Chapter 4: Evolution And Genetics

Question 1

A theory of evolution

Answer 1

Charles Darwin (wrote the origin of the species)
Was a materialist did not believe in the non-material mind
*gave the idea of natural selection and fitness

Question 2

Natural selection

Answer 2

Animals that have certain traits that give them a survival advantage, those genes get passed on to the next generation. Animals that don’t have those beneficial traits will die out

Question 3

Fitness

Answer 3

The idea that an organism is going to survive and pass on the trait/genes on to future generations; you can’t just survive you also have to pass on our traits

Question 4

Survival adaptations

Answer 4

Physical traits to help you survive make your chance of survival better

Question 5

Reproductive adaptations

Answer 5

Gives animals a better chance of passing on their genes, but it is not a useful thing

Question 6

Intersexual competiton

Answer 6

Usually males compete against each other, for the opportunity to mate with the female

Question 7

Intersexual selection

Answer 7

When th opposite sex makes their decision usually the female

Question 8

First brain cell

Answer 8

700 million years ago, awareness of the environment

Question 9

First brain

Answer 9

250 mya, collection of brain cells, to perform tasks

Question 10

First primate brain

Answer 10

7 mya beginning of intelligent life

Question 11

Evolution of modern humans

Answer 11

humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor about 7 million years ago
-modern humans are relatively recent geological record
-substantial psychological and cognitive changes compared to earlier species
-vocal change and cognitive change

Question 12

Australopithecus

Answer 12

Our distant ancestor
-first primate to show distinctly human characteristics
-walk on two legs (bipedalism), doesn’t spend all his time on trees, probably as intelligent as a modern chimpanzee
-intelligence judged through fossil tool; tool making and using- they could use tools but could not make them
-making a tool requires more intelligence

Question 13

Hominids

Answer 13

The earliest human

-Homo habilis (“the Handy human”)
*could make simple stone tools
-Homo erectus (“upright human”)
*on earth for longer than we’ve been on earth; more sophisticated stone tools = higher intelligence
-Neanderthals
*more sophisticated stone tools= higher intelligence

Question 14

Evolutions of modern humans

Answer 14

-adaptations to changing environment
-bipedalism; allows an animal to move efficiently, walking on all fours restricts ability to move
-change in diet = smaller facial muscles and teeth; cooking meat softens it, which means we do not need big teeth or jaws anymore
-smaller facial muscle and teeth= greater range of vocalization= language (humans are a ale to have sophisticated language; only ones that do this, it also requires incredible cognitive abilities)
- tool making (making a tool from nothing, filling a need), hunting and cooking ( predicting tides), social organization (working in groups)
-from early to modern humans, brain size and cognitive ability increases

Question 15

Genetics

Answer 15

-every cell in an organisms body contains the genetic blueprint for that organism
-small section of the chromosome is the genes

Question 16

Genes and behaviour

Answer 16

Genes - protein - expression
Genotype: genetic plan for what is going to happen: physical trait, eye colours (blueprint)
Phenotype: the physical expression of the genotype

Question 17

What makes up the DNA

Answer 17

Adenine
-Guanine
-Thymine
-Cytosine
A - T C-G They only bond with each other

Question 18

Genes to proteins

Answer 18

he sequence of bases in a gene determines which amino acids are used to build the specific protein
-amino acids are the building blocks of proteins
-sequences of bases codes for specific amino acids
Bases - amino acids - proteins

Question 19

DNA

Answer 19

Doesn’t leave the nucleus of the cell
DNA -mRNA - amino acid chain

Question 20

Transcription

Answer 20

Endoplasmic reticulum translates the mRNA to know what has to be constructed; translated using a ribosome

Question 21

Codon

Answer 21

Each three bases on mRNA is referred to as a codon, each codon codes for a specific amino acid

Question 22

Golgi body

Answer 22

Where the proteins are packed in a vesicle and transported to various parts of the cell

Question 23

Genetic techniques/ trans genetic

Answer 23

Manipulate genotype, the plan so that the phenotype is different
Introduce or remove genes of an embryo

Question 24

Knock in (genetic technique)

Answer 24

Introduce a gene that was not there before

Question 25

Knock-out (genetic techniques)

Answer 25

Silence a gene, you prevent it from being expressed

Question 26

Animal models for human disorders

Answer 26

The mammalian brain is structurally similar across species
Ex. Hippocampus forms long term memories in both rats and human brains
-animal models used to mimic human diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

Question 27

Selective breeding

Answer 27

“Maze bright” and “made dull” rats (tested on the memory of the brain)
-manipulate a genome of animals
-breeding animals with preferable genetics (rats who could remember the maze= maze bright)

Question 28

The human genome project

Answer 28

Completed in 2003
Human gentic code contains less than 30,000 genes
Identifying what these genes are

Question 29

Identical twins

Answer 29

Monozygotic
Share the same gentic code (one sperm fertilizes one egg, and the zygote, splits in two)
Identical genomes

Question 30

Minnesota twin study

Answer 30

Identical twins raised apart share many of the same physical and personality traits
Desire to know what is the effect of the environment and what is the genetic code
What was found from this study was that they did share many of the same traits

Question 31

Behavioural genetics

Answer 31

Behavioural genetics are used to study genetic influence on a host of different behaviours
-learning disabilities and mental disorders
-despite the throng influence of genetics, there is always and effect of the environment

Question 32

Epigenetics

Answer 32

genes can explain variation between certain traits and behaviours but not all
-a powerful source of individual differences involves the interaction with environment

Question 33

Epigentic drift

Answer 33

look a molecular level; when you examine identical twins at a young algae you’ll find their genetics are almost identical. If you measure adults traits and at the genetic level, you begin to see differences (differences=epigentic drift) the reason is the different experiences they are having in life

Question 34

Epigentic mechanisms

Answer 34

ways the plan can be changed)
Histone modification: DNA is coiled around histones, instead of transcription occurring, it is blocked, the DNA does not fully uncoil from the histone. Transcription does occur fully
DNA modification: bases block transcriptions of some of the bases; you don’t produce the protein that was intended to be produces
mRNA modification: ncRNA binds to RNA preventing translation
-critical during development when genes have to turn on and off at precise intervals, to prevent certain genes from being expressed

Question 35

Environmental effects on the genome

Answer 35

Disease linked to environmental exposures are difficult to track
Different people respond differently
Ex. Some people who smoke never develop lung cancer but some do