Is Tech Making Evolution Site Better Or Worse

The Academy's Evolution Site

Biological evolution is one of the most fundamental concepts in biology. The Academies are committed to helping those who are interested in science to comprehend the evolution theory and how it can be applied across all areas of scientific research.

This site provides teachers, students and general readers with a wide range of learning resources about evolution. It also includes important video clips from NOVA and WGBH produced science programs on DVD.

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life, an ancient symbol, symbolizes the interconnectedness of all life. It is an emblem of love and unity across many cultures. It has numerous practical applications as well, including providing a framework to understand the history of species and how they respond to changes in environmental conditions.

The first attempts at depicting the world of biology focused on the classification of organisms into distinct categories that had been identified by their physical and metabolic characteristics1. These methods, which relied on the sampling of various parts of living organisms or short fragments of their DNA, significantly expanded the diversity that could be represented in the tree of life2. However these trees are mainly composed of eukaryotes; bacterial diversity is not represented in a large way3,4.

By avoiding the need for direct experimentation and observation, genetic techniques have enabled us to represent the Tree of Life in a more precise manner. In particular, molecular methods allow us to construct trees by using sequenced markers like the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene.

Despite the dramatic growth of the Tree of Life through genome sequencing, much biodiversity still is waiting to be discovered. This is particularly true for microorganisms, which are difficult to cultivate and are often only represented in a single sample5. Recent analysis of all genomes has produced a rough draft of a Tree of Life. This includes a variety of archaea, 에볼루션 코리아 bacteria, and other organisms that haven't yet been identified or the diversity of which is not thoroughly understood6.

This expanded Tree of Life can be used to assess the biodiversity of a specific region and determine if particular habitats require special protection. The information is useful in a variety of ways, including finding new drugs, 에볼루션 무료체험 fighting diseases and improving crops. The information is also incredibly valuable in conservation efforts. It can help biologists identify the areas that are most likely to contain cryptic species that could have significant metabolic functions that could be vulnerable to anthropogenic change. While conservation funds are important, the most effective way to conserve the world's biodiversity is to equip more people in developing nations with the information they require to take action locally and encourage conservation.

Phylogeny

A phylogeny, also called an evolutionary tree, illustrates the connections between various groups of organisms. Scientists can construct a phylogenetic diagram that illustrates the evolution of taxonomic groups using molecular data and morphological similarities or differences. Phylogeny is essential in understanding evolution, biodiversity and genetics.

A basic phylogenetic Tree (see Figure PageIndex 10 Finds the connections between organisms that have similar traits and have evolved from an ancestor that shared traits. These shared traits can be either analogous or homologous. Homologous traits are similar in their evolutionary roots and analogous traits appear like they do, but don't have the same origins. Scientists arrange similar traits into a grouping known as a Clade. For instance, all of the organisms that make up a clade share the characteristic of having amniotic eggs. They evolved from a common ancestor who had eggs. A phylogenetic tree can be constructed by connecting clades to determine the organisms that are most closely related to each other.

Scientists utilize DNA or RNA molecular data to create a phylogenetic chart which is more precise and 에볼루션 무료체험 detailed. This information is more precise than morphological data and provides evidence of the evolutionary background of an organism or group. The use of molecular data lets researchers determine the number of organisms who share an ancestor common to them and estimate their evolutionary age.

Phylogenetic relationships can be affected by a number of factors that include the phenotypic plasticity. This is a type of behaviour that can change as a result of specific environmental conditions. This can cause a characteristic to appear more similar to a species than another, obscuring the phylogenetic signals. This problem can be mitigated by using cladistics, which is a a combination of homologous and analogous features in the tree.

Additionally, phylogenetics can help predict the duration and rate of speciation. This information can help conservation biologists decide which species they should protect from the threat of extinction. In the end, it's the conservation of phylogenetic variety that will lead to an ecosystem that is complete and balanced.

Evolutionary Theory

The fundamental concept of evolution is that organisms acquire various characteristics over time due to their interactions with their surroundings. Several theories of evolutionary change have been proposed by a wide range of scientists, including the Islamic naturalist Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1201-1274) who envisioned an organism developing slowly according to its needs as well as the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778) who designed the modern hierarchical taxonomy, as well as Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829) who suggested that use or disuse of traits cause changes that can be passed onto offspring.

In the 1930s and 1940s, theories from various fields, including genetics, natural selection and particulate inheritance, merged to create a modern synthesis of evolution theory. This describes how evolution is triggered by the variations in genes within a population and how these variants change with time due to natural selection. This model, which includes genetic drift, mutations in gene flow, and sexual selection can be mathematically described.

Recent advances in the field of evolutionary developmental biology have revealed how variations can be introduced to a species via genetic drift, mutations or reshuffling of genes in sexual reproduction and migration between populations. These processes, as well as others such as directional selection and gene erosion (changes in the frequency of genotypes over time) can result in evolution. Evolution is defined by changes in the genome over time, as well as changes in phenotype (the expression of genotypes within individuals).

Students can gain a better understanding of the concept of phylogeny through incorporating evolutionary thinking in all aspects of biology. In a recent study conducted by Grunspan et al., 에볼루션 슬롯게임카지노사이트, Fkwiki.win, it was shown that teaching students about the evidence for evolution boosted their acceptance of evolution during the course of a college biology. To learn more about how to teach about evolution, see The Evolutionary Potential in all Areas of Biology and Thinking Evolutionarily A Framework for Infusing the Concept of Evolution into Life Sciences Education.

Evolution in Action

Scientists have traditionally studied evolution by looking in the past--analyzing fossils and comparing species. They also study living organisms. Evolution is not a past event; it is an ongoing process. The virus reinvents itself to avoid new drugs and bacteria evolve to resist antibiotics. Animals adapt their behavior as a result of the changing environment. The changes that occur are often evident.

It wasn't until late 1980s that biologists realized that natural selection could be observed in action as well. The key is that different traits confer different rates of survival and reproduction (differential fitness), and can be passed from one generation to the next.

In the past when one particular allele - the genetic sequence that determines coloration--appeared in a group of interbreeding organisms, it could quickly become more common than all other alleles. As time passes, this could mean that the number of moths with black pigmentation may increase. The same is true for many other characteristics--including morphology and behavior--that vary among populations of organisms.

It is easier to see evolutionary change when a species, such as bacteria, has a rapid generation turnover. Since 1988, Richard Lenski, a biologist, has tracked twelve populations of E.coli that are descended from a single strain. Samples from each population have been collected regularly and more than 50,000 generations of E.coli have been observed to have passed.

Lenski's research has revealed that mutations can alter the rate of change and the rate at which a population reproduces. It also demonstrates that evolution takes time--a fact that some find difficult to accept.

Another example of microevolution is how mosquito genes that confer resistance to pesticides are more prevalent in areas where insecticides are employed. That's because the use of pesticides creates a pressure that favors individuals who have resistant genotypes.

The rapidity of evolution has led to a greater recognition of its importance especially in a planet that is largely shaped by human activity. This includes climate change, pollution, and habitat loss that hinders many species from adapting. Understanding evolution can help us make smarter decisions about the future of our planet, as well as the lives of its inhabitants.