European Colonization Of Europeans And Native Americans

After Columbus sailed the blue ocean in fourteen hundred ninety-two, the New World encountered catastrophic epidemics from the European conquest. The spread of diseases between Europeans and Native Americans led to a demographic calamity. The earliest explorations from European countries introduced a plethora of diseases; these diseases hindered the Native’s population and way of life. Not only early explorations of European countries impacted the indigenous people, but the settlement and encounters with Europeans in the twentieth century did as well. Before Europeans voyaged to the New World, the lands were occupied by Native Americans for thousands of years, but Europeans for centuries regarded themselves as the first to discover the Americas. Relations between the Native Americans and Europeans were often difficult. The Europeans saw the natives as savage heathens to be Christianized, and considered the land unexploited and ripe for colonization. The Italian explorer Chris topher Columbus opened the way for European exploration of the New World. During Christopher Columbus’s (1451-1506) voyages to the Western Hemisphere, the monarchs of Western European nations sent explorers seeking a faster, more direct passage to Asia. Although these explorers failed in this mission, they helped map out a rich land for Europeans to control and colonize. English exploration was different from Spain, Portugal, and France. The English merchants had a huge role in English explorationShow MoreRelatedNative Americans During European Colonization1371 Words   |  6 Pages Native Americans, the people who were not supposed to survive the settlement of Europeans, have lived long and strong, but it is not to say it was has been without struggle (â€Å"A Brief History† 2006). â€Å"No other group, however, faced problems more severe than the Native Americans† (â€Å"Digital† 2014). Struggling to keep control of their sacred land, provide an ed ucation for their children, and practice their language, beliefs, and traditions in silence was the typical life of the Native American peopleRead MoreEuropean Colonization : Christopher Columbus And Native Americans Essay1127 Words   |  5 Pages(Effects of European Colonization: Christopher Columbus and Native Americans). This was primarily due to European domesticated animals such as: pigs, sheep, horses, cows, and goats. To create a great epidemic of diseases America had never witnessed before. Horrible diseases which the ingenious population had no immunity for, smallpox, typhus, influence, diphtheria, and measles. â€Å"Modern historians commonly accept that around 90% of all Native Americans died as a result of contact with Europeans† (EffectsRead MoreNative American Gangs During European Colonization1960 Words   |  8 Pages Bernadette Stafford Rough Draft April 29, 2015 Native American Gangs Prior to European colonization, North America was home to up to ten million indigenous people with distinct cultures and hundreds of languages. Within 500 years the population was halved through disease and genocide. Today, Native American’s make up 5.2 million or 2% of the US population. This population has suffered the trauma of genocide, dislocation, poverty and oppression mostly through policies and confrontations with theRead MoreNative American Gangs During European Colonization2674 Words   |  11 Pages Bernadette Stafford Final Draft May 20, 2015 Native American Gangs Prior to European colonization, North America was home to up to ten million indigenous people with distinct cultures and hundreds of languages. Within 500 years the population was halved through disease and genocide. Today, Native American’s make up 5.2 million or 2% of the US population (US Census 2013). This population has suffered the trauma of genocide, dislocation, poverty and oppression mostly through policies and confrontationsRead MoreLasting Effects of European Colonization on Native American Indians.1047 Words   |  5 Pageson North American Indians Since the Europeans set foot on North American soil in 1620,they have had a devastating effect on the native population. I will be discussing the long term effect of North American colonisation on the Native Americans, focusing on such issues as employment opportunities, the environment, culture and traditions, health, as well as social justice. I will begin with the important issue of employment opportunities. The unemployment rate for Native Americans is a staggeringRead MoreColonization Of The United States1074 Words   |  5 PagesColonization in America has demonstrated all of the US history themes of exploration, encounter and exchange in the Americas. From the beginning of colonization, in 1492 by Christopher Columbus, to the establishment of the first American colony, Jamestown in 1607, and to the creation of the thirteen colonies, there have been countless examples of exploration, encounter and exchange. The exploration of vast waters and unchartered territory led to new and undiscovered land and America being colonizedRead MoreThe Colonization Of Native Americans1377 Words   |  6 Pagesis not until 1492 that the â€Å"first people† make their way as well. The Europeans walked in and saw the Natives as the wildlife of the region and considered themselves the founders, and the Native Americans were heavily influenced and conflicted with the tidal wave of European colonization. Following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, colonization of Native American territory began. Afterwards, life for Native Americans became rather harsh, and genocide is an accurate term to describe thisRead MoreEuropean Colonization Effects1222 Words   |  5 PagesIn the past, European countries came to the Americas looking to build their empire and gain power. They were competing to be the most powerful country and improve their economic lives. In the drive to be the most powerful European country, they started colonizing the Americas. The effects of colonization were reflected in different groups of people. Some effects were bad and some ere good. There are different perspectives about colonization. Some people think that the colonization was a great eventRead MoreHow Did Contact Between The European Arrivals And The Native Peoples Of The Americas Affect Both Groups?1545 Words   |  7 Pagesbet ween the European arrivals and the native peoples of the Americas affect both groups? Europeans brought to the Americas catastrophic diseases that killed millions and decimated native populations, who possessed no immunity to the illnesses. The Europeans also had deliberate policies of subjugation and extermination, by which they brutally tortured or murdered natives due to the Europeans history of brutality in war and their consideration of the natives as no more than savages. The Europeans alsoRead MoreEssay on The Effects of Colonization on the Native Americans539 Words   |  3 PagesThe Effects of Colonization on the Native Americans Native Americans had inherited the land now called America and eventually their lives were destroyed due to European Colonization. When the Europeans arrived and settled, they changed the Native American way of life for the worst. These changes were caused by a number of factors including disease, loss of land, attempts to export religion, and laws, which violated Native American culture. Native Americans never came in contact

The Origins Of Structural Anthropology - 1030 Words

Ari Lotter Ms. Kasurak HSB4U1 26 September 2015 Claude Levi Strauss THE ORIGINS OF STRUCTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY Structural analysis, at its core, is an attempt to comprehend things beyond the system of human understanding. It’s meant to be an objective, purely scientific approach untarnished by human cultural and social systems. Claude Là ©vi-Strauss saw this pure science being applied in linguistics, among the social sciences, and applied its objective principles and methods to anthropology. Structural linguistics is a method of analyzing languages, broken down into signs, both syntactically and lexically. Signs, in a structural context, are associations between concepts and means of expressing those concepts. Comparing opposed syntagma and signs in this exploded arrangement permits understanding of linguistic associations (syntax, etc.). By examining the paradigmatic relations between signs, and diachronic syntagmatic configurations (something Là ©vi-Strauss applied heavily in his theories about structural mythology), a basic objective understanding of the langue in question can be gleaned from examples of its verbiage. Ferdinand de Saussure, the linguist who explained language as a structure of signs, developed his ideal method of a purely analytical science of linguistics in part because he was aware of the impossibility of understanding exactly how the human mind creates and understands language. By approaching language from a structuralist point of view, he was attempting toShow MoreRelatedFieldwork in Various Anthropological Schools of Thought Essay1167 Words   |  5 PagesCultural anthropology is a social science that studies the origins and development of human societies (History World International, 2001). Many theories to explain cultural variations among humans have emerged. As a result, numerous anthropological schools of thought have been established based on these theories since the nineteenth century. These schools of thought encompass the dominant beliefs about culture during a time period and are constantly changing as new knowledge is acquired. As schoolsRead MoreCharles Darwins E volutionary Theory1223 Words   |  5 PagesIn 1859, Charles Darwin finally released his evolutionary theory â€Å"On the Origins of Species.† In this book, he described the process of natural selection and how certain alleles can be passed on to future generations. However the main focus of this was through animals and people, but not through the evolution of society. Early anthropologists in the nineteenth century took on this theory to help explain how societies have developed. However with this kind of thinking, it almost leads up to theRead More Charles Darwin Essay1745 Words   |  7 Pagesa short summary of his ideas that were similar to the ones in Origin of Species released years later. Even at this time Charles felt that his data was insufficient. For the next several years Darwin worked with the data on many of the species found on the Galapagos Islands, especially the finch. Darwin had collected many finches from both South America and the Galapagos Islan ds. He found that all his varieties shared many structural similarities, but differed in many physical traits, especiallyRead MoreCritical Annotation of Watson Reading and Commentary Reading1765 Words   |  7 PagesCritical Annotation of Watson Reading and Commentary Reading 5 Question One Assignment 2 Reading Watson, C.W. (Ed.). (1999).A diminishment: A death in the field (Kerinci, Indonesia). In Being there: Fieldwork in anthropology (pp. 141-163). London: Pluto Press. In his reading, A Diminishment: A Death in the Field (1999), Watson analysed two critical issues that have preoccupied anthropologists for nearly four decades. These issues include the extent to which personality of the anthropologistRead MoreAmitav Ghoshs In an Antique Land1088 Words   |  5 Pagesthe main character of this arguably structural fictional novel, travelogue and biography, which encompasses both historical and biographical events, begins his journey through the truths of studying eleventh century Egypt. Amitav places himself in the story as a doctoral student who is given the opportunity to study social anthropology. As we learned and discussed throughout this course, there are a variety of methods in which to study religion. Social anthropology focuses onâ€Å"the study of human beingsRead MoreStructure, Sign And Play On The Discourse Of Human Sciences1524 Words   |  7 Pagesloaded term in Derrida s works which we will visit later in this chapter. It was a high -time for existentialism, phenomenology and structuralism represented many renowned thinkers like Husserl, Sartre, Strauss, and others. While the concern of structural linguistics was to formulate scientific understanding of language as structured expression/entity, others were skeptic about fundamental presuppositions of neutral binaries, the virtuality of the center and who rejected subjective humanism ofRead Morecheat sheet1448 Words   |  6 Pages1. The sociological perspective, as a way of thinking about the world, includes the sociological imagination from C. Wright Mills, the beginner’s mind from Bernard McGrane, and the idea of culture shock from anthropology. Explain what all three of these concepts have in common. Response: All three of these concepts have in common are the idea of breaking down social barriers to gain a different perspective on culture people and behaviors. When a person is in a new area where the culture is differentRead MoreSummary of the Development of Anthropological Theory from the XIX century to the Present XXI century2646 Words   |  11 Pagesprobably fair to say, wherever literate civilizations came into contact with members of different societies, something like ethnographic writing occurred† (McGee, Warms, 2012). It also seems to be plausible, even looking as far back into the human origin and history as Homo neanderthalensis, that the first glimmer of curiosity occur. Of course Homo neanderthalensis would not be writing ethnographies detailing the emic and etic perspectives within and about a culture, but since they are believed toRead MoreThe Discipline Of Cultural Anthropology3459 Words   |  14 Pages The discipline of cultural anthropology falls i nto the idea that culture everywhere is our lives impacts every aspect of our human lives. â€Å"Anthropology is the scientific study of human beings-that is, human creature viewed in the abstract: male, female, all colors and shapes, pre-historic, ancient, and modern. Many cultural anthropologists come to believe that the idea of our past and present societies, from the social and cultural structure of them, to the religion and language, as well as theRead MoreGregory Bateson And His Quest3338 Words   |  14 Pagescontributed to multiple subfields within anthropology along with other fields in the social sciences. Bateson never completely settled into one field, but rather, he synthesized his knowledge to incorporate it into his epistemology and methodologies. Gregory Bateson’s contributions to anthropology range from providing new methods of ethnography, helping to establish the field of visual anthropology, influencing ecological, psychological, and linguistics anthropo logy, to moving cybernetic theory from the

An examination of the importance of going onto higher education and the impact that has on employability Free Essays

I am going to explore to what extent does attending university (higher education) have an impact on the graduate’s employability. There are three sub research questions I will be focusing on. Firstly, I will be analysing the benefits and problems there are of going onto university in the hope of increasing employability. We will write a custom essay sample on An examination of the importance of going onto higher education and the impact that has on employability? or any similar topic only for you Order Now In order, to do this I will be identifying the relevant corpus of academic and policy related literature and documentation concerning university and employability. The reason for this is that it is vital to realise that it’s still important to assess existing knowledge that’s associated with education and compare it with my research. Secondly, I will be focusing on to what extent has investing in a degree and other financial costs such as accommodation for example with going onto university has achieved the desired outcome for degree graduates. To find out this information, I will be looking at degree graduates, and how they believe their employability has affected their employability. Finally, I will be looking at how 18 years not going onto HE, to what extent has that helped their desired outcome. I am now going to briefly explain the structure of my report. I will now provide a critical literature review analysing policy documents and academic literature and review what others have done. This will show how my research fits in with what others have done about my subject. This is my first research objective as I’ve mentioned earlier. I will then explain my research project and methodology used to gather and analyse data. After, I have decided my methodological approach; I will then report my research results. I will undertake a critical analysis of public perceptions and carry out a small study, and provide evidence in my appendix to verify my research results. I will then discuss my findings in a critical manner and relate my results back to the literature material. In my ethical form under proposed methodology, I mentioned that I would find out information by not only questionnaires and face-to-face interviews, but also surveys. I have decided not to do surveys and face-to-face interviews the reason being is that it is very difficult to access surveys associated to my area of study. Moreover, the time and money spent on getting this information would hinder time being spent on my study. Therefore, as a result I have decided to exclude the use of surveys in my research. I am not doing face-to-face interviews because of the availability of time for other students to be available to answer questions. In order, to resolve this problem I am going to add open-ended questions in my questionnaire to get insight. Progressing onto university (higher education) can greatly enhance wherever you want to go in the future. The reason for this is, that it illustrates to employers the ability to acquire information in a specialised subject. (Directgov. 2005. ‘ The benefits of higher education’ [online] Available from http://www. direct. gov. uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/index. htm [Accessed 3 Jan 2007]) Therefore, this stands to reason graduates coming out of university and entering employment will have higher earning potential to those who don’t go on to higher education. However, in a report in the telegraph it stated that a third of university graduates are in jobs that do not require a degree in 2004-05. This brings out the question; does it really enhance career prospects? In the same article, Boris Johnson says about a degree. ‘It is a wonderful thing to have irrespective of the kind of job you are doing. ‘ I am very critical of this statement because the main reason of going into higher education is to enhance your career. What is the point of attaining a degree, if it doesn’t? (Smith. H {25th July 2006} ‘Third of graduates in non-graduate jobs’ Telegraph [online] Available from http://www. telegraph. co. uk/news/main. jhtml? xml=/news/2006/07/23/nuni. xml Accessed 17th December 2006]) Is it right from degree graduates to find difficulty in finding graduate jobs and fall into ‘non-graduate jobs’? In which they could of entered prior going to university and without the associated financial costs? I aim to find out the value of a degree in the economic market and whether it is actually worth it considering the New Labour’s target of 50% for 18-25 year olds to enter HE. The more graduates flooding the market, the less graduate jobs would be available? There are contrasting views of going into higher education. The article written by Directgov provides a biased view of higher education, in my opinion. The reason being is that Directgov is a site produced by the Central office of Information, associated with the government. As a result, it will would emphasis the benefits of the HE, and they would do this to reach their target of 50%. In contrast, to the telegraph newspaper, there could be a tendency to over exaggerate words and statistics, in order to engage the ready and boost sales. I have chosen this topic of research as education as it affects not only me but also people around me. I am investing my time and money in a degree in the hope of attaining a qualification, which will enhance my career prospects, but in the current climate, it may not. Therefore, which is the best route for a successful career (a graduate/non-graduate) and does it matter? I will explore and come up with conclusions to these questions later on in my report, by collecting and analysing information. I will be gathering both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data is data in which can be categorised and have a numerical relationship. Whereas, qualitative data the information can’t be categorised numerically, the data type is unstructured and may involve long sentences. (Becker S and Bryman A. 2004. ‘Understanding research for social policy and practise’ pp 403-4) Quantitative research illustrates indicators to act as a measure that can stand for a point. Therefore, it can show relationships between variables (independent and dependent. ) For example, if the taxes are increased these would mean that there would be more financial muscle for public services. The questionnaires that the people fill in will help provide this type of information and to show correlations between variables. In contrast, to qualitative data where the main aim is to understand people’s beliefs, values and behaviour. The qualitative data I will gain from face to face interviews will help me to explain the quantitative data. (Becker S and Bryman A. 2004. ‘Understanding research for social policy and practise’ pp 92-7) I am going to ask ten people who are graduates and that are a non-graduate on their views on higher education. This will aid me into find finding some conclusions on this issue. There is a different questionnaire for graduates and non-graduates . The questionnaires are available in the appendix. Prior to giving out my questionnaires I had to pre test these questions to check that they are as clear as possible. I did this by asking the general public on their views and amending any necessary faults in the questions. I have to reassure the sample of respondents that I will not disclose any personal details and that the research details will remain confidential. In my questionnaire, I didn’t ask for their name, as I see that it is of no relevant to the study. I am now going to discuss the results I have discovered in my research. In the first section of the questionnaire, I have included a question about the respondent’s ethnicity. In my opinion, this is a question worth asking, because of evidence being illustrated that there is a trend. Gary Craig, professor of Social Justice in 2002, interviewed 16-18 year olds about their experiences of not being in education. ‘ Of the 64 young people interviewed, 41 were of African- Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin. Craig G and Britton L. 2002. ‘Missing connexions’? Bristol/York: The policy press 4 (2) p. 39-41) This is backed up by my research as, only 10% of the university graduates I interviewed were black. Despite, the figures the research done by Gary Craig, can’t be completely related to my research as he interviewed the 16-18 year old category. Despite, Gary Craig focusing on a different age category to me (18 and onwards), the issue of the high number of African Caribbean not going onto HE, in comparison to other ethnic groups, stems from an early age. An article in the Times shows that only 27% of African- Caribbean achieve five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C. (Baldwin T. {13 March 2005} ‘ It’s not race that keeps black boys back’ The Times [online] also available from http://www. timesonline. co. uk/tol/comment/article426390. ece [Accessed 2nd January 2008]) In the same article it is mentioned that Trevor Phillips the chairman of the commission for racial equality. He did an experiment and found that black boys performed 12% better from all different races. This has sure to raises eyebrows with comprehensive secondary schools. In 1956, labour politician Anthony Crosland, introduced the idea that the pupils in secondary schools be streamed into separate classes according to their academic ability. ‘ In my opinion, with the influence of Trevor Phillips’s findings, I think we should question the way the pupil are ‘streamed. ‘ (Alcock P. 2003 ‘ Social Policy in Britain,’ Second edition pp. 44-5) The reasons why graduates decided to go to university were to increase their chances of employability, higher earning potential and enhance personal development, as I expected. Whereas, the non-graduates suggested that they didn’t have the discipline and motivation to stay in education any further. They also felt that they weren’t getting anything out of the years they had stayed in education before they left. In 2006, a study from the department for education and skills (DfES) found that the earnings between graduates and being educated at A Level is 45%. (Prospects Career Service Desk. ‘ How do graduates and non-graduates salaries compare? ‘ Available at http://www. prospects. ac. k/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Main_menu___Research/Labour_market_information/Labour_market_FAQs/How_do_graduate_and_non_graduate_salaries_compare_/p! elkFpLg;jsessionid=a630e2bd2c3b6b3225f1 [Accessed 2nd January]) The public perception of the benefits of going onto HE still remains and is clearly shown in my research. In the second question, I asked the respondent’s to answer on a scale of 1-10 to answer how had a university degree helped their career . The mean answer yielded a value of 8. 7, in comparison to the non-graduates with a value of 4. 5. This shows that the public are aware of the benefits and importance of HE. The reasons included that the graduates felt they took their education as far as they can, to enable them with to have the best opportunities as possible. One candidate actually mentioned Labour’s government target of 50% of 18-25 year olds going into HE, which meant the value of a degree, is still invaluable. In contrast, to the non-graduates they stated that since they didn’t follow through with education, they were left with limited opportunities that have affected their career. 60% of the candidates mentioned that they were always going to be second best to those who gone into HE. Despite, all the benefits of going into HE, in the current climate it is difficult to find jobs for graduates. In the article, in the telegraph it mentioned that over a third of graduates were in jobs in which they couldn’t see the benefits of being a graduate in the first place. (Smith. H {25th July 2006} ‘Third of graduates in non-graduate jobs’ Telegraph [online] Available from http://www. telegraph. co. uk/news/main. jhtml? xml=/news/2006/07/23/nuni. xml [Accessed 17th December 2006]). My research illustrates this point as only 40% of the graduates felt that they have been helped with investing in HE. The remaining felt that their university degree hasn’t helped them as yet, but will do in the long run. The graduates have faith with the opportunities of HE, despite being in a current role, in which they couldn’t see the benefits of HE. 95% of the total respondents would recommend an 18 year old to enter HE. The graduates felt that it is essential for personal development, two candidates mentioned ‘ to find yourself. ‘ Going onto university does have many benefits, like expanding you social scene, broadening horizons and learning more about the world we live in. These benefits help graduates in choosing the right and suitable path they want to go in terms of a job, because of the job prospects. In my opinion and my research shows this is that HE is important in the economic market. The literature documents I have used, doesn’t mention the class of students who got 1st, 2. 1 etc. This could explain why graduates were in ‘ non-graduate’ jobs. The research they have provided could have been more extensively. As we all know, the majority of university students are not going to get 1st class degree, as a result, they may not get their desire job. The job market has become such a competitive, as more and more students are going into HE. Therefore, it is becoming increasing likely that graduate jobs are going to be offered to those who have graduated with a 1st class from a top university. This raises the issue, why is the government raising the tuition fees and still wants people to go into HE? Is it right for someone who is attending university with the exception of Oxford pay the same fees? These are issues, which still need to be considered, because of university league tables. The university league tables have enabled employers to judge how well universities are doing. Therefore, is it right that the university which is last in the table be paying the same fees as the university at the top, whilst the job opportunities would be reduced? This area is very broad and brings about different questions, which still need to be looked. When New Labour took over they said their priorities is ‘education education education. ‘ Blair was quoted, as saying he wants to still ‘technocratic values,’ in which he wants the country to be as educated as possible, which in turn would have a positive effect on the economy. To what extent does attending university have an effect on the graduate’s employability? From my research, I have gathered that HE does help you in terms of employability, to what extent? It depends on the individual, if they are attending at a good university and enter the job market with a good class degree. There is no reason that the HE, can increase employability and the individual’s career. The full extensive benefits of HE can be seen, if the individual makes use of this education to the best of their ability. It all depends on the individual. How to cite An examination of the importance of going onto higher education and the impact that has on employability?, Papers

Pliocene Epoch free essay sample

During this time the world became much more like it is today, with ice caps, modern mammals, relatively modern geography, and the evolution of prehistoric man (ape man) ( see figure 1). â€Å"The Pliocene was a time of global cooling after the warmer Miocene. The cooling and drying of the global environment may have contributed to the enormous spread of grasslands and savannas during this time. The change in vegetation undoubtedly was a major factor in the rise of long-legged grazers who came to live in these areas. Additionally, the Panamanian land-bridge between North and South America appeared during the Pliocene, allowing migrations of plants and animals into new habitats. Of even greater impact was the accumulation of ice at the poles, which would lead to the extinction of most species living there, as well as the advance of glaciers and ice ages of the Late Pliocene and the following Pleistocene. † (Palmer 1999) The world was approaching that of today, and continents had taken up their present-day positions. We will write a custom essay sample on Pliocene Epoch or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page During this time, India collided with Asia and gave rise to the Himalayan Mountains, the Himalayan uplift triggering a great global cooling (or accelerating the already unfolding cooling process) The Pliocene saw the continuation of the climatic cooling that had began in the Miocene, with subtropical regions retreating equatorially, the beginning of the large ice caps, especially in Antarctica, and the northern hemisphere lands and ocean cooling likewise. Antarctica was not yet completely frozen. In the northern hemisphere there is a gradual southward migration of marine invertebrates. Reflecting the cooling trend, Arctic species appear in Britain, and later, in the Mediterranean. So much so that the horizon of a normal marine bed can be determined by the percentage of species that (a) are extinct, (b) survive in more northern latitudes, and (c) are today found in more southern latitudes. ( Todd 2002) The Pliocene saw an almost complete turnover of molluscan species in numerous locations. (See figure 2) This is not to say that extinction rates approached 100% on the species level. In many cases, species ranges simply flowed back and forth with shifting climate. This is particularly noticeable in regions with long north-south coastlines, as in North America. Some of the Zanclean Pacific coast species simply relocated to the Gulf of California in the Gelasian, since the Gulf remained semitropical throughout the Pliocene. Pliocene vegetation was very like todays. Grasslands replaced forests, so grazing mammals spread at the expense of browsers. Cattle, sheep, antelopes, gazelles, and other bovids reached their peak. North American mammals included horses, camels, deer, pronghoms, peccaries, mastodons, beavers, weasels, dogs, and saber-toothed cats. Rhinoceroses and protoceratids died out in North America. The one-toed horse appears for the first time. The Pliocene period is regarded by many zoologists as the climax of the Age of Mammals. This epoch is characterized by the appearance of all of the presently existing orders and families, and many of the existing genera of mammals. The Pliocene was a time of great migration, owing to the appearance of new land bridges. The North American three-toed Hipparion horse crossed the Bering Straits land bridge and entered Asia and Europe, while mastodons entered the Americas from Asia. During the late Pliocene, about 3 million years ago, the isthmus of Panama ended South Americas isolation. The armadillo, ground sloth, opossums, and phorusrhacid birds were among the animals that migrated north from South America. And dogs, cats, bears, horses, mastodons, and others animals invaded South America from the north. This was catastrophic for some of the local animals, especially the big marsupial carnivores. Even today more than half the genera of South American mammals are descended from northern species. Australia, still isolated, saw rodents rafting in on mats of vegetation drifting south from Indonesia. (Serrano 1999) Primate evolution during the Pliocene is characterized by two major developments. Monkeys, which were relatively few and geographically restricted in the Miocene, spread throughout the Old World. The other event is the evolution of bipedal apes, or the first hominines (early humans). As many as eight different species of bipedal apes evolved during the Pliocene, all from a common ancestor that lived in Africa at least 4. 5 million years ago. The emerging avanna grasslands and retreating forests caused some apes to come down from the trees and take up life in the open, where they co-existed with early elephants, antelopes, and other types of animals. An erect posture was necessary for these vulnerable creatures to watch for predators, which also freed the hands for the use of makeshift tools (sticks etc). Two anthropologists, Donald Johansson and Tim White discovered a nd named Australopithecus afarensis better known as â€Å"Lucy† in 1974. The location she was found in was Hadar, Ethiopia in the Afar region, in mid-November. She was named Australopithecus afarensis after the Afar region that she was found in. For millions of years Lucy’s bones were buried where she had died, and erosion brought them back to the surface where there were discovered. Around midday, Johansson discovered several fossilized bones. After several hours of excavating and uncovering these bones, Johansson’s team had discovered about 40% of a small, bipedal, female skeleton. The specimen was 3. 5 million years old and is the oldest, most complete, and best-preserved skeleton ever found of Australopithecus. Later on in the night to celebrate, the team played some tunes, and after listening to the popular Beatles Song, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, named the specimen Lucy. From Lucy’s skeleton we can infer many physical traits she possessed. Lucy’s thighbone suggests that she was three feet, seven inches in height. She had long arms and short legs as well as an ape like chest. Lucy also had a V shaped jaw. Her pelvis and lower limbs show all the adaptation necessary for an upright stance. The state of her bone growth and the presence of her wisdom teeth suggest that she died in her mid-twenties. See figure 3) Supernovas near Earth are rare today, but during the Pliocene era of Australopithecus supernovas happened more often. Their source was an interstellar cloud called Sco-Cen that was slowly gliding by the solar system. ( See figure 4) Within it, dense knots coalesced to form short-lived massive stars, which exploded like popcorn. Researchers estimate (with considerable uncertainty) that a supernova less than 25 light years away would extinguish much of the life on Earth. The blast neednt incinerate our planet. All it would take is enough cosmic rays to damage the ozone layer and let through lethal doses of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Our ancestors survived the Pliocene blasts only because the supernovas werent quite so close. We know because we can still see the cloud today. It is 450 light years from Earth and receding in the direction of the constellations Scorpius and Centaurus (hence the clouds name, Sco-Cen). Astronomer Jesus Maiz-Apellaniz of Johns Hopkins University recently backtracked Sco-Cens motion and measured its closest approach: 130 light years away about 5 million years ago.