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Biochemistry throwback
Why Carbon is SO AWESOME: graphene!
“What's graphene, and why is its
development worth a Nobel Prize?”
“In just a few years you might be riding in it, tapping on it
as you use your iPhone 9, or watching 3-D TV on a
lightweight, big-screen panel made using graphene.
But wait ... there's more: Sheets of graphene could also be
tweaked to create electronic circuits that are mere molecules
thick, or built into a new generation of body scanners for
hospitals or airports.
…and it all basically started with a strip of Scotch tape.”
Biochemistry throwback
Why Carbon is SO AWESOME: graphene!
“The Swedish academy statement reads,
"Carbon, the basis of all known life on
Earth, has surprised us once again." The
thin flake of carbon, the duo created in
2004, is just as thick as an atom is
exceptionally strong and it conducts
electricity like copper. It's transparent
and outperforms any other material in
Heat conduction.” - Reuters
“Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov originally used adhesive tape to rip off
Graphene layers from graphite, another form of carbon most commonly used in
pencils. Thus the sticky tape and pencil generated a wonderful material that has a
variety of practical applications. This exotic material will also help the scientists to
study the pure theoretical foundations of physics such as Quantum weirdness.”
- The Huffington Post
Island Aviaries
What was different about all of our
birds in our Island Aviaries?
Why did our birds change?
What did Darwin hypothesize about
why the finches on different
Galapagos Islands had different beaks?
What are our
prior conceptions
and understandings
of natural selection?
1. Charles Darwin’s Dangerous Ideas:
The fossil record
What did Darwin
notice about the
fossils he found in
South America on his
voyage on the
HMS Beagle?
1. Charles Darwin’s Dangerous Ideas:
The fossil record
What did Darwin
notice about the
fossils he found in
South America on his
voyage on the
HMS Beagle?
What clues do fossils give us about how species
have changed over time?
1. Charles Darwin’s Dangerous Ideas:
Species vary
• Species vary locally
• Species vary globally
1. Charles Darwin’s Dangerous Ideas:
Species change over time
2. Survival of the Fittest:
Fitness
What does “fitness” mean in biology?
– Is bigger always better?
– Can there be an advantage to being slow and lazy?
2. Survival of the Fittest:
Fitness
What does “fitness” mean in biology?
– Is bigger always better?
– Can there be an advantage to being slow and lazy?
Fitness is the characterized by the likelihood that an
individual will reproduce, or the number of offspring an
individual produces over its lifetime.
“Fitness”
In your own words:
What does fitness mean in biology?
Are animals and plants “getting fit” to look good
or to fit into their bathing suits?
2. Survival of the Fittest:
Adaptations
What is an adaptation?
2. Survival of the Fittest:
Adaptations
What is an adaptation? A trait that increases fitness
2. Survival of the Fittest:
Adaptations
What is an adaptation? A trait that increases fitness
Peppered moth adaptations during the Industrial Revolution
3. How do animals adapt or change?
Lamarck vs. Darwin
Jean-Baptiste
Lamarck
Charles
Darwin
3. How do animals adapt or change?
Lamarck vs. Darwin
Jean-Baptiste
Lamarck
3. How do animals adapt or change?
Lamarck vs. Darwin
Charles
Darwin
3. How do animals adapt or change?
Lamarck vs. Darwin
Charles
Darwin
3. How do animals adapt or change?
Lamarck vs. Darwin
Charles
Darwin
3. How do animals adapt or change?
Lamarck vs. Darwin
Concept cartoons
Fill the speech bubbles in with Lamarck’s and
Darwin’s arguments in your own words.
3. How do animals adapt or change?
Lamarck vs. Darwin
Concept cartoons
Fill the speech bubbles in with Lamarck’s and
Darwin’s arguments in your own words.
Which argument do you agree with?
Which one do you agree with? Why?
4. Natural Selection
• A mechanism of evolution
• Variation in traits is what drives survival of the
fittest
• Certain variations make the organism more fit,
which allows the organism to survive and
successfully reproduce.
4. Natural Selection
Depends on…
• Variation in traits among individuals in a
population
• Survival of the fittest
• Reproduction of the most fit individuals
• Heredity
Common misunderstandings
Is there an ultimate goal to natural selection?
Does natural selection eventually produce the
“perfect” organism?
Why or why not?
Common misunderstandings
Is there an ultimate goal to natural selection?
No
Does natural selection eventually produce the
“perfect” organism?
No
Why or why not?
“Oh the times, they are a’ changin…”
What is advantageous today may not be tomorrow!
(remember the peppered moths)
Common misunderstandings
Do organisms change or adapt because they “want”
or “need” a certain trait?
Do organisms “decide to adapt?”
Is it pure chance that certain organisms survive and
others do not?
Common misunderstandings
Do organisms change or adapt because they “want”
or “need” a certain trait?
No
Do organisms “decide to adapt?”
No
Is it pure chance that certain organisms survive and
others do not?
No
Wait a minute!
Where does the variation in a population
come from in the first place?
We now know why species change…
but now we want to know how…
Stay tuned!