Table 1.
Some phenotypic traits of humans for comparison with those of great apesa
|
LIFE HISTORY |
ORGAN PHYSIOLOGY |
NUTRITION |
COGNITIVE CAPACITY |
| Secondary Altriciality | Aldosterone Response to Posture | Frugivory | Declarative Memory |
| Helplessness of the Newborn | Salt-Wasting Kidneys | Carnivory | Imitative Learning |
| Prolonged Helplessness of Young | Ability For Sustained Running | Aquatic Foods | Teaching |
| Extended Care of Young | Voluntary Control of Breathing | Underground Foods | Symbolic Representation |
| Childhood | Ability to Dive Underwater | Cooking | Awareness of Death |
| Adolescence | Diving Reflex | Awareness of the Past | |
| Age at First Reproduction | Ability to Float/Swim | NEUROANATOMY | Awareness of the Future |
| Longevity | Emotion Lacrimation | Relative Brain Size | Theory of Mind |
| Salt Content of Tears | Direct Cortical Projections | Theory of Other Minds | |
| REPRODUCTIVITY BIOLOGY | Olfactory Sense | Relative Volume of Frontal Cortex | Empathy |
| Concealed Ovulation | Relative Volume of Corpus Callosum | Numeracy | |
| Virgin Breast Development | CELL BIOLOGY | Relative Volume of Cerebellum | |
| Female Pituitary Menopause | No Differences Are Known? | % of Brain Growth Complete at Birth | COMMUNICATION |
| Placentophagy | Rate of Postnatal Brain Growth | “Parentese” Sounds | |
| Female Labia Majora | BIOCHEMISTRY | Infant “Protoconversations” | |
| Vaginal Hymen | Placental Alkaline Phosphatase | NEUROBIOLOGY | Gestural Communication |
| Baculum (Penis Bone) | N-Glycolylneuraminic Acid Expression | Population Distribution of Handedness | Symbolic Communication |
| Sperm Count | Alpha 2-6-Linked Sialic Acid Expression | Semantics | |
| Copulatory Plug | Postnatal Dendritic Growth | Grammar and Syntax | |
| ENDOCRINOLOGY | Postnatal Synapse Formation | Recursion | |
| EMBRYOLOGY | Thyroid Hormone Metabolism | Cortical Synapse Density | Writing |
| Early Fetal Wastage/Aneuploidy | Cortical Neuron Density | ||
| Hydatiform Molar Pregnancy | PHARMACOLOGY | Dendrites Per Neuron | |
| Umbilical Cord Length | Methylation of Inorganic Arsenic | Synapses Per Neuron | SOCIAL ORGANIZATION |
| Adult Neurogenesis | Institutions | ||
| PREGNANCY/PARTURITION | ANATOMIC PATHOLOGY | Cingulate Cortical Spindle Neurons | Social Conventions |
| Cephalo-pelvic Disproportion | Cortical Neurofibrillary Tangles | Finger Tip Sensory Nerve Endings | Governments |
| Duration of Labor | Enforcement Through Sanctions | ||
| Maternal Mortality in Childbirth | CLINICAL PATHOLOGY | NEUROCHEMISTRY | |
| Pain During Childbirth | Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate | Brain Aromatisation of Testosterone | |
| Need for Assistance with Childbirth | Serum Alkaline Phosphatase Level | Tyrosine Hydroxylase Heterogeneity | CULTURE |
| RBC and Serum Folate | Composition of Art | ||
| Neonatal Cephalhematoma | Serum Vitamin B12/B12 Binding | MENTAL DISEASE | Composition of Music |
| Total Leukocyte Count | Schizophrenia | Composition of Rhythms | |
| POSTNATAL DEVELOPMENT | Absolute Neutrophil Count | Bipolar Psychosis | Death Rituals |
| Late Closure of Cranial Sutures | Absolute Lymphocyte Count | Autism | Clothing (Covering of Body Parts) |
| Duration of Infant Arousal | Suicide | ||
| Inconsolable Infant Crying | DENTAL BIOLOGY/DISEASE | Rites of Passage | |
| Infant-Caregiver Attunement | Canine Tooth Diastema | BEHAVIOR | Genocide |
| Maternal-Infant Eye-To-Eye Gaze | Canine Tooth Dysmorphism | Control of Facial Expressions | Competitive Sports |
| Tooth Enamel Thickness | Planning Ahead | Practicing of Skills | |
| ANATOMY | Retromolar Gap | Intentional Deception | Physical Modifications of the Body |
| Sagittal Crest of Skull | Third Molar Impaction | Deliberately Delaying Gratification | |
| Brow Ridge | Dental Eruption Sequence/Timing | Long-Range Transport of Materials | Inheritance of Resources and Status |
| Protuberantia Menti (Chin) | Secondary Tool-Making | ||
| Length of Sphenoid Sinus | MEDICAL/SURGICAL DISEASES | Mechanical Multi-Tasking | Rythmic Dance |
| Choroid Plexus Biondi Bodies | HIV Progression to AIDS | Physical Abuse of the Young | Sculpture |
| Inner Ear Canal Orientation | P. falciparum malaria | Torture | Belief in Supernatural/Religion |
| Apical Phalangeal Tufts | Viral Hepatitis B/C Complications | Organized Warfare | |
| Age of Pelvic Bone Fusion | Influenza A Infection Severity | Adult Play | Body Adornment |
| Bone Cortex Thickness | Incidence of Carcinomas | Symbolic Play | Childbirth Customs |
| Laryngeal Position | Hemorrhoids | Abuse of Other Animals | Sexual Intercourse in Private |
| Pharyngeal Air Sacs | Varicose Veins | Inter-Group Coalition Formation | Gift-Giving |
| Ear Lobes | Pelvic Phleboliths | Use of Containers | Hospitality |
| Sexual Body Size Dimorphism | Foamy Virus (Spumavirus) Infections | Care of Infirm and Elderly | Intertwining (e.g., weaving) |
| Lacrimal Gland Structure | Sexually Transmitted Diseases | Grandparenting | |
| Visible Whites of the Eyes | Home Base | Meal Times | |
| Small/Large Intestine Length Ratio | IMMUNOLOGY | Control of Fire | Poetry |
| Meningeal Artery Source | Sialoadhesin on Macrophages | Food Preparation | Property |
| Organized Gathering of Food | Construction of Shelters | ||
| BIOMECHANICS | SKIN BIOLOGY AND DISEASE | Domestication of Animals | Taboos |
| Bipedal Gait | Eyebrows | Domestication of Plants | Taxonomy of Species |
| Adductive Thumb | Eccrine Sweat Glands | Altruistic Punishment | Trade |
| Skeletal Muscle Strength | Acne Vulgaris | Peace-Making | Measurement of Time |
| Hand-Eye Coordination | Subcutaneous Fat | Somnambulism | Weapons |
| Fine Motor Coordination
|
Body Lice
|
Mind-Altering Drug Use
|
Toys
|
-
↵a A major limitation in translating genomic comparative information into an understanding of “humanness” is that we know relatively little about the basic phenotypic features of the great apes, relative to humans. This table lists topic areas in which there are real or claimed “differences” between humans and the great apes (as a group). A given “difference” listed here could be a suggested gain or loss in humans, with respect to the great apes. This is a partial listing of topics that will appear later at a Web-based “Museum of Comparative Anthropogeny” http://origins.ucsd.edu/gapp1.html
