

4. Do you think the Temerlin's experiment was worth while?
In some ways I do think this experiment was worth while, but in other ways I have a hard time fully agreeing with what they did to Lucy. This experiment proposed many new questions and showed us so many things that we wouldn't have known otherwise. Although, this experiment was very cruel in ways. The experiment set Lucy up to fail in the long run.

5. How does Lucy's end make you feel?
I found Lucy's end to be tragic, I don't know of anyone who would disagree that it was a sad way for her to go. It was so ironic that she was killed by a pouchier because of her prior life. It makes me question if the experiment was morally justified, because the innocent chimp didn't know any better.

Thinking Like a Mountain

Nature is simply a balance. From the eyes of a human a wolf is seen as a threat, but through the eye of nature a wolf is put there to balance out the environment. One small change in the environment can make big difference.

"Thinking Like a Mountain" is an informative yet very poetic article about how everything has a purpose in nature. In this article a wolf is killed, allowing the deer to take over the mountain. The wolf was there to limit the amount of deer, and when the wolf is killed the number of deer becomes over abundant. There are not enough plants for the deer to eat, which makes the deer have to leave or eventually the deer starve. Everything in nature is a chain reaction. For instance, in this article the wolf's death had a detrimental affect on the entire mountain.

Personally, I enjoyed this article because rather than it being just hard facts, the author found a way to make it engaging, and a joy to read but at the same time the article served a purpose of informing readers about the balance of nature. It also taught me about the balance of nature, and that with one little change, a bid difference can be made.

TED Talk

Introduction:

When we visit the ocean the first thing that comes to mind are common species of animals, like sharks, dolphins and starfish, but often times, we overlook the unexplored world beyond the shallower surface of the ocean; this is life in the depths of the ocean. 

Summery:

This TED talk has informed me about the creatures in the deepest parts of the ocean, and how we often forget that the ocean is miles deep with creatures thriving and living down below. "It's a world within a world." These creatures are mysterious, exotic and are almost unreal, and they are just the tip of the iceberg. We have only explored about three percent of what's in the ocean. The oceans take up 75% of the world, with so much water and so little of it explored I can only imagine what else is hidden in the depths of it.

Personal Response:

This article has made me realize just how little we know about the oceans, there is so much to explore yet we have only explored three percent of it. It encourages me to learn more about the ocean and the animals that live inside of it. As humans we often take for granted the amazing creatures that live on this planet, after watching this talk I have grown an appreciation for the people that have questioned what lives farther down in the ocean to find these unfamiliar animals.