BJU Press Biology Chapter 10--When Worldviews Collide

biological evolution

the slow, gradual change in organisms from one kind to another

species

groups of organisms that look the same and have the same structure

fixity of species

the idea that species did not change over time at all

uniformitarianism

the ideas that the earth is very old and has been changing very slowly over time

descent with modification

the idea that all living things came from common ancestors and change a little with each passing generation

survival of the fittest

adapt or die basically

adaptations

inheritable traits that make organisms capable of surviving to reproduce and are passed down to the next generation

artificial selection

the breeding of organisms to have desirable traits and variations

natural selection

the idea that nature itself could “breed” organisms and that the organisms with variations that increase their fitness are more likely to pass down their traits to the next generation

mutation theory of evolution

the idea that mutations in a population could lead to more favorable variations in a population

Darwinism

Darwin’s ideas incorporated with modern philosophy and science

neo-Darwinism

the blending of Mendelian genetics with Darwin’s natural selection

paleontology

the study of fossils

comparative anatomy

the science of comparing the body structures of different organisms

homologous structures

similar structures

homology

the study of how and why organisms from a common ancestor appear to have similar structures

analogous structures

similar structures in organisms assumed to be homologous that are shown by further study not to be related by a common ancestor

vestigial structures

structures that seem to have to function in an organism

hox genes

homeotic genes that code for proteins that determine how an embryo will take shape

embryology

the study of how hox genes determine how the embryo will take shape

behavioral ecology

the field of study that investigate the evolutionary origins of animal behaviors such as herding, flocking, schooling, hunting, migrating, and swarming

punctuated equilibrium

the idea that there were periods of time that organisms evolved more quickly

analogical day view

the idea that the seventh day of creation never ended

framework view

the idea that God did not follow the order of the days presented in Genesis 1, and that the order is topical rather than historical

progressive creationism

claims the days of Genesis 1 were long periods of time, concludes that the earth is billions of years old and began with a God-initiated big bang

theistic evolutionists

believe that evolutionary science is correct in its narrative of Earth’s origins and the development of life

cosmic temple inauguration theory

the idea that Genesis 1 is not about the creation of the physical world but the creation of the universe as a cosmic temple

big bang theory

the idea that space and time exploded into existence

chemical evolution

the naturalistic formation of the elements

molecular evolution

the slow, gradual changes in proteins and genetic material

molecular clock

the technique used to find the rate of change in specific genes and proteins found in a specific organism

geologic time scale

the periods of evolutionary history

index fossils

fossils found in the certain accepted ages

radiometric dating

the process that analyzes radioactive elements in the rocks and uses the rate of which the elements decay to calculate their age

relative dating

can be estimated if you know the ages of strata above and below a given stratum

reproductive barrier

anything that prevents two species from reproducing with each other

speciation

the formation of new species through these processes via mutations and natural selection

phylogenetic tree

a diagram of relations between organisms similarly to a family tree