Module 1: Introduction

truth in science is

never final

evolution is a scientific fact bc

it has been repeatedly confirmed by comparative physiology, morphological, embryological studies and by direct observaction, and phylogenetics

evolution is also a scientific theory

theory of evolution is the well substantiated explantion that we have fo the fact of evolution and so evolution is both a scientific fact and theory

Catastrophism

the early tenet that the earth’s physical features were sculpted by catastrophic forces that no longer operate today

principle of uniformitarianism

the geological forces that we see operating today are the same as those that operated in the past

Lamarckism

a flawed early notion of evolution based on the inheritance of acquired characteristics

6th Century BCE Anaximander

ancient greece, believed that species came from water and animals descended from fish

5th Century BCE Empedocles

another ancient greek, proposed body parts were joined tgt as random and only some combinations were fit for survival

423 -347 BCE Platio

developed concept of IDEALISM, all natural phenomena that we see in the world tdy are imperfect representations of a true essence of an ideal unseen world

384 - 322 BCE Aristotle

envisioned a static world in which a Deity had created fixed essences that serve as templates for all species. believed species were organized on a SCALE OF NATURE, moving from lest perfect to most perfect

1707 - 1778 Carolus Linnaeus

known as father of taxonomy, devloped the framework for the modern classification system that we use today which is the binomial nomenclature where an organism is named by its genus first, followed by its species

1744-1829 Jean Baptiste Lamarck

believed that species do change over time and evolve into diff species. believed that organisms evolved by the inheritance of characters that they acquire during their lifetime

1731 - 1802 Eramus Darwin

proposed that species also evolved and are descendents of earlier life forms, alluded to a process similar to natural selection but didn’t have evidence

1769 - 1832 George Cuvier

father of comparative anatomy and palentology. recognized that organisms have gone extinct, eg the irish elk

Archbishop James Usher 1654

traced lineages in the bible and came up with an estimate for the age of the earth on that basis, declared earth was created on October 26, 4004 BCE at 9 o’clock in the morning

1726 - 1797 James Hutton

father of modern geology, contributed to the principle of Uniformitarianism, which states that geological processes such as erosion by water that we see operating today are the same as those that operated in the past

1797 - 1875 Charles Lyell

important geologist, published Principles of Geology, presented the evidence to support uniformitarianism and ending the era of catastrophism

1809 - 1882

noticed the uniqueness of different organisms on these islands and led him to believe that species evolve and change over time, when he was formulating ideas he struggled with lamarckism, but in his view they all failed to explain the adaptations he saw in the organisms during his voyage

1823 - 1913 Alfred Russel Wallace

worked together with Charles darwin and jointly presented paper titled On The Tendencey of Species to Form Varieties and On the perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection

Modern Synthesis or Neo-Darwinian Synthesis

during this time there was a real shift from documenting that evolution occurs, by looking at fossils and other evidence for evolution. group of scientists were able to establish selecion acts on genetic variation

Important Scientists during Modern Synthesis

Theodosius Dobzhansky, Ernst Mayr, George Gaylord Simpson, Stebbins and Rensch