EVOLUTION

SCOPES TRIAL  A court case in 1925, that pitted John Scopes against the State of Tennessee. It was illegal to teach evolution in a state funded school. This trial changed that.

TAXONOMY  Classification of Organisms:  “King Philip Came Over From Greece Speedily”  Kingdom  Phylum  Class  Order  Family  Genus  Species

SPECIES  A species is the most specific of the categories. It is often applied arbitrarily.  Some think that different breeds of dogs should be called different species. However, the various breeds of dogs are a result of humans intervening and manipulating the selection of specific traits.

SPECIES CONTINUED  In nature species prefer their own kind but sometimes interbreed with closely related animals if there is not a viable mate. “Coywolf”  A horse and a donkey can mate resulting in a mule but the mule cannot reproduce. Hence, the horse and donkey are of different species.

ALTRUISM  The behavior of an animal that benefits their species at their own expense.  Bee stings invader to protect the nest but it dies.

EVOLUTION EVIDENCE  Natural Selection – environmental pressures force the survival of the fittest due to the most advantageous genes and traits surviving and reproducing.  Speciation – The formation of a new and distinct species through the process of evolution.  Fossil records – some transitional fossils and DNA links

OPPONENTS OF EVOLUTION  The fossil record is void of transitional fossils and organisms appear whole without transitional fossils.  Spontaneous Generation – the idea that life came from nonliving things.  Law of Biogenesis – only life begets life.