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Biology chapter 13 the theory of evolution
Evolution review gene flowwwwwww genetic drift mutations natural selection
Biology chapter 13 the theory of evolution
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Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) was a paleontologist and his technical research was in the field of evolutionary biology. Steven Gould along with Niles Eldredge developed the theory of punctuated equilibrium ("Stephen Jay Gould"). This theory is a revision of Darwinian theory. Darwinian theory suggests that evolution change occurs slowly over time. The theory of punctuated equilibrium speculated that evolutionary changes does not occur slowly, but rather in rapid bursts over short periods of time; short as in: thousands of years; which are then followed by long periods of time where organisms undergo little, to no, further changes. Gould met with a lot of criticism in his career, much like Charles Darwin. Gould was also known for his writings. One compiled book of essays called, “The Panda’s Thumb”; a particular essay called, “Natural Selection and the Human Brain: Darwin vs. Wallace” stuck out to me the most. This is where he suggests, “that dwarf sit atop of the shoulders of giants” (Gould). I believe this to mean that …show more content…
The essay that sticks out the most in my opinion is “Natural Selection and the Human Brain: Darwin vs. Wallace” (Gould). Gould’s idea for this essay in particular was made when he referred to the writings of Robert K. Merton (Gould,47). Gould wrote in reference to Merton and how he perceived his work, “He has shown that almost all major ideas arise more than once, independently and often virtually at the same time-and thus, that great scientist are embedded in their cultures, not divorced from them” (Gould,47). I believe that this means that most major ideas are already being thought about by someone else. This other person looks at the same idea in a different way. When these ideas are brought together much like Darwin and Wallace or Darwin and Gould it can create a beautiful thing, but it can also create opposing views and difference of
Charles Darwin was an English biologist who, along with a few others, developed a biological concept that has been vulgarized and attacked from the moment his major work, The Origin of Species, was published in 1859. An accurate and brief picture of his contribution to biology is probably his own: Evolution is transmission with adaptation. Darwin saw in his epochal trip aboard the ship The Beagle in the 1830s what many others had seen but did not draw the proper conclusions. In the Galapagos Islands, off South America, Darwin noted that very large tortoises differed slightly from one island to the next. He noted also that finches also differed from one geographical location to the next. Some had shorter beaks, useful for cracking seeds. Some had long, sharp beaks, useful for prying insects out of their hiding places. Some had long tail feathers, others short ones.
The chance for a grown man to act alongside a cohort of children as the aging, homeless matinee idol in David Mamet’s “Revenge of the Space Pandas” does not come along very often. So when that opportunity presented itself to Andrew Biliter, he leaped at the chance.
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 Monkey’s Paw, by W.W. Jacobs, is a story of a family who inherited a monkey’s paw from one of their friends. They have 3 wishes, and the father, Mr. White, used the monkey’s paw to gain additional money, but as a result, their only son died and he used the last 2 wishes to bring her (Mrs. White’) son alive, but he later made him die again. The man that gave them the paw (Sergeant Major Morris) had warned them of deadly results and that the last man that inherited the paw had wished for death. This proves that he is disturbing. He is disturbing because he is superstitious, fearful, and strange.
Charles Darwin’s theories of Natural Selection and Survival of the Fittest can be considered the foundation of what science is built on today. He pushed forward a different perspective on evolution that many have adapted into their own ideas. Individuals such as Adolf Hitler utilized Darwinism and twisted it into their own interpretations. Although Darwin and Hitler are fundamentally different people, many of Darwin’s ideas can be demonstrated within Hitler’s book, Mein Kamph. Regardless of Darwin’s extensive knowledge on evolution, there is a slight intellectual relationship between the two men.
Giant Pandas are a species of bear that are scientifically known as Ailuropoda melanoleuca. This species is very unique within the bear family and happens to also be an endangered species. Characteristics of the Giant panda include what they look like, size, diet, and others that make them a unique species.
Charles Darwin: He believed that all living species evolved over thousands of years. He wrote the Origin of the Species.
Red Pandas are those cute, russet colored, furry animals that are on the endangered species list. They are endangered because of deforestation, destruction of their habitat, so they people try to help, by putting them in captivity. They have an amazing personality in zoos, and on camera, but what are they really like when they are in the wild? They can be extremely confusing if you don’t know about them, but there is many facts out there that can help you get to know them.
Figure 1 indicates that the Giant Panda is considered as a Primary Consumer. The arrows are going in a horizontal order with the arrows pointing towards the apex predator which is the Bengal Tiger. This food chain suggests that the Bengal Tiger is one of the dominant predator of the food chain while the Panda only nourishes on Bamboo. Bamboo is shown as a primary producer because it can make its own food using photosynthesis.
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
Stephen Jay Gould writes as if you were sitting in a chair across from him having an insightful conversation. His essays are written in ways that are down-to-earth, entertaining, and easy to understand. Bits of humor are scattered throughout the book. One passage read, “The history of any one part of the earth, like the life of a soldier, consists of long periods of boredom and short periods of terror.” These little scraps of humor are placed in the just the right locations. After reading one of his essays concerning bipedalism (walking on two feet) I chuckled at the following statement, “It is now two in the morning and I’m finished...
My interest in the Giant Panda started when I was six years old, and went to the zoo with my first grade class. I was mesmerized by these beautiful bears with amazing color. The panda bear has black ears, black patches on its eyes, black legs and black arms that stretches across the panda bears back. It might have been their color pattern that I love so much that attracted me to them. I collect small panda bear figures, that I keep on the top shelf in my room. When I was younger I had no idea about the dangers these beautiful creatures would one day be on the endangered species list. As a child I assumed they would always be at the zoo for everyone to see, but I was wrong. The Giant Panda faces many challenges that threaten their existence. One threat is poachers who slaughter the panda bear for their fur. Another reason panda bears are endangered is because of the destruction and degradation of their habitat. The last thing that threatens the existence is the panda bears low reproductive rate. There are several groups working to save the panda bear such as WWF, and the Winton Foundation for the Welfare of Bears. Although the panda bear faces many challenges that threaten their existence, I believe they have a good chance for survival.
Charles Darwin in his book, On the Origin of Species, presents us with a theory of natural selection. This theory is his attempt at an explanation on how the world and its' species came to be the way that we know them now. Darwin writes on how through a process of millions of years, through the effects of man and the effects of nature, species have had an ongoing trial and error experiment. It is through these trials that the natural world has developed beneficial anomalies that at times seem too great to be the work of chance.
Aldous Huxley called the essay “a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything.”
In this research paper, I chose the Red Panda to be the organism that I did my research on. The red panda is also known as “Firefox”, “Lesser Panda”, the “Red Cat-Bear” and get its name from the Giant Panda. Red panda is known to be the “lesser panda” because of the size compared to the giant panda. Western scientists first named this organism the “first panda” when it was first seen 50 years earlier. Only a few people have ever heard about the red panda, let alone have seen one. Red pandas are becoming extinct because of the forests becoming smaller and smaller. Since there is rapid deforestation there is less areas for the animals to eats which is leading this animal to be listed being an endangered species.