Lecturer 10: The Origin of Species
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Questions and Answers

What interrupted Darwin's work on the big book that eventually became The Origin of Species?

  • Illness
  • Wallace's writing (correct)
  • Financial difficulties
  • Criticism from other scientists

    • What did Darwin conduct experiments on, in order to support his theory?

  • Animals
  • Microorganisms
  • Minerals
  • Plants (correct)

    • What did Lyell's gradualism underline in the origin of species?

  • Intervention by external forces
  • Sudden and dramatic changes
  • Random and chaotic events
  • Long slow action of small natural causes (correct)

    • What did Darwin's book, The Origin of Species, not address?

    <p>The origin of life</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of selection is most visible in birds?

    <p>Sexual selection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin's theory of natural selection state about beneficial variations?

    <p>They will be passed down to offspring</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do farmers and breeders utilize?

    <p>Artificial selection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does sexual selection influence in birds?

    <p>Plumage and mating behavior</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the principle of divergence biased towards?

    <p>Diversification</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin's theory challenge in sexual selection?

    <p>The notion of female choice and male competition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin's theory reject the clear distinction between?

    <p>Species and varieties</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin's diagram in 'The Origin of Species' represent?

    <p>The process of evolution</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin discuss in relation to modern genetics?

    <p>Laws of variation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin emphasize about the nature of evolution?

    <p>Gradual and slow progression</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin address objections to in his theory?

    <p>The origin of lungs</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is often misunderstood as an alternative term for natural selection?

    <p>Natural preservation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main focus of Darwin's 'Origin of Species'?

    <p>The origin and change of species</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection explain?

    <p>A wide range of natural phenomena</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the first chapter of 'Origin of Species' focus on?

    <p>Variation under domestication and the analogy of artificial selection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the second chapter of 'Origin of Species' discuss?

    <p>Variation in nature and the gradual evolution of species</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the third chapter of 'Origin of Species' explore?

    <p>The struggle for existence and the concept of competition for survival based on Malthus's ideas</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did Darwin believe about the existence of God when writing 'Origin of Species'?

    <p>Darwin used the word 'creator' and believed in God when writing the book</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What were the epigraphs included in 'Origin of Species' for?

    <p>To provide inspiration and to address potential controversy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin's theory of descent with modification explain?

    <p>The appearance and disappearance of species and their sources</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does 'Origin of Species' not address?

    <p>The extinction of species</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the publication date of 'Origin of Species'?

    <p>It was published in Nov 1859, considered one of the most important books in science</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection explain?

    <p>A wide range of natural phenomena</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the publisher John Murray publish before 'Origin of Species'?

    <p>Darwin’s 'Voyage of the Beagle' and 'Principles of Geology'</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin's theory of evolution explain about the diversity of tropical species across different land masses?

    <p>It is due to natural barriers like mountains and oceans</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin's theory explain about embryonic development in closely related creatures?

    <p>They have similar embryos into later stages of development</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of vestigial organs in the context of Darwin's theory of evolution?

    <p>They are remnants of common ancestors, supporting the theory of common ancestry</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does Darwin's theory explain homology, the presence of similar structures in different species?

    <p>It is explained by common ancestry</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the presence of cruelty in the natural world challenge, according to Darwin's theory?

    <p>The notion of benevolent design</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the incorrect representation of Darwin's theory in Ernst Haeckel's tree of life?

    <p>Representing human beings as the pinnacle of species</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In which edition of Darwin's 'Origin of Species' was the introduction of 'the survival of the fittest' added?

    <p>Fifth edition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why did the term 'natural selection' cause confusion among readers, according to the text?

    <p>It implied an agent doing the selecting</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin's famous conclusion to 'Origin of Species' emphasize?

    <p>The endless forms that have evolved from simple beginnings on this planet</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the historical addition to the third edition of Darwin's 'Origin of Species'?

    <p>Historical sketch</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin emphasize about the evidence for kindness in the natural world?

    <p>The absence of evidence for kindness in the natural world</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin argue against regarding the eye's evolution?

    <p>It must have been designed</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin propose as the reason for imperfections in organisms such as the bee's stinger?

    <p>Ancestral functions evolving to serve new purposes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin suggest about the distribution of living things on oceanic islands?

    <p>It challenges the idea that organisms were created to suit their environment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin challenge the idea of being a miracle and provide naturalistic explanations for?

    <p>Instinct</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the geological record lack due to rare fossil formation conditions and geological forces?

    <p>Intermediate varieties</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does hybridism, such as the mule resulting from a horse and donkey, support?

    <p>Common descent and gradualism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the succession of organic beings and the geographical distribution of species provide compelling evidence for?

    <p>Evolution</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin propose as the reason for not all features being perfectly adapted?

    <p>Characteristics that were formerly useful may persist due to inheritance</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Darwin suggest about the inheritance of useless remnants from ancestors?

    <p>Some features may be useless remnants from ancestors</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the complexity of the eye lead some to believe, which Darwin argues against?

    <p>It must have been designed</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the geological record's incompleteness result in?

    <p>Only occasional fragments remaining</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the distribution of living things challenge regarding their creation and environment?

    <p>Organisms were created to suit their environment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Darwin’s "Origin of Species" Overview

    • John Murray published Darwin’s "Voyage of the Beagle" and "Principles of Geology"
    • "Origin of Species" published in Nov 1859, considered one of the most important books in science
    • The book is about the origin and change of species, not about humans
    • Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection explains a wide range of natural phenomena
    • The book does not address the origin of life, the existence of God, or the role of God in nature
    • Darwin used the word "creator" and believed in God when writing the book
    • The book addresses the appearance and disappearance of species and their sources
    • Darwin's theory of descent with modification is supported by various evidence
    • The epigraphs in the book were included to provide inspiration and to address potential controversy
    • The first chapter focuses on variation under domestication and the analogy of artificial selection
    • The second chapter discusses variation in nature and the gradual evolution of species
    • The third chapter explores the struggle for existence and the concept of competition for survival based on Malthus's ideas

    Summary of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species

    • The eye has evolved gradually over time, with each stage being an improvement from the previous, and its complexity has led some to believe it must have been designed, but Darwin argues against this.
    • Imperfections in organisms, such as the bee's stinger, can be explained by their ancestral functions evolving to serve new purposes, fulfilling the requirement of natural selection.
    • Not all features are perfectly adapted because characteristics that were formerly useful may persist due to inheritance, and some features may be useless remnants from ancestors.
    • Darwin challenges the idea that instinct is a miracle and provides naturalistic explanations for it, such as sterile workers surviving due to a common mother.
    • Hybridism, such as the mule resulting from a horse and donkey, supports common descent and gradualism as proposed by Darwin.
    • The geological record is incomplete, with intermediate varieties going extinct and only occasional fragments remaining due to rare fossil formation conditions and geological forces.
    • The succession of organic beings and the geographical distribution of species provide compelling evidence for evolution, as modern creatures are descendants of earlier ones and their distribution cannot be fully explained by the environment alone.
    • The distribution of living things, including on oceanic islands, challenges the idea that organisms were created to suit their environment, as some species could not have naturally traveled to certain locations.

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