Anatomy of herpes simplex virus DNA: Evidence for four populations ...
Fossils, Anatomy, and DNA
description
Transcript of Fossils, Anatomy, and DNA
Fossils, Anatomy, and DNA
Evidence for Evolution
Three types of evidence:– Fossils– Anatomical– Molecular
Fossil Evidence
• Fossils- any traces of dead organisms– dinosaur bones– insects trapped in tree sap– leaf impressions– footprints
Paleontology
• Study of fossils is called Paleontology• A paleontologist is a scientist who studies
fossils.• Paleontology can be divided into 4
divisions of study
Four divisions of Paleontology
• Invertebrate Paleontology• Vertebrate Paleontology• Paleobotany• Micropaleontology
Types of Fossils
• Preserved original or altered hard parts of organisms (examples: shells of clams, oysters, snails. Teeth, bones)
• Molds or casts• Trace fossils (example burrows, tracks,
trails)
Method of Preservationdepends on three things:
• The original composition of the organism• It’s environment• The forces that affected the organic
remains after death
Fossil Evidence• Transitional species- species that have
been found in the fossil record that are intermediates between two other species in the evolutionary process.
– Radiometric dating- a dating technique that measures amount of radioactive material in a rock or fossil.
– Relative dating- a dating technique that estimates the date of a fossil by relating it to the age of the layers of rock around it.
Fossil Evidence
• To fossilize an organism must be buried by sediment. – In swamps, mud, tar
pits, or the ocean bottom.
– Hard stuff fossilizes (bones, nails).
– Radiometric and relative dating are used to find out how old the fossil is.
Relative Dating
RadiometricDating
Fossil Evidence• Fossils show:
– Life has been around for millions of years– Transitional species link older to newer species
– Darwin proposed the idea of transitional species, though he had no evidence
– Today we have evidence:• Archaeopteryx• Tiktaalik Fossil, etc.• Whales
Fossil Evidence-Archaeopteryx
BEAK
WINGS
Fossil Evidence
• Whales--60 million years of evolution–Descended from 4-legged wolf-like
animals that were also ancestors to cows and horses
–Fossil evidence shows slow loss of legs–Pelvis still remains with no rear legs
Fossil Evidence-Whales
Whale Video
Anatomical Evidence• Anatomical evidence- evidence for evolution
which is based on similarities and differences between the physical structures of different species.
• What can we tell about the relatedness of the three species below?
Anatomical Evidence• Homologous structures-Bone structure the
same (homo) but not function • Bird wing, dolphin fin, and a human arm
– Function these structures is not the same!
– Show that these species shared a common ancestor.
– Similar structures resulted from accumulated mutations and modifications.
Homologous Structures
Anatomical Evidence– Analogous structures- Bone structure different but
serve the same function.• Function = flightButterfly wing, bat wing, fly wing• These structures, although they have
the same function, are not built the same!
• Show different species evolved structures with similar function through different evolutionary pathways.
• EVOLUTION IS NOT RANDOM!
Anatomical Evidence
Anatomical Evidence• Vestigial structures-
• Structures that no longer serve a function
• These structures are the remnants of an evolutionary past and show common anatomy with other species
Evidence for Evolution• ***Mutations and sexual
reproduction are a cause of variation in a species’ DNA.
• DNAmRNAprotein– Transcription- copying the DNA
code into mRNA– Translation- converting the code
of mRNA into a long chain of amino acidsprotein
– Differences in DNA are seen in differences in protein
Molecular Evidence• Molecular evidence-
evidence concerning the comparison of DNA and protein molecules between species
• Ultimate tools for scientists studying evolution
• Same genetic basis for all organisms: A, C, T, and G shows we are all related
Molecular Evidence• Species with more similar
DNA are more closely related on the evolutionary tree—less time to accumulate mutations (and, therefore, differences)
• Common ancestor- any species in the past from which two or more species has evolved.
• Sharing a Gene Pool = speciation event = mutation
What evolution IS NOTBiological Evolution...• Is NOT an educated guess, it is a THEORY• Is NOT something one should believe in...(it's
based on science, not faith).• Is NOT just concerned with the origin of
humans...(no more than any other species).• Was NOT discovered or first explained by
Charles Darwin...
What evolution IS NOT
• Is NOT the same thing as natural selection…natural selection is the driving force that causes evolution
• Is NOT something that happened only in the past...
• Is NOT something that happens to individuals...(it happens to POPULATIONS).
• Is NOT an accidental…mutations that cause variation are
What evolution IS NOT• Does NOT have any evidence against it• Was NOT contrived to undermine religion...(we
tried to make sense of observations of life in a testable way).
• Does NOT deny the existence of God; God is neither required nor eliminated. For all we know, evolution could be part of God's creation, but science cannot determine that.
If these popular misconceptions about evolution are all wrong, then what IS evolution?
What evolution ISBiological Evolution is... • The genetic change of a population of species
over time. • The idea that new species develop from earlier
species by accumulated genetic mutations • It has been directly observed in some species,
and inferred in many others from evidence mainly in anatomy, embryology, paleontology, geology, and molecular biology.
What evolution IS
• The Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection holds the high status of near certainty: it’s a scientific theory
• There are no observations of life, living or extinct, that evolution cannot explain.
• Why is evolution controversial anyway?