Week 2 Wednesday notes

How do you recognize a good scientific theory when you see it? What properties should it have?
Testable side, a test that the theory can pass and a test that the theory can fail. 1) Testability A theory should explain something. Internal consistency

What is evolution:

Change in allele frequencies in a population over time.

Forms of gene -> protein -> alleles

Class notes:
Ernst Mayr -> Evolutionary Biologist
One of the five scientist of Neo-Darwinian Theorys Darwins Five Theories 1) Non constancy of species (the transmutation of species, Darwins format) Species change over time. 2) Descent from a common ancestor 3) Gradualness No gaps No jumps 4) Diversification Things change over time, new species come from existing species. 5) Natural selection as a mechanism for adaptive change.

Plato: 400BC Typological Thinking Aristotle: 350 BC linear scale thinking Broke with Platos thinking and said the natural world is of interest. Thought of as the first natural scientist. Great chain of being: 1) Top: God 2) Spirits humans 3) Vertebrates 4) Invertebrates 5) Planes 6) Fungi

Week 2 Wednesday notes

7) Metals stones 8) Minerals Natural Theology Study the world because it was created and by studying the world you can know the creator. Good -> Order/ mind -> Matter

All of these ideas are incompatible with Darwinian Theory.

Seminar work:
What role do genetic mosaics play in speciation, especially rapid divergence? When is a mosaic combination possible? Genetic combination of multiple things, appearing?

Tetrapod: Mammals Birds/reptiles Amphibians

What constitutes a gap that calls an evolutionary relationship into question? Morphological? Or period of time.

Coyne Chapter 2: 1) Why are there so many gaps in the fossil record? Because it is so hard for animal fossils 2) How does radioisotope dating work? What criticisms have been made of that method? What are some of the responses to those criticisms? Radioisotopes work by dating atomic atoms half-life. The Isotopes are not present in the fossils instead in the ingenuous rock. 3) Coyne argues that the fossil record for trilobites shown in figure 6 is evidence for evolution by natural selection. Why does he make that inference from these data. I agree that because external pressured to change in order for survival. Random processes are not going to drive thing in any particular directions. 4) What are vestigial structures? Why do they occur? Why hasnt natural selection gotten rid of them? How are they significant for interpreting evolutionary history? They are left overs of different ancestors.

Week 2 Wednesday notes