Evolution and Extinction Quiz

Evolution and Extinction

• If living things don't evolve or change, they can't survive and become extinct if their surroundings change.
• Extinction is forever, and the species doesn't appear again.
• Human extinction is accepted, but natural extinction is not accepted.

Charles Lyell

• Lyell was a naturalist who believed that species can change a little, but not a lot.
• He believed that if conditions are right, extinct species will come back.
• He proposed that species fit their environment, but his theory contradicted fossil findings.
• Lyell's strongest follower was Darwin.

Darwin's Theory

• Darwin criticized former geologists who tried to explain the erosion of the lava and rocks of the valley by bringing into account violent action of a flood.
• He theorized that the steps of the valley could only be as a result of slow erosion of the sea.
• Darwin believed that slow erosion done by the sea over a very long time resulted in the formation of terraces.

Darwin and Fitzroy

• Myth: Media portrays a conflict between Darwin and Fitzroy, with Fitzroy being a religious creationist and Darwin being a skeptic.
• Reality: Fitzroy was not religious, and was just as scientific as Darwin.
• Fitzroy invited Darwin on the voyage and kept his own diary of observations.

Darwin's Life

• After the birth of their first child, Emma and Darwin moved to Down House in Kent in 1842.
• Darwin worked in a small corner in his study, using a chair with leg wheels and a board as a table.
• He had a lake lowered to prevent people from peeking inside the house and installed mirrors to see if visitors were coming.

The Species Problem

• John Herschel wrote to Lyell in 1836 about "the mystery of mysteries, the replacement of extinct creatures with others".
• Darwin attempts to answer this question.
• This was not a timeless problem that people had been asking, but rather a specific question that Darwin aimed to answer.

Rev. William Paley

• Rev. Paley was a clergyman who wrote a book titled Natural Theology in 1802.
• Darwin liked this book and found the argument compelling.
• Paley distinguished between systematic affinity (similarity due to descent) and analogy (similarity due to adaptation to similar environments).

Notebook D

• Notebook D (July-October 1838) was mainly about reproduction.
• Darwin asked: "What is the origin of adaptation?" and "Why is the world not overrun by one type of species?"
• He answered: Natural selection ruthlessly keeps potential growth of a population in check, and only the strong are spared.

Alfred Russel Wallace

• Wallace's collection was the most systematic natural history collection in Singapore at the time.
• He travelled with his assistants to help him collect specimens, and his collection was gigantic.
• Wallace was interested in animals, and noticed variation in the species he collected.
• He had a trusted assistant, Ali, who became his most important and trusted assistant.