Biology 101: Introduction, Evolution, and Evolutionary Case Studies

Vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture transcript covering study strategies, evolutionary history, evidence for evolution, and biological case studies.

Big Bang

An event occurring approximately fourteen billion years ago in which matter, energy, and time came into existence, starting the main arc of the universe.

Nuclear Fusion

The process in which gravity forces massive clumps of matter together with enough compressive force and heat to fuse atoms together, releasing massive amounts of heat and sparking stars into existence.

Supernova

The cataclysmic explosion of a star that has used up its nuclear fuel, generating force sufficient to fuse heavier atoms together into metals.

Homo sapiens

The species of modern humans that emerged approximately two hundred fifty thousand years ago, coexisting with other hominid cousins like Neanderthals, Denisovians, and Florinsians.

J. S. Haldane

A biologist from the 1800s who famously stated that finding rabbit fossils in the pre-Cambrian layer would be required to overthrow the theory of evolution.

Radiometric Dating

A scientific technique used to determine the exact age of a rock sample by measuring when it solidified from magma.

Omphalos Hypothesis

A theological proposition from an 1800s book stating that a supernatural being created the Earth six thousand to ten thousand years ago complete with fossils and false radiometric dates, making it untestable by science.

Last Thursdayism

A pejorative nickname for the Omphalos hypothesis used to illustrate that untestable logic allows one to claim the universe was created as recently as last Thursday with false memories pre-implanted.

Tusk Selection in Elephants

An evolutionary process where poaching creates selective pressure against large tusks, resulting in female populations having smaller tusks or being born without tusks, while males retain tusks due to reproductive competition.

Folate

An essential vitamin destroyed by UV light that is required in males for sperm production and in females for embryonic growth and development.

Melanin

A dark pigment produced in human skin to protect DNA and folate from UV damage.

Vitamin D

A vitamin required for intestinal nutrient absorption, synthesized in human skin when UV light hits a precursor molecule.

Inuit People

An indigenous population in Alaska with dark skin despite living in low UV light conditions, maintained because UV light is amplified by snow reflection and their diet rich in fish provides ample Vitamin D.

Selective Pressure

An environmental force that favors specific traits over others, reducing genetic diversity by eliminating non-advantageous alleles from a population.

Nylon Bacteria

Bacteria discovered in 1975 in wastewater from nylon factories that evolved new enzymes through gene mutations to digest nylon byproducts created in 1935 as a food and energy source.

Phenotype

The actual physical outcome or observable traits expressed by an organism based on its genetic code and environment.