Tag: evolution

Biology Unit 5 Study Guide: Evolution

Biology Unit 5 Study Guide: Evolution. After his visit to the Galapagos Islands, Darwin came up with the theory of evolution.  This theory stated that organisms change over time.  The way that organisms change is through the process of natural selection. With examples, practice questions, and answers to help make evolution respiration easy to learn!

Why Are Some Beetles Shiny and Attracted to Light?

To answer this question we will first have to review the physical properties of light and go over the basics of optics, which is the study of the relationship between sight and light. Visible light is a section of the electromagnetic spectrum, and it is the only portion that people can see. While electromagnetic radiation can be measured via its various prosperities, such as frequency or energy, it is most commonly categorized by wavelength. Taking one step back, radiation is the transfer of energy in the form of waves or particles. For electromagnetic radiation, wavelength is determined by measuring photons. Put simply, photons are massless particles that also exhibit the characteristics of waves. To measure wavelength a point is designated on one wave (usually a peak or trough) and the length between it and that same point on the next wave gives you the wavelength.

Dinosaurs 101: The Shifting Image of Dinosaurs – Facts, History, and Evolution

Scientific discoveries reach the general public through schooling and news stories, though occasionally this kind of information gets filtered through the lens of pop culture. When it comes to dinosaurs, Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park is a prime example of this. Insights and ideas gleaned from science can inform new and creative plot elements or action set pieces, though the same is true of scientific distortions and misunderstandings. Rather than nitpicking elements of a single film, this article will briefly highlight the areas in which our understanding of dinosaurs has evolved over the past few decades.

Arthropods 101: Insects, Evolution, Classes, and Examples of Arthropods

Making up around 75% of all animal species in the world, arthropods are are a vast phylum of the kingdom Animalia. The name comes from the Greek words “arthro”, meaning joint, and “podos”, meaning legs. While they all share segmented bodies with joined legs, members in this phylum vary wildly, from butterflies and millipedes, to scorpions and lobsters. They are also all invertebrates, which means that they do not have backbones. Instead, they use hard exoskeletons to protect themselves, which are made out of chitin. Because these exoskeletons are relatively inflexible, arthropods molt as they grow larger, which means they shed their exoskeletons.

Taxonomy: History, Definition, Classification, and Taxonomy Mnemonic

Cougar. Mountain Lion. Puma. What do these animals all have in common? Believe it or not, they are actually all names for the same animal! Because this feline spans such a large area, different areas call it different names. As you might think, this could get confusing if scientists try to discuss the same animal, so what do they do? They use taxonomy.
Taxonomy is the science and process of organizing organisms into categories and naming them. Every species of animal has a unique taxonomic, or scientific, name. A species is a group of organisms that reproduce among itself and produce offspring. The scientific name is used by scientists all over the world for ease of communication. After all, it is very important to be specific in science. For example, the scientific name of the cougar/mountain lion/puma is Puma concolor. The name cougar/mountain lion/puma refers to the animal’s common name. Organisms can have many common names used by the public, but when scientists are referring to them, they use the scientific name. Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species

Evolution: Homology vs Homoplasy

Lovely, isn’t she? (Yes, the furry one above.) She’s Your 65-Million-Year-Old Mother. Through modern computer analysis and evolutionary data, Maureen O’Leary a researcher from Stony Brook University and her colleagues discovered the last known common ancestor of placentals (Scientific American). Modern placentals include animals such as whales, bats, […]

Evolution: Phylogeny and Platypuses

I know. Platypuses. I’m sure 75% of the people who are reading this post (or sentence for that matter) were attracted to the content of “platypuses.” No worries, the title is not misleading. This is about platypuses. And evolution. Ornithorhynchus anatinus or also known as the platypus is […]