All living things evolved from a common ancestor through the process of evolution by natural selection over long periods of time. Evolution is supported by extensive evidence from various scientific disciplines including genetics, comparative anatomy, the fossil record, and observations of natural selection in present-day populations. While evolution was once controversial, it is now widely accepted in the scientific community as a fundamental principle of modern biology.
It states that the present day complex plants and animals have evolved from earlier simpler forms of life by gradual changes. SEQUENTIAL EVOLUTION ,DIVERGENT EVOLUTION, Theories of evolution.
It states that the present day complex plants and animals have evolved from earlier simpler forms of life by gradual changes. SEQUENTIAL EVOLUTION ,DIVERGENT EVOLUTION, Theories of evolution.
An informative, rather enjoyable presentation & explanation of Neo-Darwinism (evolution) based on the theory in my 12th-grade book.
Remember: When assigned a group project, always give proper and equal time to each member. (Designed for teamwork)
Natural selection is the gradual, non-random process by which biological traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution. The term "natural selection" was popularized by Charles Darwin who intended it to be compared with artificial selection, what we now call selective breeding.
An informative, rather enjoyable presentation & explanation of Neo-Darwinism (evolution) based on the theory in my 12th-grade book.
Remember: When assigned a group project, always give proper and equal time to each member. (Designed for teamwork)
Natural selection is the gradual, non-random process by which biological traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution. The term "natural selection" was popularized by Charles Darwin who intended it to be compared with artificial selection, what we now call selective breeding.
Here I would like to inform you in host selection process by the parasitiods.I hope It would increase your understanding on the steps involved n the host selection process.............................
Molecular basis of plant resistance and defense responses to pathogensSenthil Natesan
In response to pathogen attack, plants have evolved sophisticated defense mechanisms to delay or arrest pathogen growth.Unlike animals, plants lack a circulating immune system recognizing microbial pathogens. Plant cells are more autonomous in their defense mechanisms and rely on the innate immune capacity of each cell and systemic signals that disseminate from infection sites (Jones and Dangl, 2006). Plant innate immunity consists of preformed physical and chemical barriers (such as leaf hairs, rigid cell walls, pre-existing antimicrobial compounds) and induced defenses. Should an invading microbe successfully breach the pre-formed barriers, it may be recognized by the plant, resulting in the activation of cellular defense responses that stop or restrict further development of the invader.
I: Evolution
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.
-- Sir Isaac Newton
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Theories in Science
In the context of scientific inquiry, a theory is:
A conceptual framework supported by a large body of evidence
Broader in scope than a hypothesis. A theory ties information together and leads to specific testable hypotheses
In other words, a theory is a big deal in science, NOT a synonym for guessing
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(This used to be a joke, but I’m not laughing anymore.)
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Historical Overview
What can explain both the unity and diversity of life on Earth?
Organic evolution: genetically based change over time. It acts on individuals in the present, but only manifests in the population over generations.
Natural Selection: mechanism causing the match between organisms and their environment (adaptive evolution = adaptation)
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Traditional views involved unchanging and perfect species inhabiting a young Earth (Old Testament, Linnaeus, etc.)
The emergence of paleontology and geology helped lay the groundwork for Darwin’s contributions
Other areas of research also influenced his thinking, including studies on human population growth
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Fig. 22-2
American Revolution
French Revolution
U.S. Civil War
1900
1850
1800
1750
1795
1809
1798
1830
1831–1836
1837
1859
1837
1844
1858
The Origin of Species is published.
Wallace sends his hypothesis to Darwin.
Darwin begins his notebooks.
Darwin writes essay on descent with modification.
Darwin travels around the world on HMS Beagle.
Malthus publishes “Essay on the Principle of Population.”
Lyell publishes Principles of Geology.
Lamarck publishes his hypothesis of evolution.
Hutton proposes his theory of gradualism.
Linnaeus (classification)
Cuvier (fossils, extinction)
Malthus (population limits)
Lamarck (species can change)
Hutton (gradual geologic change)
Lyell (modern geology)
Darwin (evolution, natural selection)
Wallace (evolution, natural selection)
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Younger stratum
with more recent
fossils
Layers of deposited
sediment
Older stratum
with older fossils
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Several 18th century naturalists (including Erasmus Darwin) suggested life evolves as environments change
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck hypothesized that species evolve through use and disuse of body parts and subsequent inheritance of acquired characteristics
This mechanism is unsupported by evidence (e.g., even if you and your mate lost the same finger, your children would still be born with all ten), but it did refocus subsequent research
Lamarck’s Hypothesis
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The miniature phenotype of Bonsai trees is caused by manipulations of a bonsai master, not genetics. Would the next generation still be stunted if we planted their seeds and allowed them to grow naturally?
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After first studying medicine, then theology at Cambridge, Darwin took an unpaid position as naturalist for a 5-year voyage around the world
During his travels on HMS Beagle, he collected thousa ...
Human beings have always been perplexed about the origin and evolution of life on earth. For centuries, a number of theories and hypothesis have been suggested to explain the evolutionary process.
In the previous year, in a very short time life was created by some supernatural power. Most of the religions and civilizations still believe in it, however, they do not have a scientific explanation and more a matter of faith. There has always been an attempt by the scientists and naturalists with keen observation, to explain the evolution scientifically and to look for its evidences.
The process of evolution involves a gradual change or variation in the organisms generation after generation. It means that the organisms of present-day have arisen from ancestors that were simpler in an organisation.
Human beings have always been perplexed about the origin and evolution of life on earth. For centuries, a number of theories and hypothesis have been suggested to explain the evolutionary process.
In the previous year, in a very short time life was created by some supernatural power. Most of the religions and civilizations still believe in it, however, they do not have a scientific explanation and more a matter of faith. There has always been an attempt by the scientists and naturalists with keen observation, to explain the evolution scientifically and to look for its evidences.
The process of evolution involves a gradual change or variation in the organisms generation after generation. It means that the organisms of present-day have arisen from ancestors that were simpler in an organisation.
Part AJean Baptiste de Lamarck is best known for his Theory of In.pdfannucommunication1
Part A:
Jean Baptiste de Lamarck is best known for his Theory of Inheritance of Acquired
Characteristics, first presented in 1801. Here are some of the basic theories of Lamarckism:
The theory of evolution by natural selection, first formulated in Darwin\'s book \"On the Origin
of Species\" in 1859, is the process by which organisms change over time as a result of changes
in heritable physical or behavioral traits. The main points regarding Darwinism are as follows:
Darwin\'s theory has been supported by a lot of evidence. Hence, it was accepted by the
scientific community during his time. Lamarck\'s Theory of Inheritance of Acquired
Characteristics has been disproved. This was done in two major ways. The first is by experiment.
We have seen through many real examples and observations that changes that occur in an animal
during life are not passed on to the animal\'s offspring. If a dog\'s ears are cropped short, its
puppies are still born with long ears. The other way that Lamarck\'s theory has been proven
wrong is the study of genetics. Darwin knew that traits are passed on, but he never understood
how they are passed on. During the time when Darwin\'s first book first came out, Gregor
Mendel, who discovered genetics, was just starting his experiments. These and other examples
show that Lamarck\'s theory does not explain how life formed and became the way it is.
Part B:
(i) Alfred Russel Wallace: He discovered the concept of evolution by natural selection. Although
he is now rarely mentioned as the discoverer (Darwin, who discovered the theory independently,
is usually cited) Wallace enjoyed a very high reputation in his lifetime and was awarded many of
science’s most prestigious awards.Alfred Russel Wallace did not exactly influence Charles
Darwin, but rather was his contemporary and collaborated with Darwin on solidifying his Theory
of Evolution through Natural Selection.The two pooled their data to present the idea jointly to
the Linnaean Society of London.
(ii)Stanley Miller: He was an American chemist who designed the first experiment to produce
organic molecules from some of the inorganic components of the Earth’s prebiotic atmosphere.
Miller’s procedure (which was co-designed by Harold Urey and is known as the Miller-Urey
experiment) contained three key elements: a heated pool of water meant to simulate the primitive
Earth’s ocean; an atmosphere of water vapour, methane, ammonia, and molecular hydrogen; and
storms of “lightning” in the form of continuous electric discharges. After one week, 10–15% of
the system’s carbon was found in organic molecules such as amino acids, the building blocks of
proteins. Miller’s experiment was not only a groundbreaking moment for research into the origin
of life on Earth but also a breakthrough that captured the popular imagination and gave rise to
the term prebiotic soup. Miller\'s experiment was important because it showed that organic
compounds such as amino acids, which are essential to cellular .
Some references are coming from the internet, i just copied it.. credits to the owner. some information are not mine as well as the slide i just download it from the internet. My report in my Masters.
Evolution and Its ProcessesFigure 1 Diversity of Life on Eart.docxturveycharlyn
Evolution and Its Processes
Figure 1: Diversity of Life on Earth
The diversity of life on Earth is the result of evolution, a continuous process that is still occurring.
“wolf”: modification of work by Gary Kramer, USFWS; “coral”: modification of work by William Harrigan, NOAA; “river”: modification of work by Vojtěch Dostál; “protozoa”: modification of work by Sharon Franklin, Stephen Ausmus, USDA ARS; “fish” modification of work by Christian Mehlführer; “mushroom”, “bee”: modification of work by Cory Zanker; “tree”: modification of work by Joseph Kranak
Chapter Outline
1. Discovering How Populations Change
2. Mechanisms of Evolution
3. Evidence of Evolution
4. Speciation
5. Common Misconceptions about Evolution
Introduction
All species of living organisms—from the bacteria on our skin, to the trees in our yards, to the birds outside—evolved at some point from a different species. Although it may seem that living things today stay much the same from generation to generation, that is not the case: evolution is ongoing. Evolution is the process through which the characteristics of species change and through which new species arise.
The theory of evolution is the unifying theory of biology, meaning it is the framework within which biologists ask questions about the living world. Its power is that it provides direction for predictions about living things that are borne out in experiment after experiment. The Ukrainian-born American geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky famously wrote that "nothing makes sense in biology except in the light of evolution" (Dobzhansky 1964, 449). He meant that the principle that all life has evolved and diversified from a common ancestor is the foundation from which we understand all other questions in biology. This chapter will explain some of the mechanisms for evolutionary change and the kinds of questions that biologists can and have answered using evolutionary theory.
Discovering How Populations Change
By the end of this section, you will bbe able to:
· Explain how Darwin’s theory of evolution differed from the current view at the time.
· Describe how the present-day theory of evolution was developed.
· Describe how population genetics is used to study the evolution of populations
The theory of evolution by natural selection describes a mechanism for species change over time. That species change had been suggested and debated well before Darwin. The view that species were static and unchanging was grounded in the writings of Plato, yet there were also ancient Greeks that expressed evolutionary ideas.
In the eighteenth century, ideas about the evolution of animals were reintroduced by the naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon and even by Charles Darwin’s grandfather, Erasmus Darwin. During this time, it was also accepted that there were extinct species. At the same time, James Hutton, the Scottish naturalist, proposed that geological change occurred gradually by the accumulation of small changes from pr.
Baby ganesha sitting on the lap of lord shiva and mother parvathi vintage baz...Dokka Srinivasu
These are 2 different Baby Ganesha sitting on the Lap of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvathi vintage bazaar post cards of 19th Century in my collection.
I am sharing these in my Heritage of India blog.
http://indian-heritage-and-culture.blogspot.in/2015/09/baby-ganesha-sitting-on-lap-of-lord.html
Every person want to fulfill something in his or her life. But success is coming to those people who are moving forward to implement some action instead of just thinking. Success is coming to those who think properly with proper and dedicated planning.
Every person has infinite potential within him/her. These 18 principles are useful as how a person use his infinite potential to succeed in life.
I prepared this power point presentation and i hope many people will benefited with this presentation to succeed in their Goals and Life. All the best to the readers those who study and implement these principles.
Maithreem Bhajatha song by smt. m.s. subbulakshmi at united nationsDokka Srinivasu
Maithree Bhajatha Song by Srimati M.S. Subbulakshmi at United Nations
http://srimati-ms-subbulakshmi.blogspot.in/2012/04/maithree-bhajatha-song-by-srimati-ms.html
Lord shiva with young ganesh mythological post cardDokka Srinivasu
This is my mythological post card. i share this in my heritage of india blog.
http://indian-heritage-and-culture.blogspot.in/2012/04/lord-shiva-with-young-ganesha.html
Heritage of India, Taj Mahal Post Card
I shared this in my heritage of India blog.
http://indian-heritage-and-culture.blogspot.in/2012/04/taj-mahal-post-card.html
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 3DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 3. In this session, we will cover desktop automation along with UI automation.
Topics covered:
UI automation Introduction,
UI automation Sample
Desktop automation flow
Pradeep Chinnala, Senior Consultant Automation Developer @WonderBotz and UiPath MVP
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Slack (or Teams) Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Soluti...Jeffrey Haguewood
Sidekick Solutions uses Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apricot) and automation solutions to integrate data for business workflows.
We believe integration and automation are essential to user experience and the promise of efficient work through technology. Automation is the critical ingredient to realizing that full vision. We develop integration products and services for Bonterra Case Management software to support the deployment of automations for a variety of use cases.
This video focuses on the notifications, alerts, and approval requests using Slack for Bonterra Impact Management. The solutions covered in this webinar can also be deployed for Microsoft Teams.
Interested in deploying notification automations for Bonterra Impact Management? Contact us at sales@sidekicksolutionsllc.com to discuss next steps.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
"Impact of front-end architecture on development cost", Viktor TurskyiFwdays
I have heard many times that architecture is not important for the front-end. Also, many times I have seen how developers implement features on the front-end just following the standard rules for a framework and think that this is enough to successfully launch the project, and then the project fails. How to prevent this and what approach to choose? I have launched dozens of complex projects and during the talk we will analyze which approaches have worked for me and which have not.
Software Delivery At the Speed of AI: Inflectra Invests In AI-Powered QualityInflectra
In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
• Visual Testing: Explore the emerging capabilities of AI in visual testing and how it's set to revolutionize UI verification.
• Inflectra's AI Solutions: See demonstrations of Inflectra's cutting-edge AI tools like the ChatGPT plugin and Azure Open AI platform, designed to streamline your testing process.
Whether you're a developer, tester, or QA professional, this webinar will give you valuable insights into how AI is shaping the future of software delivery.
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
Search and Society: Reimagining Information Access for Radical FuturesBhaskar Mitra
The field of Information retrieval (IR) is currently undergoing a transformative shift, at least partly due to the emerging applications of generative AI to information access. In this talk, we will deliberate on the sociotechnical implications of generative AI for information access. We will argue that there is both a critical necessity and an exciting opportunity for the IR community to re-center our research agendas on societal needs while dismantling the artificial separation between the work on fairness, accountability, transparency, and ethics in IR and the rest of IR research. Instead of adopting a reactionary strategy of trying to mitigate potential social harms from emerging technologies, the community should aim to proactively set the research agenda for the kinds of systems we should build inspired by diverse explicitly stated sociotechnical imaginaries. The sociotechnical imaginaries that underpin the design and development of information access technologies needs to be explicitly articulated, and we need to develop theories of change in context of these diverse perspectives. Our guiding future imaginaries must be informed by other academic fields, such as democratic theory and critical theory, and should be co-developed with social science scholars, legal scholars, civil rights and social justice activists, and artists, among others.
PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)Ralf Eggert
In this presentation, we examine the challenges and limitations of relying too heavily on PHP frameworks in web development. We discuss the history of PHP and its frameworks to understand how this dependence has evolved. The focus will be on providing concrete tips and strategies to reduce reliance on these frameworks, based on real-world examples and practical considerations. The goal is to equip developers with the skills and knowledge to create more flexible and future-proof web applications. We'll explore the importance of maintaining autonomy in a rapidly changing tech landscape and how to make informed decisions in PHP development.
This talk is aimed at encouraging a more independent approach to using PHP frameworks, moving towards a more flexible and future-proof approach to PHP development.
Let's dive deeper into the world of ODC! Ricardo Alves (OutSystems) will join us to tell all about the new Data Fabric. After that, Sezen de Bruijn (OutSystems) will get into the details on how to best design a sturdy architecture within ODC.
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 previewPrayukth K V
The IoT and OT threat landscape report has been prepared by the Threat Research Team at Sectrio using data from Sectrio, cyber threat intelligence farming facilities spread across over 85 cities around the world. In addition, Sectrio also runs AI-based advanced threat and payload engagement facilities that serve as sinks to attract and engage sophisticated threat actors, and newer malware including new variants and latent threats that are at an earlier stage of development.
The latest edition of the OT/ICS and IoT security Threat Landscape Report 2024 also covers:
State of global ICS asset and network exposure
Sectoral targets and attacks as well as the cost of ransom
Global APT activity, AI usage, actor and tactic profiles, and implications
Rise in volumes of AI-powered cyberattacks
Major cyber events in 2024
Malware and malicious payload trends
Cyberattack types and targets
Vulnerability exploit attempts on CVEs
Attacks on counties – USA
Expansion of bot farms – how, where, and why
In-depth analysis of the cyber threat landscape across North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East
Why are attacks on smart factories rising?
Cyber risk predictions
Axis of attacks – Europe
Systemic attacks in the Middle East
Download the full report from here:
https://sectrio.com/resources/ot-threat-landscape-reports/sectrio-releases-ot-ics-and-iot-security-threat-landscape-report-2024/
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 4. In this session, we will cover Test Manager overview along with SAP heatmap.
The UiPath Test Manager overview with SAP heatmap webinar offers a concise yet comprehensive exploration of the role of a Test Manager within SAP environments, coupled with the utilization of heatmaps for effective testing strategies.
Participants will gain insights into the responsibilities, challenges, and best practices associated with test management in SAP projects. Additionally, the webinar delves into the significance of heatmaps as a visual aid for identifying testing priorities, areas of risk, and resource allocation within SAP landscapes. Through this session, attendees can expect to enhance their understanding of test management principles while learning practical approaches to optimize testing processes in SAP environments using heatmap visualization techniques
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into SAP testing best practices
2. Heatmap utilization for testing
3. Optimization of testing processes
4. Demo
Topics covered:
Execution from the test manager
Orchestrator execution result
Defect reporting
SAP heatmap example with demo
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
4. Talk Outline Part 1: How was evolution discovered? Discussion: Should Creationism and Evolution be given “equal time” in science lessons? Part 2: How does evolution work? Practical: Natural Selection in the Peppered Moth Part 3: What is the evidence for evolution?
5. Discovery (1) Fixed species Michelangelo’s fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Creation_of_Adam From Classical times until long after the Renaissance, species were considered to be special creations , fixed for all time.
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7. Discovery (3): Fossils and Strata http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ ImageWilliam_Smith.g.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image: Geological_map_of_Great_Britain.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Smith_fossils2.jpg William Smith, his geology map & some of his fossil specimens At about the same time, geologists like William Smith were mapping the rocks and fossils of Britain. He and others showed that different species existed in the past compared with today.
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14. Discussion: Should Creationism and Evolution be given equal time in science lessons? science.kukuchew.com/wp-content/uploads/ 2008/01/stop_following_me_creationist.jpg
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24. Activity Natural Selection in the Peppered Moth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Biston.betularia.7200.jpg en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Biston.betularia.f.carbonaria.7209.jpg
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28. Evidence (4): Homology en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Evolution_pl.png The pentadactyl limb is ancestral to all vertebrates… but modified for different uses
Presenter notes: Evolution is one of the most important concepts in the Science of Biology. In fact Biology simply does not make sense without Evolution. Evolution is the idea that all living things arose from a single common ancestor in the distant past and that life continues to diversify today as new species appear. Evolution explains why we can classify organisms into different groups (because some organisms are more closely related than others). Evolution explains why the cells of all organisms use the same kind of biochemical machinery (because all life shares a common ancestor). This talk deals with the discovery of evolution, how evolution works, and the evidence for evolution. Background note: A companion talk dealing with the History of Life from its earliest origins to the present day can be downloaded from the Your Planet Earth website: http://www.earth4567.com/talks/life.html. Although these two modules on Evolution and the History of Life can be delivered as stand-alone resources, they are best studied together.
Presenter notes: All living things share a single common ancestor in the distant past and all living things are related to one another. In much the same way that we might draw a family tree of our own ancestors, scientists can draw a Tree of Life to show how all living things are related. Evolution is the process by which one species gives rise to another and the Tree of Life grows.
Presenter notes: There is often considerable confusion as to whether the concept of evolution is a theory or a fact. Actually it is both! Evolutionary theory deals with how evolution happens. This is an area of active research and new insights are constantly emerging to explain how one species gives rise to another. However, Evolution is also a fact because there is a great deal of indisputable evidence, as we will see in this talk, in support of its occurrence. What is uncertain is exactly HOW it happens, NOT whether it has happened at all. Further background reading: Stephen Jay Gould, "Evolution as Fact and Theory," Discover 2 (May 1981): 34-37; available here: http://www.stephenjaygould.org/library/gould_fact-and-theory.html
Presenter notes: This talk has three parts. In the first part we will look at the scientific breakthroughs that led to the discovery of evolution between 1800 and 1940 and consider some of the objections to evolution raised by some fundamentalist religious groups. In the discussion that follows we will debate a controversial issue that is often raised by fundamentalist Christians in the USA - whether Creationism and Evolution should be given “equal time” in science lessons. In the second part, we will think about how Evolution works, and consider how one species can give rise to another. In the Practical we will then consider an example of Evolution in action as we turn our attention to the case of the Peppered Moth. Finally, and most importantly, we will address the evidence for Evolution and show why Biology simply does not make sense without it.
Presenter notes: So let’s start by thinking about the discovery of Evolution. Beginning in Classical times and persisting until long after the Renaissance, scientists thought species were fixed and unchangeable (or ‘immutable’ to use the language of the era). Their reasoning ran something like this: if God’s creation was perfect from the start, why would He bother to tinker with it at a later date?
Presenter notes: However, around 1800, some scientists began to wonder if species could change their form or ‘transmute’. One of the early proponents of this idea was French scientist, Jean Baptiste de Lamarck (1744-1829). If species were able to change their form over time, then how did it happen? Lamarck thought that if an animal acquired a characteristic during its lifetime, it could pass it onto its offspring. One of his favorite examples was the giraffe. In his view, the giraffe got its long neck through straining to reach the leaves on high branches, and this characteristic got passed down the generations. Most scientists of his day thought that Lamarck was wrong. At that time, only a few radical thinkers like Charles Darwin’s grandfather, Erasmus, agreed that species could change over time.
Presenter notes: About the same time that these radical thinkers were discussing the transmutation (or evolution) of species, geologists like William Smith were beginning to map the rocks and fossils of Britain. Smith and others were able to show that rocks were laid down in a certain order and that the different fossils in different layers lived at different intervals of geological time. Here was clear evidence that different species had existed in the past compared with today. However, Smith did not go on to ask the question, ‘Why?’ or to consider that this might be evidence for evolution.
Presenter notes: In the early nineteenth century, Charles Darwin (1809-1882) rekindled ideas about evolution. In a sense, Evolution was in Darwin’s blood because, as we’ve already noted, his grandfather was an early supporter of the concept. From 1831-1836, Darwin toured the world on HMS Beagle as a young naturalist. He was dazzled by the amazing diversity of life, including some amazing fossils such as rodents the size of hippopotamuses and started to wonder how it might have originated.
Presenter notes: On his return from the Beagle the jigsaw pieces started to fit together in his mind. Around 1842 Darwin read an essay about human population growth by Malthus. Malthus had argued that human population would grow more quickly than food supply. Consequently competition for food would become intense and only the fittest and most able would survive. Darwin applied these ideas to all of life and came up with his now famous concept of Natural Selection. Darwin reasoned that if an organism possessed a character that improved its chances of survival, then it would be more likely to pass on that character to the next generation. Therefore organisms would become progressively adapted to their environment, leading to the evolution of new species. Darwin published this idea in his “Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection” in 1859.
Presenter notes: However, Darwin’s concept of Evolution by Natural Selection was met with considerable controversy and debate. Although some Christians were willing to accept Evolution, if God was allowed to guide the process, most were opposed to the idea of Evolution being driven by random competition and natural laws. However, some leading scientists did embrace Evolution. One of these was Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895), who became known as “Darwin’s bulldog” for his ferocious support of Darwin. On 30 June 1860, Huxley debated Evolution with Bishop Wilberforce at a British Association meeting in Oxford. In the debate, Wilberforce infamously inquired of Huxley whether it was through his grandfather or grandmother that he claimed descent from a monkey! Huxley then rose to the defence of Evolution, finishing his speech with the now legendary ‘put-down’ that he was not ashamed to have a monkey for his ancestor, but he would be ashamed to be connected with a man who used great gifts to obscure the truth! This debate saw many people come to accept Evolution. However, there was little support or enthusiasm for Darwin’s mechanism of Natural Selection.
Presenter notes: While all this was going on, and unbeknown to the scientific elite in Britain, an Austrian monk called Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) was carrying out important experiments that would eventually prove that Darwin’s Natural Selection was in fact correct. For seven years, Mendel cross-bred different strains of pea plants to investigate how characteristics like the colour of the flowers got passed down the generations. In a quite amazing feat, he cultivated almost thirty thousand pea plants and in doing so figured out the basic principles of, what would later become known as, Genetics. He showed that offspring received characteristics from both parents, but only the dominant characteristic was expressed. This was contrary to the prevailing view at the time that the characteristics of both parents were somehow “blended” together. Unfortunately, Mendel’s work was overlooked by scientists in the West, only coming to light long after his death.
Presenter notes: When Mendel’s work on Genetics was finally “re-discovered” in 1900, it started to make sense of evolution in a new way and stimulated renewed interest in Darwin’s work of fifty years earlier. Building on Mendel’s work, studies showed how genetic traits in a population of animals or plants could be selected by environmental pressures and how a population could become progressively adapted to its environment. This Modern Synthesis, as Julian Huxley called it, brought Darwin’s concept of Natural Selection right back to the centre of evolutionary theory, as we will see in the next part of the talk.
Presenter notes: However, despite becoming universally accepted by the scientific community in the early 20 th century, Evolution by Natural Selection continued to meet strong opposition by certain religious groups. This was especially true of Christian fundamentalists, who saw the concept as an erosion of God’s sovereignty. In 1925, the State of Tennessee, USA outlawed the teaching of Evolution completely. When one teacher, John Scopes, continued to teach evolution he was tried and found guilty in what is now infamously known as the “Scopes Monkey Trial”!
Presenter notes: This religious opposition to Evolution has continued to the present day. However, today opposition to Evolution is often more subtle. For example several US states have recently argued that Evolution and Creationism should be given “equal time” in the Science classroom. Creationism maintains than a literal reading of the Book of Genesis in the Bible is the only adequate explanation for how Life came into being and that the concept of Evolution is incorrect. On the surface, this demand seems OK. After all, isn’t it fair to present both sides of the debate? Over the next few minutes, we’ll look at this issue at little more closely as we discuss this important question: should Creationism and Evolution should be given “equal time” in the Science classroom?
Presenter notes: In this second part of the talk, we will think about the mechanism of evolution, or to put it more simply, how evolution works. Earlier, we’ve mentioned the importance of genetics in the discovery of Evolution, and we’ll think much more about that over the next few slides. But first of all, let’s introduce ourselves to a few technical terms. The genetic make-up of an organism is known as its genotype. The genotype of an organism and the environment in which it lives (nature and nurture together) determine the characteristic traits of the organism, or its phenotype.
Presenter notes: The genotype of an organism is stored in DNA molecules, which are a sort of information bank found within the nucleus of every cell. Every time an organism grows a new cell a new copy of the DNA is created. It is important that every copy of the DNA is identical, since any errors copying the genotype may prevent the cell from functioning properly. In 1953, Watson and Crick figured out that DNA had a helical structure and showed how it copies itself with such amazing accuracy. When DNA replicates, the helix unwinds and each strand produces an exact mirror image copy of itself. This ensures that each copy is identical to the original.
Presenter notes: However, very occasionally, tiny copying errors can and do occur when DNA is replicated. These copying errors are called mutations. Mutations may be caused by a number of factors including radiation, viruses, or carcinogens (cancer-causing materials). As the genotype provides the blueprint for how each cell should grow and function, even a tiny mutation might mean that the cells fail to work properly. Take for example the common fruitfly: a single mutation in the fruitfly can change the colour of the eye from red (its normal colour) to white. White-eyed fruitfly are less successful at mating. Because of the potential for mutation, most organisms have a group of special enzymes whose job it is to go round and repair any faulty DNA.
Presenter notes: Mutations give rise to variants, or alleles, of the same gene. One person may have one set of alleles, and another person, a different set. For example, take hair colour in humans. One of the genes that codes for hair colour occurs as two alleles, brown and blonde. If you throw you mind back to earlier in this talk you’ll remember how Mendel showed that one allele is usually dominant and the other recessive. In the case of hair colour, brown is dominant and blonde is recessive. So if a person gets a brown allele from one parent and a blonde allele from the other parent, they will have brown hair. A person will only have blonde hair where they receive blonde alleles from both parents.
Presenter notes: If a person, or any other organism for that matter, develops a new allele (a mutation), they can spread this around the population by sexual reproduction. However, if the allele exerts a harmful effect on the individual then this will reduce the likelihood of it reproducing and the allele will be removed from the population. Only those mutant alleles that have beneficial effects that increase the likelihood of reproduction will be passed on to offspring. In this way, harmful alleles are removed from a population while favorable alleles accumulate. This is Darwin’s concept of Natural Selection and shows how a population adapts to its environment over time.
Presenter notes: The case of the Peppered Moth is an excellent example of Darwin’s Natural Selection in action put forward by the biologist J.B.S. Haldane in 1924. The gene that controls the colour of the Peppered Moth occurs as two alleles, a mottled allele (pale colour) and a melanic allele (black colour). Early in the 18 th century, pale moths were dominant in the countryside around Manchester. However, during the Industrial Revolution the trees on which the moths rested became covered in black soot. Pale mottled moths were poorly camouflaged on the black tree trunks and were preferentially eaten by birds. In contrast, the black melanic moths were better at avoiding predation. Natural Selection acted against the pale moths and in only a few generations, the melanic moths were dominant. However, there was one final twist. As the skies of Manchester became cleaner in the 20 th century, the mottled moths made a comeback and displaced the melanic moths again.
Presenter notes: The case of the Peppered Moth shows how natural selection can change the frequency (or relative proportion) of alleles in a population. A more straightforward example of the same phenomenon is the breeding of dogs. Humans have been breeding dogs for thousands of years and trying to develop certain characteristics. This “artificial selection” is exactly the same process as natural selection but controlled by human intention rather than natural forces. Although humans have been successful in changing the frequency of alleles in different dog breeds, they haven’t created new species. The definition of a species is a population that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Most dogs can successively interbreed with other dogs, and also with wolves, so in actual fact all dog breeds are just subspecies of the wolf, Canis lupus ! Dog breeding is therefore an example of what biologists called Microevolution; the frequency of alleles in the population have changed, but not greatly enough to give rise to a new species.
Presenter notes: To give rise to a new species, Microevolution needs to go on for more much longer than humans have been breeding dogs. For example, if a species was to become divided into two isolated populations for tens of thousands of years, then natural selection would eventually change the frequency of alleles to such an extent that members of the two populations could no longer interbreed. This process would result in the birth of new species or speciation. Where speciation occurs, biologists refer to the process as Macroevolution. An excellent example of Macroevolution is that observed by Charles Darwin during his world tour on HMS Beagle. When visiting the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean he noticed that each island had its own distinctive species of finch. Darwin argued that the islands had originally been colonized by just one species of finch, but then in isolation, each island population had evolved in response to different environmental conditions.
Presenter notes: An obvious question as we conclude our look at how evolution works is: are there any examples of evolution by natural selection going on today. Obviously, the answer is yes, as all species are undergoing evolution. However, as the rate of change is very slow, examples are very difficult to detect and even harder to prove. One possible example is the case of the ‘London Underground Mosquito’. This mosquito found its way into the Tube system around 1900 when the railway lines were being constructed. It became infamous during the Second World War as it would constantly bite people sheltering from the Blitz. The London Underground Mosquito has been isolated from the surface for over a hundred years and studies indicate that there are already genetic differences between it and its above-ground relatives. The differences are so great that the two populations have difficulty interbreeding. Perhaps here is an example of ongoing speciation today?
Presenter notes: We’ve already discussed the case of the Peppered Moth as an example of Natural Selection in action. In this next activity we’ll look more closely at the Peppered Moth and discover how natural selection works in detail.
Presenter notes: In this third and final part of the talk, we’ll consider the evidence for evolution and reflect on the fact that Biology simply doesn’t make sense if we take Evolution out of the equation. One of the most striking pieces of evidence for evolution is the basic similarity of all living things. First of all, as we’ll already stressed, all living things pass on genetic information from generation to generation using the DNA molecule. However another basic shared characteristic is the use of the ATP molecule to carry energy around the cell. These two fundamental similarities suggest that all living things evolved from a single common ancestor.
Presenter notes: If life was generated through evolution then we might also predict that closely related organisms will be more similar to one another than more distantly related organisms. This is borne out by comparison of the human genetic code with that of other organisms. These studies show that chimpanzees, our closest relations, are nearly genetically identical (their genes differ by only 1.2%) whereas the more distantly related mouse differs by some 15%.
Presenter notes: Very similar comparisons can be made based on anatomical evidence. For example the skeleton of humans is very similar to that of the gorilla, our close relative, but both are very different from the exoskeleton of the woodlouse. Yet even primates and woodlice share some basic anatomical characteristics such as bilateral symmetry suggesting that they are all related in the Tree of Life, albeit distantly. Here again is clear evidence for the inter-relatedness of all living things.
Presenter notes: Another piece of evidence that supports evolution is the concept that biologists have called homology. Homology refers to an anatomical feature possessed by an ancestor that has subsequently been modified by its descendents for a specific function. Take, for example, the pentadactyl (or five fingered) limb. This is found in all vertebrates from fish to amphibians to reptiles to mammals to birds. This structure is easily recognizable in all these diverse groups of organisms but has been adapted to suit particular purposes in each. So we find it adapted as wings for flight in birds, as fins for swimming in fish, as scrapers for digging amongst moles and so on. As all these diverse organisms have the same anatomical blueprint, this strongly suggests they are inter-related.
Presenter notes: Whilst ancestral anatomical features can be adapted to new purposes (as we’ve just seen), they can also find themselves redundant altogether. Features that get sidelined by evolution in this way are called Vestigial Structures. One example is the human coccyx or tail bone which is a much reduced version of a bony tail possessed by our ancestors. Formerly adapted to aid balance and climbing, a tail has little function in human behaviour so has been selected against. It probably has been retained in a vestigial form because it has some use as a point for muscle attachment in the bottom. Another example of a vestigial human organ is the appendix.
Presenter notes: All the pieces of evidence that we have discussed so far point to the inter-relatedness of all living things and their evolution from a single common ancestor. However, perhaps the most compelling piece of evidence in support of evolution is the fossil record itself. The fossil record shows a sequence from simple bacteria in the oldest rocks through to more complicated organisms like dinosaurs and humans in much younger rocks. It shows that different species arose at different times and, as we see in the next slide, in many cases there are clear transitions from one species, or group, to another. Background note: A companion talk on the History of Life can be downloaded from the Your Planet Earth website: http://www.earth4567.com/talks/life.html
Presenter notes: One of the most famous examples of a species that is transitional between two major groups, is the 150 million year old Archaeopteryx. Archaeopteryx has several characteristic features seen in certain dinosaurs including teeth and a bony tail. However, it has more features that are characteristic of modern birds such as a wishbone, wings with flight feathers, and a partially reversed first toe. Although geologists classify Archaeopteryx as an early fossil bird they recognize that it is more closely related to the dinosaurs than any birds living today. Archaeopteryx therefore provides good evidence of the evolutionary transition from dinosaurs to birds.
Presenter notes: A rather different source of evidence in support of evolution comes from the geographic distribution of species today. If we take for example the case of marsupials, we see that this primitive group of mammals is found in the Americas and Australasia. Marsupials are not renowned as strong swimmers so this raises the questions as to how two populations came to be separated by the Pacific Ocean if they evolved from a common ancestor. However, this problem is resolved if we remember that the Earth’s continents have not remained stationary over time but have drifted around the surface of the Earth. During the Jurassic Period, 160 million years ago, all the Southern Hemisphere landmasses were joined together and you could have walked from Australia to South America across what is present day Antarctica. Fossil evidence shows that marsupials evolved in the Jurassic but after the continents started to break-up, the marsupials must have got separated into two populations, one in the Americas and the other in Australasia. In fact fossil marsupials have even been found in Antarctica and South Africa as well, providing evidence that that these continents acted as a land bridge connecting the two populations for a time.
Presenter notes: A final and perhaps especially convincing piece of evidence for evolution is the familiar way that bacteria may become resistant to antibiotics. Bacteria have a fast life cycle and can produce a new generation every 4 hours. As natural selection acts on each generation this means bacteria can rapidly respond to environmental pressures. In effect the antibiotics act to weed out those bacteria with low resistance in each generation. Only bacteria with high resistance survive and pass their alleles to the next generation. Consequently, in just a short time, natural selection increases the resistance level of the bacteria population. This is an example of evolution in action amongst the simplest organisms on our planet – and then having an impact on the most complex organisms!
Presenter notes: In this talk we have discussed how Evolution was first discovered, how Evolution works, and last of all, the evidence for Evolution. In particular, we’ve reflected on the fact that Biology simply does not make sense when Evolution is taken out of the equation. In addition, we’ve noted that while aspects of Evolution remain theoretical, that Evolution is happening is an established fact, through great quantities of excellent evidence. Yet, outside the scientific community, surveys show that in the USA, 40% of people do not believe in Evolution by Natural Selection, and even in the UK, some 21% are said to be doubtful. As we close, discuss why non-scientists are reluctant to accept Evolution. Do you think that Evolution is a threat to religions like Christianity? Have scientists been inadequate in the way they have communicated Evolution? Is our science education system at fault? How could understanding of Evolution be improved amongst the public at large?