Evolution

Speciation For example, these happy face spiders look different, but since they can interbreed, they are considered the same species: Theridion grallator. Also, many plants, and some animals, form hybrids in nature. Hooded crows and carrion crows look different, and largely mate within their own groups—but in some areas, they hybridize. If two lineages of oak look quite different, but occasionally form hybrids with each other, should we count them as different species?

Human Evolution: The fossil evidence in 3D Welcome to the UCSB online 3D gallery of modern primate relatives and fossil ancestors of humans. This gallery contains five modern primate crania, and five fossil crania. The crania can be rotated 360 degrees. Each cranium is accompanied by a short description of its relevance to human evolution, and a site map. You will need the Shockwave plugin from Macromedia to view this gallery (most browsers have this installed already). Click here to enter the gallery. Click here for information on the much largerCD-ROM version. Trouble viewing the gallery? The gallery was developed by Phillip Walker and Ed Hagen, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara. This site also hosts the Evolutionary Psychology FAQ

Understanding Evolution The bacteria that changed the world - May, 2017 The make-up of Earth's atmosphere, once the domain of Earth science textbooks, has become an increasingly "hot" news topic in recent decades, as we struggle to curb global warming by limiting the carbon dioxide that human activity produces. While the changes that humanity has wrought on the planet are dramatic, this isn’t the first time that one species has changed Earth’s atmosphere. Three billion years ago, there was no free oxygen in the atmosphere at all. Life was anaerobic, meaning that it did not need oxygen to live and grow. That all changed due to the evolution of Cyanobacteria, a group of single-celled, blue-green bacteria. Read the rest of the story here | See the Evo in the News archive

The Endosymbiosis Theory: Evolution of Cells - Free Intro to Biology Video Evolutionary Chimera Several mythological creatures are combinations of animals. For example, the griffin is a combination of a lion and an eagle, while the jackalope is combination of a jackrabbit and an antelope. The most notorious combination of animals is that of a lion, serpent and goat. While this may seem like an odd combination, in Greek mythology, it was known as the Chimera. Cells Before we can look at how current cells evolved from ancient cells, we first need to talk a little bit about cells themselves. Prokaryotic cells are simple cells with no membrane-bound organelles. Eukaryotic cells are complex cells with membrane-bound organelles and a nucleus. Eukaryotic cells are the cells that make up our bodies. First, we know that they have a nucleus. Endosymbiosis Now that we know about both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, let's look at the endosymbiosis theory. Now, this may have been intentional or accidental. Evidence for Endosymbiosis Lesson Summary

Lesson: evolution mini-lesson: A Step in Speciation Time: Two 50-minute periods Preparation: 1. Make color copies of the salamander sheets (one per team of 2-4); place these in non-glare transparent plastic notebook sleeves to protect from wear and tear as they are re-used every period and year. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. COMMENT: This lesson demonstrates how speciation occurs and should emphasize for students that a scientist's real work begins when she/he starts to organize and analyze data. PRESENTATION: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. RECENT DEVLOPMENTS AND CURRENT STUDIES OF ENSATINA at ENSATINA UPDATE: Confirmation of hypothesized relationship from DNA analyses and other studies (added February, 2010).

Why Evolution Is True Whale Fossil Found in Kitchen Counter May 5, 2009—After a factory had found a 40-million-year-old whale fossil in a limestone kitchen counter, researchers investigated the stone's fossil-packed Egyptian quarry, which could shed light on the origins of African wildlife. Video by Public Television's Wild Chronicles, from National Geographic Mission Programs Unedited Transcription

Tree of Life Web Project The Tree of Life Web Project (ToL) is a collaborative effort of biologists and nature enthusiasts from around the world. On more than 10,000 World Wide Web pages, the project provides information about biodiversity, the characteristics of different groups of organisms, and their evolutionary history (phylogeny). Each page contains information about a particular group, e.g., salamanders, segmented worms, phlox flowers, tyrannosaurs, euglenids, Heliconius butterflies, club fungi, or the vampire squid. Artificial Selection in Evolution - Free High School Video What Is Artificial Selection? You've likely heard of natural selection, which is often described as the 'survival of the fittest.' This is a bit of a misnomer, because in evolution, individual organisms don't willfully adapt to their environment. Artificial selection is a bit different. Examples Because of the selective process of artificial selection, it is often called 'selective breeding.' Wild mustard has also been extensively selected and bred for certain traits. Animals have also been selected for in many domestic realms. The cows, pigs, and chickens that are eaten in the U.S. also have traits that are selectively bred. Pros and Cons There is no better way to create your 'perfect' organism than through artificial selection. However, in selecting this way you are playing a risky game. For example, let's look at purebred dogs, which are well known for their breed-specific health problems. Lesson Summary Artificial selection has been used by humans for thousands of years.

Endangered Relationships: Lesson Overview | Nature (Click here for a printer-friendly version of this lesson) TOPIC/SUBJECT MATTER: Life Science/Environmental Science TIME ALLOTMENT: 1-2 45-minute class periods This lesson uses video segments from the NATURE film “Crash: A Tale of Two Species” to explore the interrelationship between the horseshoe crab and a small migratory bird called the red knot. Both species are in decline, and the red knot’s future, in particular, depends on the horseshoe crab making a comeback in the waters of the Delaware Bay. Students will first be introduced to the horseshoe crab via a video segment, learning that the species’ longevity (350 million years) makes the horseshoe crab a “living fossil,” an anomaly in terms of the Earth’s species. As a culminating activity, students will use an interactive online map to research endangered species in the region of the United States where they live. Video NATURE: Crash: A Tale of Two Species (selected segments): Clip 1: “The Living Fossil” Web sites Standards: Materials

Tree of Life Web Project SEQUENCING TIME TELLING THE history of the earth requires placing events in sequence so that reference can be given to the relative and/or numerical time at which each event occurred. This helps to make sense out of the enormous expanse of time that has elapsed since the origin of the earth. This activity will help students to understand the methods used by geologists in creating the Geologic Time Scale. Objectives: 1) Students will place events in sequence and assign relative times to each event. 2) Students will gain an understanding of relative and numerical time. 3) Students will become familiar with the methods used by scientists to develop the Geologic Time Scale. Explore this link for additional information on the topics covered in this lesson: Geologic Time 1) Each student will need: A copy of the worksheet Events in Your Life. 2) A copy of the sheet Your Personal Time Line. Instruct the students as follows: 1) Look at the events listed on the sheet entitled Events in Your Life. Return to top

Phylogeny/Island Biogeography PREFACE ISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY and Evolution is an activity about the evolution of three species of lizards on the Canary Islands. It is designed for high school biology students. Its purpose is to demonstrate to students that evolutionary problems are complex, and solutions may involve data from various disciplines of science. First, students must arrive at different phylogenetic solutions using only geographical and geological data. The strength of the activity is its depth and interdisciplinary approach. For purposes of this publication, I have placed the student activity in the beginning followed by teacher information and my discussion of possible solutions. INTRODUCTION Ever since Charles Darwin formulated his hypothesis on how the finches of the Galapagos Islands evolved into 13 species, islands have been a prime target for the study of evolution. Return to top Background — Figure 1 (left) illustrates one of the many populations of lizards living on the Canary Islands. Table 1.