TARRAS, A
2010-27369
Life of Mammals
Monkeys
are one of the most social beings among the animals. Monkeys possess big brains and also have
strong limbs which they use to their advantage.
They are also very opportunistic especially when it comes to food. It is also interesting to see that techniques
like nut cracking are passed through generations by simple observation and
imitation just like what people do.
In
the documentary, different kinds of monkeys have been showed together with
their unique characteristics. Monkeys
have good color vision and they use it to identify which leaves are herbal and
which are poisonous. Different species
of monkeys can also live with one another by having different diet so that they
will not fight each other. Others are
nocturnal and hunt food at night to avoid competition. Monkeys are colourful, so are their
expressions. They can use facial
expressions to send message to others.
Body movements and vocal communication are also used to demonstrate
messages and this also prompts others on the danger that is coming to them.
The
social life of these creatures is very evident in those that are living in
groups. One nice fact is that the bigger
the brain is, the larger the group would be.
Living in groups can protect them from possible predators. But in these groups, every male must be
resourceful to find his own mate. Based
on the film, it can easily be seen that monkeys that live on the ground have
more complex and unrestrained social life than those that live on the
tree-tops.
Food
for thought focuses on apes, which is the closest animal relative of
humans. This episode also put emphasis
on the similarities and differences between man and ape. First is the bipedal walking of the two where
an orang-utan carries his child upright in the water. Apes also display great capacity in gaining
knowledge and it is evident when they use paddle in a canoe, and when they are
using hammer and saw. Early humans hunt
animals down for food without the use of weapons. But as time passed by, they learned to
improve their techniques not just in getting food but also in domesticating
plants and animals, building structures, and protecting their lives. Views have changed and our society is more complex than those of apes, but we
should not conclude that only humans have culture. The food supply has been way up for us
humans but the population had also been a very big problem right now. The presenter of the documentary compared the
evolution of humans to the progress and success of the Mayan civilization. However, we all know that Mayans do not exist
anymore maybe because of the things they overlooked and ignored. The message of the documentary is so simple
for man to understand and it can be summed up by the narrator’s last words: “Instead of controlling the environment
for the benefit of the population, perhaps it's time we control the population
to allow the survival of the environment."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SANTOS, ADP
2013-59274
Reaction Paper: The Life of Mammals
BBC’s
documentary series The Life of Mammals,
particularly its episodes “Social Climbers” and “Food for Thought” opened doors
to a wider and deeper understanding of human evolution. Throughout the show,
the viewers were presented with how various kinds of monkeys interact with each
other, their similarities and differences with each other and with the human
race. Despite being exposed to societal hierarchy in the human setting, I
personally found it astounding and unbelievable how animals practice certain
classes and how they come up with such factions. It was seen that physical
appearance mattered so much to them. Take for example the case of the Capuchin
monkeys whose facial redness denote supremacy over the other. Those with redder
skin are more powerful and therefore able to, to some extent, exploit their
power. They somehow step on those below them by simply forcing a monkey of a
lower class to give his or her food even if it is already in his or her mouth.
Although extremely barbaric, chaotic, and abusive, I also cannot help but think
that humans do the same. Our tendencies of forcefully taking what is not
rightfully ours have increased and worsen over time. This, in a way, proves how
animalistic we still are deep within, as we have evolved from these mammals.
Towards
the end of show, a question was raised regarding population control and
sustainability. I think that it is but right that we reverse the way things are
now and control the population in order to sustain ecosystems – its diversity,
richness, beauty, and life. As technology moves the planet towards directions
it can hardly imagine, human beings, as creatures entrusted with the skill to
fully understand and comprehend the things around him, it is but our
responsibility to make sure that those things are well taken care of and
preserved. After all, protecting the environment is always a win-win situation
for everyone.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KIT,
MBY
2012-58453
2012-58453
Reaction
Paper - BIRDS OF UP DILIMAN
When I hear the words 'bird
watching', the first thing that comes to mind would be a bunch of students
gathered in one area, waiting for birds to come around and taking photos of
them when they do, little did I know there was more to bird watching than I
thought. When Sir Benjamin Vallejo discussed about how there are optimal time
periods for bird watching and there are certain times for different species to
be seen. He told us that in order to bird watch the 'right way' we need to take
a 20-minute random walk around the science complex at around 10AM, because
that's usually when the birds are most active.
We had difficulty finding other
species of birds other than Maya birds when our group walked around the science
complex. This is because it is hard to see and identify the different types of
birds when they are up in the trees and some of them blend in with the colors
of the leaves. We probably didn't see much birds because we were quite noisy,
and Sir Vallejo told us that this would scare the birds away. All in all, it
was a new experience and finally addressed my misconceptions about bird
watching, which I believe was long overdue.
When we arrived at the auditorium, Sir
Vallejo showed us the different types of birds that can be found around UP
Diliman and discussed their characteristics briefly. He also told us the usual
whereabouts of different species around the science complex. We were also made
aware of the university's efforts to bring in more species of birds into the
university's surroundings by planting trees that draw them in around campus. It
is also during this lecture that I learned it is possible to make a great
amount of money selling photos of rare birds, and also that the university does
not condone this. Because UP Diliman is not a private institution, it does not
require fees to take photos of the birds who have made homes around campus, nor
does it encourage others to profit from photos taken within the university.
With the right kind of maintenance
and precaution, the university will be able preserve the number of birds who
take shelter within its grounds and maybe even gain more species in the coming
years.
Reaction
Paper: THE SOCIAL CLIMBERS & FOOD FOR THOUGHT
David Attenborough's documentary was
aimed at educating us on the different types of monkeys there are all over the
world, their certain behavior, similarities and differences. It's quite
interesting how he discussed the certain social classes that exist in some
species of monkeys, even certain customs when it comes to mating. This shows
that they are indeed capable of complex thinking of some sort, given the
certain rules that they follow in their daily lives. He also talked about how
each species' brain size is somewhat directly proportional to the size of their
pack/group. Brain size depicts intellectual capability, so a larger brain
entails more complex social groups and standards to be set, and vice versa. Macaque
monkeys were shown to have said hierarchy wherein one from a higher class has
the privilege of obtaining food from a lower class instead of gathering food
themselves.
He also mentioned the necessity of
color vision and excellent eyesight for survival. Monkeys need these to be able
to distinguish the different kinds of plants; the poisonous from the edible,
etc. It was also shown how a certain species of monkeys discovered the use of
one plant as an insect repellent. Attenborough placed a few stems of the said
repellent plant within the reach of the monkeys and they took it and started
rubbing them all over their bodies. This behavior indicates that they are able
to comprehend such things and retain the memory of that plant having said
purpose.
Another capability learned and
retained through generations of species would be the way they obtain food. Some
species of monkeys form alliances and travel in packs in order to gain easy
access to food. Another specie of monkeys showed aptitude when they realized
they had to hit clams against tree barks to get them to open in order to eat
the food inside. Like humans, they find ways to sustain themselves, and this is
what is fascinating about the documentary, it shows us how much monkeys are
like humans. It also showed us how each species uses its unique features to its
advantage.
Food for Thought discussed how the
Mayan civilization came to be and ended. It illustrated in detail their
different traditions and innovations, which are mostly inclined with
architecture and astronomy. They were very much logical thinkers with the
certain achievements they've made; thinking way ahead of their time. They were
able to build complex communities and maintain them for some time. It just goes
to show that innovation is the basis for longevity and progress in any
civilization.
Reaction
Paper: A BEAUTIFUL MIND
After watching the film A Beautiful Mind, I was enlightened on
the causes and consequences of having schizophrenia. It gave us all an in-depth
illustration of the disorder; a closer look at how it could affect a person's
life, no matter how intelligent he or she may be. It made me realize how
immensely detailed the delusions could be, and taking into account the
intellectual capacity of John Nash, the delusions' range were way out of
proportion. The film also showed us the certain causes of his schizophrenia,
one of which being his lack of social skills and desire to have a friend, which
led to the idea of an imaginary roomate. His inability to be a loving husband
and longing for a family led to delusions about a certain little girl, while
his need to feel a certain significance or self-actualization brought about
delusions of working for secret services of some sort. All of these
dysfunctions eventually caused such a disorder, which the film illustrated ever
so clearly. And then came the consequences of having such a disorder; the
ridicule, the shame, and having to face reality. The film had also shown the
brutality of insulin shock therapy back in the day, which schizophrenic patients
were subjected to. Also, at some point in the film, Nash chooses to forego
medication because it affects the way he thinks and restricts him from
continuing his research.
For the better half of the movie, we
see John Nash finally recovering from his disorder. He finally realizes that
the child he's been having delusions of doesn't age, and comes to terms with
the fact that he is indeed sick. After having accepted his disorder, he decides
to do something about it by going back to the university and teaching. He still
is the neurotic person he was when he first entered the university, spending
hours in the library, writing on glass windows and whatnot; but is now aware of
his disorder, thus continuing life with more caution now. He continued his research
on the game theory while teaching, and finally made progress. With the help of
his loving wife and sympathetic colleagues he was able to overcome his
schizophrenia. He finally finished his research and even earned a Nobel Prize
for it. From this, we learn that it is possible to overcome such a disorder
with enough support and will power. Towards the end of the movie, we see Nash
descend the stage after delivering his speech for the Nobel Prize, and see his
delusions sitting in the corner. He simply ignores them and walks away. He
never really got over his schizophrenia, it still exists, but he no longer lets
it take control of his life now that he knows it's all in his mind. It's some
sort of a conscious sort of psychological disorder; knowing you are somewhat
irreversibly ill yet just not letting it affect you negatively.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BALONSAY, CM
2010-26323
A Beautiful Mind
A Beautiful Mind is a tricky film that allowed the viewers to navigate the mind of a
scientist undergoing a psychological disorder. John Nash amazed the audience
with his exceptional skills in Mathematics. He was able to come up with
patterns out of the things he sees. He was also able relate his knowledge in
actual life scenarios. He has come up with an original idea and finished his
thesis through the help of the idea of seducing woman that he discovered while
enjoying the company of his friends in a bar. Besides being smart, the
anti-social trait of scientists was also presented in the film. It can be
noticed that John Nash avoids interaction with other people. And this, maybe,
has started the conflicts in the film.
Just in the beginning of the
film, the oddities in John’s behaviour are already noticeable. But, no one can
immediately say that what they see is just a part of John’s imagination. The
director has thought of a great way to let the audience understand
Schizophrenia by showing them, first, whatever is on John’s mind without giving
any hint on which among the scenes are realities and which are imaginations. It
is difficult to find out that what’s happening is just a manifestation of
John’s illness. Though, there are notions that too much intelligence can lead to
insanity. Since John is very smart, it is really possible that he has been
hired as a secret agent to decipher codes. Even his friends in the movie do not
close this possibility. As the story progresses, the line dividing reality and
imagination was gradually revealed. Many aspects of John’s life have been
affected which includes his family and his work. The preceding scenes taught
the audience more about the adverse effects of medications to the victims of
Schizophrenia. It was shown that medicines impaired the patients thinking
skills but it has to be taken regularly in order to reduce the effects of the
illness.
One sad truth has been revealed
in this film. That is, Schizophrenia is a disorder that cannot be cured. The
only thing that can be done is to control the disorder by maintaining
treatments. However, the film exemplified ways on how to handle such illness.
Through the never ending love and support of Alicia to his husband, John was
able to manage living a normal life again. He was not able to overcome this
illness but he managed to live with it.
He has proven that his sickness is not a hindrance to success. But, the
core message of the film lies in the fact that Alicia, despite all the
hardships she encountered while living with John Nash, still decided to stay
with his husband until the end.
The Life of Mammals: The Social Climbers and Food for
Thought
The Social Climbers and Food for
Thought are two episodes of David Attenborough’s documentary entitled Life of Mammals. These two episodes strongly
showed deference to the theory of Evolution by presenting evidences that
monkeys are the closest relative of humans.
One of those evidences that were mentioned in
the documentary was their inherent big brain which allowed them to acquire
different skills. They have the ability to determine when the fruit is ripe
even without a calendar and they seldom get lost in directions even without a
map. They have ways of strengthening their body by rubbing leaves. Also, they
have the ability to exploit what they have to their advantage like Orangutans
that exploit their weight in order to transfer from one tree to another. There
are wide varieties of monkeys. Each has special body part which allows them to
eat specific food. Like for example, some has excellent colour vision to see
unusual kind of fruit and some has special teeth to crack nuts. These special
qualities which enable them to do different things make one kind of monkey
unique from another kind and allow them to live side by side and utilize
different parts of the forest.
Another similarity of monkeys to
humans is their ability to establish social relationships. Who would have
thought that monkeys have brotherhood? What’s more fascinating is that whenever
these males fight, they hug each other as a form of reconciliation to
re-establish their relationship. That is just one of the amazing facts that the
documentary revealed about monkeys. Just
like humans, monkeys aim to rise to another social class. But, getting accepted
in a class takes a lot of time and brain power. One has to learn social orders such
as befriending a senior and performing grooming. It can be seen from the
documentary that even in the community of apes, there is unfairness and
inequality. Size is a great factor in survival. The bigger the size of an ape, the
more power he possess.
In the end, David
Attenborough showed that nature portrays a great role in strengthening or
destroying a civilization. Due to climate changes, humans were able to develop
new skills. This could also be the reason why the apes, which were believed as
the origin of man, were able to learn how to stand. David Attenborough
concluded the documentary with a striking statement that surely left a mark on
his audience. He stated that instead of controlling the environment for the population,
humans must control the population for the survival of the environment. Due to
man’s ambition of dominion over the universe, the natural flow of life has been
messed up. The documentary wants to impart to its audience that it is more
important to focus on the environment and find ways to preserve nature rather
than to pursue personal desires.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MUYCO, CA
2012-61288
Reaction Paper on “The Life of Mammals”
The episodes “Social Climbers” and “Food for
Thought” of David Attenborough’s “The Life of Mammals” provide an in-depth look
at how monkeys and apes thrive in their specific environments.
The first episode focused on the lives of
monkeys and their different characteristics that give rise to each species’
unique abilities, usually connected to their feeding preferences (Pygmy marmosets,
for example, take advantage of their small stature to be able to climb to the
highest, thinnest branch to capture insects; howler monkeys, meanwhile, use
their color vision to distinguish poisonous leaves). “Food for Thought,” on the
other hand, featured apes and their capacity to develop skills and habits (not
necessarily of importance to their physiological needs; one such example is
that of the orangutan who learned how to wash clothes and chop wood) from being
exposed to the human world. It also gave an insight into ape society and the
evolution of man—from his simple beginnings to how he has shaped the Earth. It
was said that we may be the result of apes learning how to walk upright in
order to adapt to changes in the environment.
Both
episodes demonstrated the natural intelligence of monkeys and apes. But beyond
this intellect, monkeys and apes have the special ability to socialize. As seen
on the documentary, they learned how to identify and protect themselves from
predators by teaming up with other monkeys, how to defend their food source, as
well as share it to their kin, and how to groom each other to protect
themselves from parasites. A good relationship with other monkeys or apes was
key to surviving in the jungle, and thus led to the formation of communities
that range from small to large numbers, and, like human societies, have their
own social hierarchy. This goes to show that monkeys and apes are not only
smart creatures, but also social creatures that give relevance to creating and
maintaining social relationships.
I
think the most interesting aspect of the documentary is how it was able to show
the uncanny similarity between us humans and monkeys and apes when it comes to
social interaction. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, we human beings
constantly yearn for the feeling of love and belonging and we achieve this by
being part of a community and mingling with other humans. Likewise, monkeys and
apes have this need to belong, otherwise, they wouldn’t be living in groups
(there are some species, however, that survive better alone or in small groups,
as with orangutans). Like us, monkeys and apes establish close relationships
with members of their group and immerse themselves in various social
activities. One scene in the documentary depicts baboons “chattering” amongst
each other, resembling a lively neighborhood fond of the latest gossip.
But
building relationships is not the only thing that we have in common. As
mentioned before, monkeys and apes also have a social hierarchy that is
strictly followed. Some scenes in the documentary show males trying to prove
themselves in order to have a place in the society. These instances further
affirm that humans, apes and monkeys are not so different. Like us, they place
grave importance to social standing, and associate power with position. Like
us, monkeys and apes constantly yearn for the feeling of being looked up to and
holding influence.
Reaction Paper on the Bird-watching
activity
On
May 7, we had a guest speaker, Sir Benjamin Vallejo, talk about the variety of
bird species found in UP Diliman, specifically in the National Science Complex.
Alongside his colleagues, Sir Benjamin studied UP’s bird species for at least a
year. He described their methodology, which, in a nutshell, involved waking up
early in the morning and going around a certain area for twenty minutes,
enumerating the birds present. His team was able to cover almost all of UP
Diliman, but focused on the more forest-rich areas, like the National Science
Complex.
Sir
Benjamin gave us a chance to experience what he and his team had more or less
done. We were given twenty minutes to randomly roam around the National Science
Complex and list down all of the birds we see. It was an interesting activity,
to say the least. It was 10 in the morning, and the sun was at its highest. It
was hot and stuffy and unfortunately, we were not able to see the colorful
birds Sir Benjamin showed us through photos. In fact, it was difficult to see
any of the birds because of the sun’s blaring light; furthermore, the birds
were not as active at 10 am, they prefer to feed early in the morning and by
the time the sun’s heat was at its prime, chose to hide in the canopy. By some
stroke of luck, though, we were able to spot numerous Mayas, a Fantail and
another bird which we described as having “two sharp tails.”
Despite
the difficulties, I think that the activity was a good way for us to experience
science in the field. I don’t really hold a strong fascination for birds, but I
do find the fact that UP is home to at least 50 species of birds interesting. I
actually found that piece of information surprising at first because I never
really saw any birds except for the common Maya. But when Sir Benjamin showed
us photos of UP’s colorful array of birds, I couldn’t help but be amazed. UP
truly is a treasure chest of rich biodiversity and it saddens me to hear that
this wealth may completely disappear in the future. As students and citizens
who treat UP not just our school but our second home as well, we should do all
that we can to preserve this biodiversity. We are known as a school of
activists whose fight always seems to focus on national issues. While fighting
for justice and against government corruption are signs of courage, we should
also take the time to look at our own surroundings and fight to protect the
rich biodiversity of our school. It shouldn’t just be humans we should fight
for; plants and animals don’t have the voices to speak up and protect
themselves, and as the only living creatures with the capability of thought, it
is our duty to fight for those who can’t.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CERDAN, EJ
2011-15364
Reaction Paper: The Social Climbers and Food for
Thought
Personally, I enjoyed
watching these two documentaries. These documentaries displayed interesting
aspects of the lives of different species of monkeys, and how humans lived and
survived through all these years. In
this reaction paper, I will focus on two things: my takeaway from these two
documentaries, and my reaction to the message at the end of the documentary,
Food for Thought.
From “The
Social Climbers”, the ideas that stick to me are: the politics and the
socializations of different species of monkeys. It is somewhat funny to watch
how these monkey societies are very similar to human societies. Some examples are:
how they guard their young members, how their alpha male or leader shows their
dominance, how they value their friendships, how they ostracize members that
they don’t like, how some members rebel against their politics, how they share
their food with their members, how they teach each other on different skills,
how they remember their members even after they do not see them for a long
time, how they use their teamwork to achieve a bigger goal. I think we should
learn from them or at least remember that is how we should be as humans. For
me, some people tend to forget to value our relationships. With our technology
nowadays, most of us value our internet and mobile relationships more than our
personal relationships. We cannot ignore this fact anymore with all these
different conflicts we can see on social media sites mostly caused by
misunderstandings and lack of respect for others. These simple things that we
forget and ignore are what will make our society better.
From “Food for Thought”, I learned a lot more
about human evolution. This documentary made me realize more how much potential
humans have. From starting to use tools, to learning how to cultivate crops, to
developing languages, to asking questions and finding the answers to it by
ourselves, we made a lot of changes to ourselves to grow and develop. We shaped
this world to address our needs affecting other species in our world more than
we realized. We should always remember that to continue living in this world,
to not exploit so much that we cannot do anything about the problems that will
rise from it.
I completely
agree with David Attenborough’s message at the end of these documentaries. It’s
time to control our population to allow the survival of our environment. If all
we do is destroy our environment and not preserve it, then we are the ones who
do not deserve to live in this world. It might be better if we just live in
another planet since we are the aliens, the aliens who blindly degrade a planet
and leave it to die.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALBA, R
2010-04101
Life of
Mammals – Social Climbers and Food for Thought
Monkeys
always interest me. Being primates, they seem to have a connection with humans
especially when it comes to socializing. The way they communicate, the way they
coordinate with each other and of course, the way they help with other monkey
species especially during the presence of a predator.
What
I’m fascinated more about monkeys is that our perceived culture of theirs.
Granted that this “culture” might not be as complex of us humans but
nonetheless very thought-provoking.
Next
will be about food. Food is a very important resource because of it’s a survival
requisite and as such humans developed various ways in order to obtain food
supply.
Necessity begets invention, they
say.
This
documentary tells us the situation before. Now as we may or may not apply it to
our current systems depend on our innovation and creative thinking.
The
survival of the apes and the food-producing spree of the humans tell us that
nature (and the human mind) eventually develop systems in order to survive. The
theory of evolution goes into here as those who don’t innovate will be left
behind and die from extinction.
To
sum it up, revolutionary ideas are the keys to survival of the species.
Birding
Activity
I’ve
experienced birding before. After the stargazing activity done at the NISMED
rooftop earlier this year, our group haven’t sleep and thus we are awake up
until dawn. Birds start chirping and one of NISMED’s esteemed personnel pointed
out the various migratory birds that can be seen with the naked eye from the
rooftop of the building.
Of
course, when we are told that the class will have a birding activity I was
really excited. However as we went around in circles and looked for birds, we
realized that we were looking at the wrong time. Migratory birds fly only
during the dawn and earlier times of the day bus at the temperature rises they
tend to “rest” at shades of the trees.
The
birding activity ended with our group identifying maya birds and captive
chickens from the NIGS compound.
What
I like about the lecture about the birding is that photo-taking of birds at the
campus is absolutely free. The photos, however, mustn’t be sold (like on paid
advertisements) or else the photographer has to pay the administration of the
school.
The
greenery of UP Diliman is a good place for various animal species to survive. I
personally hope that with the construction of new buildings will not disrupt
the survival of these species.
No comments:
Post a Comment