Lecture 14 - Descent of Man Flashcards
When was the book “The variation of animals and plants under domestication” published and what was it about?
- It was about the intense study of variations. He studied domesticated poultry
What was Darwin’s speculation of the theory of inheritance? Was it accepted?
He speculated that cells of the body give off little particles called Gemmules
Theory was unpopular, not widely accepted!
What did his cousin, Frank Galton, experimented on to prove Darwin wrong?
Bunnies
How are new species formed?
Struggle for survival will determine that those variation that are better suited to the current environmental conditions will be preserved/selected, and those that are unfavourable will be killed off
When was the “Descent of Man” published and what was it about?
1871
It stated that the origin of species is not about human but about the general process of biological change over time
Explained sexual selection
Said that man was descended from other primates/common ancestry
When did Darwin first use the word “evolution” in his works?
The Descent of Man 1871
What does similar embryo structures between man and other animals indicate?
Common ancestry
What are vestigial organs?
• Leftover structures by our ancestors that served a function back then but not now
What did Darwin theorized to be the origin of races?
Result of sexual selection
What was Darwin’s most famous example of sexual selection?
The Argus Pheasant
What was Darwin’s final book and when was it published?
The formation of vegetable mould, through the actions of worms, with observations on their habits - 1881
What was the book “The expression of the emotions in man and animals” about?
Darwin showed that we do not have muscles in our face that we used to express emotion that is not found in other primates
One of their belief is that we are totally different from other species, but Darwin said no -> it is a continuum (there is no one feature possessed by humans that are unique only to humans -> at least some degree of similarity can be found in other species
What are the 3 main points of the book “The expression of the emotions in man and animals” ?
Emotions aren’t unique to human as we do not have special muscles just for expressing our emotions that are not present in other animals
Human morality was a more refined development of other social animals
Reciprocity and concern for the welfare of relatives
What was Darwin’s 3 general principles of expression?
Serviceable actions become habitual in association with certain states of mind
The habit of voluntarily performing opposite movements under opposite impulses has become firmly established in us by the practice of our whole lives
‘The direct action of the nervous system’ ‘on the body, independently of the will and in part of habit’.
