The Facts of Evolution
1. What is the point Shermer is trying to make in this article?
Shermer’s point is that evolution is a historical science and it did in fact happen and there is a lot of evidence to support that it did.
2. What was Darwin’s contribution to our understanding of coral reefs?
Our understanding of coral reefs is now that there aren’t different kinds of coral reefs but rather all coral reefs are in different stages of development.
3. Who was Darwin’s “one long argument” with? What was his view? How was it different from the Darwinian one?
Darwin’s “one long argument” was with theologian William Paley. Paley’s view was Intelligent Design; the correlation of the works of god and the words of god. Darwin’s
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7. What are the random and non-random processes in evolution as identified by Richard Dawkins? What makes them random and non-random respectively?
Genetic mutations and the mixing of parental genes in offspring might be random, but the selection of genes through the survival of their hosts is anything but random. Natural selection and evolution is unconscious and cannot look forward to anticipate what changes are going to be needed for survival.
8. What was wrong with Shermer’s example of a “polar bear” as a transitional species when he was talking to his daughter?
It implies that polar bears are transitioning to become marine mammals, which is incorrect. They are already well adapted for their lifestyle, but if global warming continues perhaps something new will happen.
9. Why are fossils so difficult to come by?
There are a lot of factors, from the stomachs of predators, scavengers, feeders, even making it to fossilization and then somehow finding its way back to the surface through geological forcers and discovered a million years later.
10. Why is it that genetic change can occur more quickly in small groups? Why is it important for the evolution of new species?
When a species gives rise to a new species the small group breaks away and becomes geographically/reproductively isolated from its ancestral group. As long as it remains small and detached, the founder group can experience fairly rapid genetic changes.
11. What does Shermer mean by the
According to Darwin and his theory on evolution, organisms are presented with nature’s challenge of environmental change. Those that possess the characteristics of adapting to such challenges are successful in leaving their genes behind and ensuring that their lineage will continue. It is natural selection, where nature can perform tiny to mass sporadic experiments on its organisms, and the results can be interesting from extinction to significant changes within a species.
"Polar Bears, Ringed Seals, and the Complex Consequences of Climate Change" is an article written by Mary Bates who earned her PhD studying Bat echolocation. She works for an American Association for the Advancement of Science. In this article Mary talks about how Climate change is impacting different species at different rates. Here, she focuses on sea-ice dependent animals such as Polar Bears and Ringed Seals at Arctic. She explains on how these animals are dependent upon the sea-ice for living. The Arctic is warming at a rate three times greater than the global average, and that the sea ice coverage is declining rapidly. She also talks about Hamilton's study on sea-ice dependent animals. Before the melting of sea ice the Polar bears used
The factor that makes slightly changes between one individual to another is the mutation. It is said that mutation occurs randomly and with no control, and by this the natural selection happens, and the individuals more suitable to the environment passes the genes, and the mutation that guaranteed the survival is going to operate in the next generation, and it keeps happening.
The argument rests on the claims of local reports which report about the declination of the arctic deers. Then the author mentions about global warming and how this coincidence with the local report. However, the claims from the author is not well supported nor it does mention any real life facts.
57). Through statements like these, it is clear that while at one point Darwin clearly held strong religious beliefs, but those changed.
Natural selection is considered one of the most important processes for a variety of species and the environment which allows the fittest organisms to produce offspring. To prevent a species from extinction, it is necessary for them to adapt to the surrounding environment. The species which have the ability to adapt to new surroundings will be able to pass their genes through reproduction. Within the process of natural selection, it is possible for the original genetic make-up of a species to become altered. The team will report on the different processes of basic mechanisms of evolution, how natural selection results in biodiversity and why biodiversity is important to continued evolution. The sources of genetic
2) Which hypothesis of inheritance, common at Darwin's time, caused many to question the ability of natural selection to bring about adaptation in populations?
Natural selection is the process whereby species that are better equipped for survival in their environment are able to prolong their bloodline by reproducing. Advancements in these species, evolution, can be seen as a result of natural selections force. Natural selection can be broken down into three concepts that require it to operate. The first is the constant struggle a species face for survival, which results in the continuation of the successful branches of the species, as the others become extinct. The second requirement is a varying population, these more successful branches only stem from mutated groups or individuals whose features become beneficial when faced with such struggles. The third concept is the presence of a mechanism that allows these mutations to be passed on to the next generation, thus evolving the species. All three of these conditions are interrelated, and must take place in order for natural selection to play its role in the evolutionary process.
Nature seems to be random in the way that there is no structure, no code of conduct, no virtual organization, but as much as it may seem that way, in the 1800’s naturalist and geologist Charles Darwin discovered there is much more happening in nature, which presented a new theory to the worlds view. Darwin’s research shows that species will go through great change for the survival of their kind.
Natural selection is the cause of evolution, environmental factors to determine which phenotypes are successful can be bred and pass on to the successful allele to the offspring. This means that the amount of successful alleles will increase in the gene pools be unsuccessful will decrease. As environments change so so successful phenotypes, removing unsuccessful ones from the gene pool. This is called microevolution. Microevolution will occur if there is a presence of variation in alleles variation will be from gene mutation and arrangement of genes and Gene analysis. Evolution by natural selection is a slow process as new species emerge. To Speed up this process humans begin the process of selective breeding, this is when individuals with
One of the four processes for evolutionary change is a mutation. Mutation is when a mutation could occur which causes the trait to be different in the offspring than the parents’ trait. The second is migration, of the processes for evolutionary changes. Migration is when some individuals from a population might migrate to another population and that population would have more frequent trait then they were that their original population. The third one is genetic drift, of the processes for evolutionary changes. Genetic Drift is a mechanism that can be changed in the frequency of the alleles in the population due to random selection or chance, which is either the bottleneck effect or the founder effect. Natural Selection is when an individual
After the teacher read the text and explained I read the text a few times, I learned the main idea is that the polar bears are dying because the earth is getting warmer each year. The ice in the North Pole is melting.
Both articles gave the same information about polar bears are currently decreasing in size of their population and seem to be affected by pollution, global warming, hunting, and change in environment. They also propose there has been an on going debate as to whether or not polar bears should be considered an endangered animal. However, the reasons as to why there is a debate are different for the articles.
The genetic results of these changes are mediated by their effects on the main genetic processes of genetic drift, gene flow, selection and mating. These processes determine the amount of genetic diversity found within a species and how it is portioned among individuals and populations across its geographical range.
Natural selection usually happens because of one main reason. An organism less suited to its environment dies and is no longer able to pass on its genes to the next generation. As this occurs over many generations these characteristics in the population become less common. The gene frequency of the population has shifted, and evolution has occurred. “Organisms vary in their characteristics, even within a species.”