Natural Selection and Tuberculosis Overview

These flashcards cover key concepts related to Natural Selection and Tuberculosis based on the lecture notes.

What causes Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

How many people currently carry TB worldwide?

Currently, 2 billion people carry TB.

What percentage of TB cases are multi-drug resistant (MDR-TB)?

Approximately 20% of TB cases are multi-drug resistant.

What is the primary mechanism of evolution?

Natural selection is considered to be the primary mechanism of evolution.

List three key factors of natural selection.

1. Individuals within populations vary. 2. Some variation can be passed on to offspring. 3. Populations produce more offspring than will survive.

What is the survival and reproduction concept in natural selection?

Survival and reproduction are not random.

What did Darwin observe about animal breeders?

Darwin noticed that animal breeders could get exaggerated traits through selective breeding.

What is artificial selection?

Artificial selection is selection imposed by human choice.

Define fitness in the context of evolution.

Fitness refers to the relative survival and reproduction of a particular individual of a population.

What are adaptations?

Adaptations are traits that increase an individual's fitness in a specific environment.

What did scientists observe about TB resistance starting in the 1980s?

Since the 1980s, scientists have noticed an increase in TB that is resistant to antibiotics.

What was the fatality rate of TB in Europe and North America between the 17th and 19th centuries?

Tuberculosis killed one in five adults during that period.

When did Mycobacterium tuberculosis emerge?

Mycobacterium tuberculosis emerged around 70,000 years ago.

Why is natural selection not about perfection?

Natural selection does not result in 'perfection' as organisms are not necessarily 'better,' just better fit to a particular situation.

What impact can adaptations have on reproduction?

Adaptations can affect reproduction by influencing the number of pollinators a flower receives.

What was the discovery that revolutionized the treatment of Tuberculosis?

The discovery of antibiotics revolutionized Tuberculosis treatment.