History of Evolutionary Theory

Flashcards about the history of Evolutionary Theory

Science

Dynamic process: a systematic way to investigate the natural world. Goal: reduce complexity of natural phenomena into general scientific principles to make predictions, solve problems, and provide new insights.

Data

Objective information that allows scientists to meet the goals of science, collected by observation and experimentation then analyzed and interpreted.

Hypothesis

Logical explanation of a natural phenomenon that lends itself to forming a testable prediction.

Theory

Integrated explanation of numerous hypotheses that have withstood rigorous evaluation and continue to be well-supported in science.

Natural Law

Observed principle that appears to be without exception and has become consolidated by repeated successful testing, describes an outcome while theory often describes a process.

Evolution (Biological Definition)

Change in the properties of groups of organisms over generations.

Essentialism

Belief that there is an ideal form of everything and variation is the result of accidental imperfections, implying species have fixed properties and life exists due to supernatural power.

Uniformitarianism

Belief that the same processes operated in the past as in the present, slow, small, incremental processes can result in very large changes over long periods of time.

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

Proposed that species originated spontaneously from non-living matter at the bottom of a “chain of being,” with individuals changing over time and moving up the chain, species originate at different times.

Natural Selection

Individuals with features that provide them with a competitive advantage will reproduce more successfully than individuals with lesser features, and if these features are inherited, the average character of the species would change over time.

Darwin's Theory of Evolution

Emphasis was on common ancestry and descent with modification, comprised of theories like perpetual change, common descent, gradualism, descent with modification, and natural selection.

Modern Synthesis

Reconciliation of Darwin’s ideas with genetics, explaining hereditary variation, and advances in genetics, molecular biology, and technology have revolutionized the study of evolution.