Introduction
Research question – How has the study of DNA fingerprinting and modern genetics supported Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection, thus making it the most widely accepted mechanism for evolution to date?
The aim of this scientific report is to provide evidence on how DNA fingerprinting and modern genetics have supported Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Aspects such as the use of DNA fingerprinting and the study of genetics will be discussed. All of this information will be in relation to the research question stated above.
DNA fingerprinting and modern genetics can be utilised to document the history evolution. By studying variation among species, scientists are able to learn more about the changes that occurred in species over time. Scientists can compare DNA sequences of similar species and can discover information about their behaviour, relationships and appearances. Discoveries in modern genetics have also provided substantial evidence that species evolved from a common ancestor. There are still many gaps in the understanding the evolutionary process, but modern genetics has successfully proven that living species share a common hereditary system. This has led to many breakthroughs in evolutionary discoveries and has aided evolutionists in their research.
Charles Darwin proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection more than 150 years ago. Darwin knew that a mechanism for heredity existed, but could not explain how it worked or what it was. The study of genetics and the use of DNA fingerprinting pinpoints specific modifications and mutations that have resulted in evolutionary change. This has given historians, palaeontologists and archaeologists extensive evidence in the explanation of evolution...
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...d a resolution to these debates and has closed many gaps in the fossil record.
The use of genetics is now being widely used in fields such as medicine, crime and archaeology. Farmers are now able to genetically modify crops to make them more disease-resistant and in turn, to ensure they have a better chance of survival. DNA analysis has led to breakthroughs in determining the true origin of many species and has also provided evidence to determine evolutionary change.
This scientific report has provided examples of how DNA analysis and modern genetics have led to major evolutionary discoveries and has explained how scientists have benefitted from these discoveries. It can be concluded that despite some ethical issues regarding its use, modern genetics has had a major positive impact on the discoveries of evolutionary change and the true origin of species.
"Charles Darwin: The Father of Evolution." Darwin1. University of Missouri, n.d. Web. 04 May 2014.
...ng and large period of time that is showed by others. This can be concluded that Darwin thinks and believe that changes and pre-existing factors are caused by our ancestors.
Anyone with even a moderate background in science has heard of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. Since the publishing of his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859, Darwin’s ideas have been debated by everyone from scientists to theologians to ordinary lay-people. Today, though there is still severe opposition, evolution is regarded as fact by most of the scientific community and Darwin’s book remains one of the most influential ever written.
Charles Darwin came up with the theory of evolution and used the term natural selection to describe it. He proposed that all living species derived from a common ancestor. In On the Origin of Species (1859), Darwin explained: “if variations useful to any organic being do occur, assuredly individuals thus characterised will have the best chance of being preserved in the struggle for life; and from the strong principles of inheritance, will then tend to produce offspring similarly characterised” (p127).
The age of genetic technology has arrived. Thanks to genetic technological advancements, medical practitioners, with the help of genetic profiling, will be able to better diagnose patients and design individual tailored treatments; doctors will be able to discern which medications and treatments will be most beneficial and produce the fewest adverse side effects. Rationally designed vaccines have been created to provide optimal protection against infections. Food scientists have hopes of genetically altering crops to increase food production, and therefore mitigate global hunger. Law enforcement officers find that their job is made easier through the advancement of forensics; forensics is yet another contribution of genetic technology. Doctors have the ability to identify “high-risk” babies before they are born, which enables them to be better prepared in the delivery room. Additionally, oncologists are able to improve survival rates of cancer patients by administering genetically engineered changes in malignant tumors; these changes result in an increased immune response by the individual. With more than fifty years of research, and billions of dollars, scientists have uncovered methods to improve and prolong human life and the possibilities offered by gene therapy and genetic technology are increasing daily.
Charles Darwin contributed majorly to the evolutionary theory and was the first to consider the concept of natural selection. The evolutionary theory states that evolutionary change comes through the production of genetic variation in each generation and survival of individuals with different combinations of these characters. Individuals with characteristics which increase their probability of survival will have more opportunities to reproduce and their offspring will also benefit from the heritable, advantageous characteristic. So over time these variants will spread through the population. (S.Montgomery, 2009)
Science and technology are rapidly advancing everyday; in some ways for the better, and in some, for worse. One extremely controversial advance is genetic engineering. As this technology has high potential to do great things, I believe the power genetic engineering is growing out of control. Although society wants to see this concept used to fight disease and illness, enhance people 's lives, and make agriculture more sustainable, there needs to be a point where a line is drawn.
He realized that snake embryos had bumps where there should be legs. Which mean they probably evolved from a creature with legs. He noticed that whale embryos had teeth, but adult whales did not have teeth. The most shocking of his embryotic studies involved human embryos. He noted that the human embryos as slits around the neck, the same in fish. The difference is that in fish the develop into gills, and in human the become the bones of the inner ear. This showed that humans must be descended from fish. This led him to the conclusion that all species were somehow connected. He theorized that beginning with a common ancestor, species had changed dramatically over generations. Some species may add new body features, or lose them. He called this descent with
The majority of scientific work in genetics and genomic sequencing has been done in the last 155 years. In 1859, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species where he proposed evolution by natural selection. Evolution is the change of inherited characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.Yet, the principals of genetics required to explain how characters are ...
2004 Has the Comination of Genetic and Fossil Evidence Solved the Riddle of Modern Humans?, Evolutionary Anthropology 13: 145-159.
The evolution theory, one of the most significant theories, laid groundwork for the study of modern biological science. This theory has lead scientists into unending debates due to lack of empirical supports. Until the mid-eighteenth century, when Charles Darwin came up with an explanation to evolution, scientists, then, began to endorse this hypothesis. In “Natural Selection,” Darwin explains the natural selection, a plausible mechanism that causes evolution, to gain approval of his cynical audience for his evolution theory. He supports his claim with numerous examples of animals and plants that have developed traits beneficial for survival. A century later, Stephen Jay Gould, influenced by Darwin’s work, supports the evolution theory with a different method. In “Evolution as Fact and Theory,” Gould, in contrast to Darwin, criticizes his detractors, the creationists who believe that every life form is the creation of a supernatural being, to reinforce the validity of the evolution theory. Gould undermines creationism by emphasizing its misused concepts of theory and popular philosophy, proving that it is not science. Besides denouncing creationism, Gould also provides theoretical examples as evidence to prove evolution is a theory. Despite their different approaches, both Darwin and Gould effectively prove the existence of evolution.
Discoveries in DNA, cell biology, evolution, and biotechnology have been among the major achievements in biology over the past 200 years with accelerated discoveries and insight’s over the last 50 years. Consider the progress we have made in these areas of human knowledge. Present at least three of the discoveries you find to be the most important and describe their significance to society, heath, and the culture of modern life.
Charles Darwin, the English naturalist and geologist is attributed and accredited for his theory of evolution. His theory of evolution is based on the premise that strong heritable traits help individuals to survive in adverse and inimical environments.
Genetic engineering increases the agricultural economy, the yields of agricultural produce, and also causes negative effects on the ecosystem. Genetic engineering enhances plant resistance to drought, salinity, disease, pests and herbicides. The aim is to try and enhance the growth, productivity, nutrient value, and chemical composition of the plants. Chemicals are constantly being developed or improved to enhance the competitiveness and adaptability of crops, and to kill the parasites and weeds that plague the agricultural sector. . This however is not always good as the plant and the pests then become resistant to these new chemicals, defeating the purpose of it being used.
Biological evolution is the name for the changes in gene frequency in a population of a species from generation to generation. Evolution offers explanation to why species genetically change over years and the diversity of life on Earth. Although it is generally accepted by the scientific community, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution has been studied and debated for several decades. In 1859, Darwin published On The Origin of Species, which introduced the idea of evolutionary thought which he supported with evidence of one type of evolutionary mechanism, natural selection. Some of the main mechanisms of evolution are natural selection, mutation, and genetic drift. The idea that all life on Earth shares a common ancestor has been around for a long time but has risen to significance in society over the last two centuries.