Evolutionary Theory

Question 1

Know what the theory of evolution is.

Answer 1

A collection of scientific facts, observations, and hypotheses which states that modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms.

Question 2

Describe Darwin’s voyage and what he observed.

Answer 2

He travelled all over the world, to places that people had never been before. Then he saw a whole bunch of different animals, plants and fossils, he also collected samples from all over.

He observed the patterns of diversity in which plants and animals were well suited to whatever environment they lived in.

Question 3

Discuss the ideas and scientists who shaped Darwin’s thinking (Hutton, Lyell, Lamarck and Malthus)

Answer 3

Hutton
- Proposed that the earth is shaped by geological forces that took place over extremely long periods of time.
- Estimated that the earth is millions, not thousands of years old.

Lyell
- Explains that processes occurring now have shaped - Earth’s geological features over a long period of time.

Lamarck
- Published his hypotheses of the inheritance of acquired traits.
- Explains how organism changes over time.

Malthus
- Predicted that the human population will grow faster than the space and food supplies needed to sustain it.

Question 4

Discuss the weaknesses of Darwin’s theory.

Answer 4

Scientific advances in many fields of biology have confirmed and expanded most of Darwin’s hypotheses but the evolutionary theory continues to change as new data are gathered and new ways of thinking arise.