bio Flashcards
What is a worldview?
The basis for one’s philosophy.
What is uniformitarianism?
The idea that the present is the only key to the past and that all things continue by natural processes at the same rates as they always have.
What is natural selection?
The idea that the fittest and strongest members of each species are more likely to survive and reproduce than weaker, poorly adapted members.
Who wrote ‘The Origin of Species’?
Charles Darwin.
What is the ‘science’ of eugenics?
A movement that sought to improve the human species by selectively breeding humans to produce a ‘master race.’
Who disagreed with Darwin?
James Clerk Maxwell and Lord Kelvin.
What was Asa Gray’s belief?
He was a Christian but believed in evolution.
What is speciation?
Changes within a particular kind of organism, referring to variations in the gene pool within a population.
What is macroevolution?
A hypothetical process by which new kinds of creatures emerge from existing kinds over time.
What are fossils?
Remains or impressions of plants, animals, and humans preserved in sedimentary rock.
What is paleontology?
The study of fossils.
What are transitional forms?
Fossils that connect one kind of organism with another kind by a series of tiny steps.
What is the punctuated equilibrium hypothesis?
The suggestion that evolution occurs in sudden spurts, followed by long periods without noticeable change.
What is the geologic column?
A simple-to-complex sequence of fossil chart, also known as a geologic time chart.
What are index fossils?
Layers in the geologic column identified by the presence of characteristic fossils.
What is circular reasoning?
A logical fallacy of basing an argument on the very premise it attempts to prove.
What is radiometric dating?
A method that gives credence to the ancient dates used in the geologic column, based on the breakdown of certain elements at constant rates.
What is the Cambrian explosion?
A phenomenon that presents serious contradictions between the facts of the fossil record and the hypothesis of evolution.
What is unique about the Coelacanth?
Unlike most fish, its fins are attached to the body by thick, fleshy lobes that allow for more freely rotated fins.
What is Archaeopteryx known for?
Often presented as an evolutionary link between dinosaurs and modern birds.
What is ‘The Descent of Man’?
A work by Darwin that points out similarities between man and ‘other animals,’ leading to the false conclusion that man is simply the most evolved form of animal.
What is Piltdown man?
A fossil discovered in a gravel pit near Piltdown, England, consisting of a fragmented human-like skull and an ape-like jaw.
What is Nebraska man?
A supposed missing link reconstructed from a single tooth found in Nebraska in 1922.
What is Ramapithecus?
A medium-sized ape originally reconstructed from a few teeth and bones, assumed to be an ancestor of man due to certain ‘human-like’ features.
What is Australopithecus africanus?
The first australopithecine fossil discovered, a small ape skull found in 1924 by Raymond Dart.
What is Australopithecus boisei?
A skull discovered by Dr. Louis Leakey in 1959, initially thought to represent a human ancestor.
Who is Lucy?
A female australopithecine fossil originally based on a chimpanzee-sized specimen, about 105 cm tall with ape-sized brains.
What is Homo habilis?
A ‘missing link’ announced in 1964, appearing to be a small, chimpanzee-like creature with a small brain.
What is Homo erectus?
Known as ‘upright man,’ discovered by Eugene Dubois on Java, with a skullcap showing unusual characteristics.
What is Peking man?
Fossils unearthed in China near Beijing, dubbed Sinanthropus pekinensis.
What are Neanderthal man fossils known for?
Possessing ‘ape-like’ features such as heavy brows and sloping foreheads.
What is Cro-Magnon man?
Fossils discovered in 1868 in southwest France, initially described as subhuman.
