In-class Exercise Biology 101 Discussion: online 6/10/08
DIRECTIONS: In your groups discuss the following questions and be prepared to share your conclusions with the rest of the class. You may wish to write down some notes.
1. If species are constantly evolving by adapting to changing environments, then why would most biologists agree that evolution can never produce a perfectly adapted species?
2. In the margin of one of his notebooks, Darwin scrawled a note to remind himself never to apply the terms “higher” or “lower” to species. It was, and is still, very common for people to think of some species or species groups as more or less evolved than others. Is Darwin correct? What are some alternative terms one could use in this paradigm instead of “higher” or “lower” when comparing two species?
3. What is the biological basis for assigning all human populations to a single species? Explain why it is unlikely that a second human species could arise in the future.
4. Given what you have learned about evolution and how it works, does your group think the human race is still evolving? Explain or justify your answer.
Lab Discussion Questions: Beyond Genesis Movie Discussion
DIRECTIONS: In your groups discuss the following questions and be prepared to share your conclusions with the rest of the class. You may wish to write down some notes.
1. What were the three main principles that Darwin used to formulate his theory of Evolution?
2. What is 'artificial selection' and how did it help Darwin formulate his idea of 'natural selection'? Give an example from the movie.
3. Why was the stop at the Galapagos Islands such an important visit for Darwin in formulating his idea? Give a specific example.
4. Who was Jean Lamarck and Alfred Russell Wallace and what role did they play in the publishing of the "Origin of Species"?
5. How does pesticide resistant bugs and antibiotic resistant bacteria provide evidence for evolution?
6. How did Hitler, Stalin, Rockefeller and others misinterpret Darwin’s concept of evolution?