Transcript EvolutionIntroduction25

EVOLUTION
Who was Darwin & what did he do?
Scientific Vocabulary
Study of Evolution
Charles Darwin
1859 published life’s work “The Origin of
Species”
Evolution based on Natural Selection
Evolution: historical phenomenon of species
changing & diversifying over time
Natural Selection: how evolution happened
Darwin’s Evidence
Biogeography
Paleontology
Embryology
Morphology
Biogeography
geographical distribution of living
creatures
Paleontology
extinct life forms revealed in
fossil record
Embryology
comparison of the physiological
stages embryos pass through
during development
Morphology
comparison of
anatomical
shapes in
different species
Today’s Evidence
Fossil Record
Homologous Structures
Analogous Structures
Vestigial Structures
Geographical Distribution
Embryology
Biochemistry*
Controversy & Evolution
US Statistics
Scientific Vocabulary
The United States says...
“God created human beings pretty much
in their present form” (55%)
“Divine intervention got things started &
evolution was the means” (27%)
“Humans evolved from other life forms
with no involvement from a god” (13%)
Gallop Poll of 2900 people 2006
Scientific Vocabulary to help
understanding...
Define the following words:
FACT
HYPOTHESIS
INFERENCE
LAW
THEORY
FACT
An observation that has been repeatedly
confirmed and for all practical purposes is
accepted as “true”
Truth in science, however, is never final and
what is accepted as a fact today may be
modified or even discarded tomorrow
Hypothesis
A tentative statement about the natural
world leading to deductions that can be
tested
If the deductions are verified, the
hypothesis is provisionally corroborated.
If the deductions are incorrect, the original
hypothesis is proved false and must be
abandoned or modified. Hypotheses can
be used to build more complex inferences
and explanations.
Inference
Conclusion drawn from available
evidence
Law
A descriptive generalization about how
some aspect of the natural world
behaves under stated circumstances
Theory
A well-substantiated explanation of
some aspect of the natural world that
can incorporate facts, laws, inferences,
and tested hypotheses