General

Question 1

Descent in evolution

Answer 1

Species descend from an ancestral species through the normal process of reproduction

Question 2

Modification in evolution

Answer 2

How genetic changes occur not just in individuals, but in whole species

Question 3

What is evolution?

Answer 3

Descent with modification
All known life shares a common ancestry, organisms descend from parent organism and populations, etc.

Question 4

Why are there controversies around evolutionary biology?

Answer 4

Possible answer: Because it deals with the origin and nature of humans, which goes against some religions and belief systems
Guided by evidence and not tradition

Question 5

Nature of Science Principles

Answer 5

Testing
Evidence
Tentativeness
Recording/publishing
Methodological naturalism
Apply math
Open to all
Any background
Academic Freedom

Question 6

What is a theory?

Answer 6

Comprehensive, well substantiated explanation of a natural phenomena that is support by a large body of evidence

Question 7

Hypothesis

Answer 7

A proposed explanation for a set of observations (if…then)

Question 8

Inductive reasoning

Answer 8

A generalised conclusion drawn from a large number of specific observations

Question 9

Deductive reasoning

Answer 9

Uses “if…then” logic to proceed from a general hypothesis to specific predictions of results that can be expected if the general premise is true

Question 10

Micro evolution

Answer 10

Evolution within populations, like gene frequency, pop. Genetics, natural selection, genetic drift

Question 11

Macro evolution

Answer 11

Large-scale evolutionary change across multiple species, like lineage speciations and extinctions, major adaptations, phylogenetic

Question 12

How old is the earth?

Answer 12

4.55 Billions years old, approx.

Question 13

What did Arch Bishop James Ussher find?

Answer 13

That the dates from texts like the bible dont actually present the actual age of the earth, as it says the earth is only around 6000 years old

Question 14

Hutton’s unconformities

Answer 14

Looking at 2 sediment layers and seeing one flat and one vertical below
- due to layers of sediment shifting a settling
- rivers creating erosion of sediment causing new areas of sediment to pile up in different forms

Question 15

Relative dating in 1800s

Answer 15

Absolute dating wasn’t possible until the discovery of radioactive isotopes, so people could work out major events in history from 3 principles of rock formations

Question 16

3 principles of relative dating

Answer 16

Principle of Superposition
Principle of Horizontality
Principle of Lateral Continuity

Question 17

Principle of Superposition

Answer 17

In undisturbed sedimentary, the oldest layers are at the bottom and the youngest layers of rock are at the top

Question 18

Principle of horizontality

Answer 18

Sediment layers are initially deposited in horizontal or nearly horizontal planes/levels

Question 19

Principle of lateral continuity

Answer 19

All sediment rock layers are originally deposited as continuous sheets that extend laterally in all directions

Question 20

How does researching sedimentary rock help dating?

Answer 20

The lining up of sedimentary rock lead to geological dating of fossils, helping us to better understand when speciation timelines, phylogenies and mass extinctions occurred

Question 21

Quaternary modern name

Answer 21

Pleistocene-Holocene ice ages

Question 22

Tertiary modern name

Answer 22

Cenozoic (pre Pleistocene) or paleogene/neogene

Question 23

Secondary modern name

Answer 23

Mesozoic

Question 24

Primary modern name

Answer 24

Palaeozoic and before

Question 25

Radioactive decay (1900s)

Answer 25

Breakdown of large atoms into smaller atoms occurring at a fixed rate - used to estimate how long since a piece of rock solidified

Question 26

How is radioactive decay measured?

Answer 26

In half-lives Average amount of time it takes an atom to decay into its decay products

Question 27

Pattern of radioactive decay

Answer 27

Atoms with a long half life = often found in the earths crust Atoms with a short half life = less common When earth was created, lots of atoms settled, but those with shorter half-lives decayed and are no longer found

Question 28

Vestigial Structures

Answer 28

A feature that a species inherited from an ancestral species that is now less elaborate and unused

Question 29

Example of vestigial structure

Answer 29

Dolphins have back fins that are not beneficial but are the remains of past ancestral hind legs. Still coded for in the DNA but are no longer beneficial in the environment

Question 30

Embryology

Answer 30

embryos of different species are more similar than the adult form Suggests a common ancestor with change in the development of different species

Question 31

Human-Ape chromosome comparison

Answer 31

Similar patterns of genes and DNA suggested shared DNA and common ancestor

Question 32

Convergence

Answer 32

The independent evolution of similar traits or structures in different lineages of organisms, usually in response to similar environmental stresses

Question 33

Phylogeny

Answer 33

A diagram that shows the evolutionary relationships between different species and organisms

Question 34

Why are phylogenies important?

Answer 34

1. record macroevolutionary history 2. record biogeographical history 3. record history of major transitions 4. phylogenies change taxonomy

Question 35

why is evolution controversial?

Answer 35

science vs religion

Question 36

Clarence Darrow

Answer 36

defence lawyer - opposed the banning of evolution being taught - people wrongly treat evolution as a 'God' substitute, saying that evolution made us this way

Question 37

Eugenics

Answer 37

idea that we could direct evolution in a certain way by breeding successful humans to lead to better success

Question 38

Opposition to eugenics

Answer 38

Clarence Darrow, saying we have no knowledge of what kind of people are needed in this world

Question 39

Lysenkoism

Answer 39

Convinced Stalin that all biological ideas were just plots