Evolution Final

Evolution is the theory that things change, aka evolve, over time. There are two different parts of evolution: macro evolution and micro evolution. Macro evolution involves the change of one species into another, for example dinosaurs becoming birds. It's impossible to witness macro evolution as it takes millions of years to occur. Micro evolution however you can see within a day in some cases as it is simply a species adapting to its environment.

Transitional species are one thing that scientists use to prove macro evolution; these transitional species are supposed to link the beginning and end resulting creatures. For example, the archaeopteryx is thought to be a 'transitional species' between dinosaurs and birds because it shows traits from both. Homologous structures are another thing that is used to prove evolution, it is thought that since we have similar bone structures we all originally came from the same common ancestor. Vestigial structures are also used as proof for evolution because it is thought that although we don't currently have any use for them we must have had a use for them in the past or else they wouldn't be there. Yet another thing that is used as proof for evolution is the similarity in DNA between all living creatures. It is thought that the least difference between the DNA the more closely related.

Natural selection plays a huge role in Evolution, it's basically the whole basis of it. So how it works through a sequence of mutations in the genetic structure of a species different variations have occurred within the species. So when the environment changes these variations enable the specie to adapt better or worse with the change, the ones that adapt best obviously are more likely to live and reproduce passing these favorable traits onto their offspring while the ones that are less able to adapt are less likely to survive. Over time this causes a change in the population to more of the favorable traits and much fewer of the less adaptable traits.

There is proof with DNA that random mutations do occur. This then is related to evolution because for example since 96% of human and chimp DNA are similar people assume that the other 4% is accounted for by the mutations over time.

I don't believe that humans and chimps evolved from a common ancestor. I think that the evidence that so far has been presented is inconclusive to proving this and that if it was real people wouldn't have to tamper with the evidence such as skulls and hip bones to prove it. The evidence would already be there without needing to be modified.

Evolution 9

It was very helpful to do the project researching the way diseases become resistant to drugs because it demonstrated both micro evolution AND natural selection :) It really was nice to get to watch all of the presentations because everybody took different takes on the project even if they had the same subject. Watching the bugs presentations just helped to remind me that these theories apply to everything! Like, you don't see a bug usually and think hmmm they evolved so that they can do this or that it's hard to think that things aren't always the way they are now. It makes it interesting to think about the future, what will evolve next?

Evolution 8

It was interesting to see in the video the real life natural selection involving Malaria in Africa. This more than anything else I think really helped me to understand how natural selection works, where the allele that gives the advantage obviously eventually leads to more of that allele. I'd understood that before, however I had always connected it directly with macro evolution. F.or some reason I had always thought of the trait that gives the species an advantage as having to be one of new information. This however is not accurate, the advantage itself is caused by a change in the environment, like everything else with evolution.