Evolution: The Darwinian Revolution and Early Scientific Ideas

Vocabulary flashcards covering the Darwinian Revolution, early views of nature, taxonomy, and the study of fossils based on the lecture notes.

Darwinian Revolution

A scientific shift that challenged traditional views of a young Earth inhabited by unchanging species.

Aristotle (384–322 BCE)

Early thinker who viewed each form of life as perfect and permanent, consistent with the Old Testament, and introduced the idea of categories.

Carolus Linnaeus

The founder of modern taxonomy who developed the binomial format and organized levels of classification.

Levels of classification

The hierarchical taxonomic ranks: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.

Fossils

Remains or traces of organisms from the past, usually found in sedimentary rock, which appears in layers or strata.

Strata

Layers of sedimentary rock in which fossils are typically found.

Paleontology

The study of fossils, developed by Cuvier.

Cuvier

The naturalist who developed paleontology, the study of fossils.