Units 1 & 2 Flashcards
Scientists & Vocabulary
Aristotle
- Plato’s pupil who created the Scala Naturae
- Considered to be the ultimate authority for the natural world for a long time
Isaac Newton
Laws of physics which described the effects of gravity on planetary motion
Carolus Linnaeus
- established the use of binomial nomenclature in science; every species was given a unique name, consisting of its genus and species binomen.
- He included humans in his classifications (with no indication that any group was related to another, as we recognize today).
- He added more inclusive groups (Class and Order).
- His works form the basis of the modern science of taxonomy
Thomas Huxley
supporter of Darwinism and defended evolution
Comte de Buffon
Proposed that the external environment could cause a species to change. Stressed that the universe is not fixed; it can and does change over time, and that species also have changed over time
Copernicus
Based on his observations, he determined that the Earth is not the center of the universe; he called his concept of the universe “Heliocentrism”
John Ray
- His goal was to group and organize all living things, to eliminate confusion in their classification and names, and thereby understand the plan of the Creator. He suggested that groups could be recognized and delimited by their ability to reproduce with one another. Every group was given a Latin name, replacing the common name.
- He introduced the term species for each group of reproductively isolated organisms.
- He introduced the concept and term genus to group together species that are similar
Robert Hooke
recognized that the Earth was very old and that some earlier species were no longer alive (a claim rejected by most of his contemporaries as theologically unsound)
Thomas Malthus
- Stated that the human population would double in size every generation (~25 years) if it were not kept in check by limited food supplies (principle of population)
- Because human populations can’t keep doubling, something must limit human population growth
Johannes Kepler
developed and described the three laws of planetary motion. (explained the apparent movement of the planets)
James Hutton
Based on his observations, published an explanation for geological formations. Introduced the concept of Uniformitarianism
Sir Francis Bacon
Rejected Aristotle’s methods and proposed empiricism: the study of nature must be based on observation and experiments. Considered the founder of modern science
Albert Einstein
(Theories of Relativity) explained what causes gravity, explained anomalies in Mercury’s orbit & the invariant speed of light
Charles Darwin
earlier thought of Natural Selection
Charles Lyell
The “Father of Modern Geology,” his studies and observations continued and added to James Hutton’s earlier works. Uniformitarianism
Galileo Galilei
Many astronomical discoveries, challenged the authority of the church and proposed heliocentrism
Alfred Wallace
He independently suggested the same process (now known as Natural Selection) — sent his paper to Darwin for review, which pushed Darwin to finally publish his own work
Jean-Baptiste Larmarck
- One of the first to suggest a mechanism for such changes in species over time. Like others, he stressed the importance of the interaction between organisms and their environment.
- Emphasized that the individual adapts physically to its environment through its needs: the Theory of Use and Disuse.
- He thought that the changes an individual organism acquires during its life are passed on to its offspring: the Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics. (WRONG)
Uniformitarianism
Geological processes observed in the present are the same as those that occurred in the past. Requires vast geologic time; millions of years
Parsimony
among theories fitting the data equally well, scientists choose the simplest theory
Theory
A hypothesis that has been tested repeatedly with a significant amount of data to support it
Unique
being the only one of its kind
Conspecific
belonging to the same species
Artificial selection/Selective breeding
the process by which humans breed animals and plants for the desired set of particular traits
Heliocentrism
The belief that the sun is the center of the solar system and that the earth rotated around it
Genus
group of closely related species; the first part of the scientific name in binomial nomenclature
Paleoanthropology
the study of the history of human evolution through the fossil record
Fitness
The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment
Melanic
refers to an individual with high concentrations of melanin
Empirical
based on observation or experiment
Paleontology
the scientific study of fossils
Hypothesis
A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
Heritable
Traits that can be passed on to offspring
Vestigial
an organ or body part having become functionless in the course of evolution (or the remnants of a once more important feature)
Higher Criticism
A radical idea for the time that the Bible should be studied as any other work of literature to determine its validity and relevance
Species
a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding
Binomial nomenclature
The classification system in which each species is assigned a two-part scientific name
Belief
a conviction based on cultural or personal faith, morality, or values
Differential reproductive success
A phenomenon in which individuals with adaptive genetic traits (suitable for the environment) produce more living offspring than do individuals without such traits
Biogeography
Study of past and present distribution of organisms
