I finally decided to make a blog after speaking with a lot of other scientists about the ways that they try to reach out to the public. Many of them had really positive experiences with the strangers that connected with them via their blogs. I hope to create a community of other scientists and curious readers to share my own ideas and get to know other perspectives on science, evolution, and specifically human evolution. I am also excited for the opportunity to answer some questions and teach you guys a little bit about what I do and study, and maybe you can teach me something too. I don’t want this to be another self promotion blog; I didn’t choose wordpress as a free host for a personal website. Let’s interact.

Once I decided to make a blog to share what I know and think about human evolution I still didn’t know what to call it. ‘Kristen Ramirez’s evolution blog’ seemed pointless- like I said this wasn’t supposed to be about me. However, that was the first thing that came to mind and I just wanted to get the URL going so I could jump into this process. For that, I am sorry this will forever be kristenramirezevolution.wordpress.com.

But then I really got to thinking about some of the questions I’ve gotten when I tell people I’m a physical anthropologist who studies human evolution. My favorite is ‘So… what do you do with that?’ That one usually comes from my family. The upsetting ones are racist, asking why a particular group looks, acts, or thinks the way they do (not that they really do). As much as I want to educate people, those questions just make me roll my eyes and walk away before something bad happens. I do, though, engage with those who try to prove to me that evolution is not real. I’ve heard every argument, from ‘How can something come from nothing?’ to the devil burying dinosaur bones to trick man. I don’t think I’ve completely convinced anyone yet- but how much can I really do on a 15 minute bus ride? But at least those only end in eye rolls and walking away about half the time.

By far the most common questions I get are from confusion about how evolution works, not necessarily resistance to it. I really enjoy interacting with the people who ask those questions. I hope to attract people who are just confused and just need a place to ask questions and have the complex processes that transformed a single cell ancestor into everything that has ever been alive on earth. So I chose a very common question as the title of my blog- If humans came from monkeys then why are there still monkeys?

Funny enough, before I could think of my first post, I was talking to a classmate who studies the evolution of snakes on Madagascar and when I told her my tentative blog title she sent me this:
http://sufuns.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/infographic.png This infographic sealed the deal. This is clearly a common question, and hopefully it will lure my target audience in. I also hope to be able to expand upon the explanation in the infographic, and help answer to all of you how we didn’t exactly come from monkeys, and why they still exist.

So on that note: welcome! I hope you all enjoy.