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Biology With a Past
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Scientists Involved in the Developtment of Evolution
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In the early 19th century Jean Baptiste De Lamarck argued that the patterns of resemblance found in various amimals arose through evolutionary modifications. For example, that lions, tigers and other animals that belonged to the cat familyhad all decended from a catlike ancestor. Lamarck believed that if enviornmental changes occerred individual animals addaptive responses could be passed on to their offspring. His hypothesis of evolution was never tested scientificlly durring his lifetime. The most credited scientist for the theory of evolution was Charles Darwin. He graduated from Cambridge in 1831 when soon after was taken on a survey ship as a naturalist on a scientific expodition around the world. Darwins gave hime the opportunity to observe a huge varietyof fossils and living organisms. on his journey Darwinnoted that certain fossils of supposedly extinct species closely resembled living species in the same geographical area. Darwin observed that while offspring inherit a resemblanc to their p
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Scientific Consepts Conected to Evolution
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Darwin also proposed the idea of Natural selection which is the process by which organisms with traits well suited to an enviornment survive and reproduce at a greater rate than organisms less suited to that enviornment. An example of this is the poopulations of peppered moths. These moths were origanally light gray but had a small portion of dark individuals, but are eten by birds because they were easily located. Soon the sities became blackened by polution were these moths lived. THe light colored moths were now more easily spotted and soon were less common and the dark colored moths became the majority. Another consept became known because heredity was not understood at that time. The parts of Darwins theory htat talked about the heredity trait led to the basic rules of inheritance. Which became known to science when the genetic work of GRegor Mendel came to light. Mendel discovered that charecteristics are passed across generation in small units and are inherited in a predictable fashion. Now
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Thoughts and Opinions on Evolution
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Darwins ideas were not scientifically accepted untill the birth of modern genetics in the early 20th century. The fact that Darwin presinted mechanisms as well as evidence for evolution his views were excepted by biologists and Scientists. Although the fact of Evolution is scientificlly accepted. theory of Evolution continue to be debated. Because understanding of Evolution took placeover the earths long historydepends mainly on interpritations of incomplete fossil records. Another issue being debated is when a new species appears in a record it does so abruptly. The fossils do not seem to show slow and gradual changes. For this reason many evolutionists have come up with the concept of "Punctuated Equilibria" which is species do remain stable for a long period of time and then change abruptly. The most publisized attaks on Darwins ideas were from religious opponents. the thought that things evolved by a natural process denied the creation of humankind and placed humanity on the same level as
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