Biology Flashcards
Big Bang
A theory of the cosmos’ origin; a giant explosion around 14 billion years ago which expanded rapidly, cooled, and coalesced into the universe of today.
Cambrian Explosion
The sudden geological appearance of most major groups of animals.
Cosmic Evolution
The progression of collective humanity toward an age of higher consciousness
Creationism
The scientific theory that God was directly involved in creating the universe and all living kinds of plants and animals, including mankind
Darwinism
The scientific theory that proposes that gradual changes accumulated over vast periods of time resulting in the evolution of the species
DNA
The storehouse containing all the genetic information necessary for life
Homology
The study of the similarity in the structure between different organisms
Icons of Evolution
Distortions of pro-evolution evidence commonly found in textbooks
Intelligent Design
The study of information and design in life and the cosmos
Irreducible Complexity
The philosophical concept that considers the complexity of living organisms- if any part is removed, the system loses function.
Macro-evolution
The origin of fundamentally new organisms and plants from other forms of life.
Micro-evolution
Small changes within the species of a gene pool
Mutation
Changes in genetic makeup
Natural Selection
The natural process of choosing favorable characteristics and eliminating unfavorable ones through such things as competition, predators, geography, and time
Neo-Darwinism
The theory that new species arise from natural selection acting over vast periods of time on chance genetic mutations in reproductively isolated populations
