Download Segment 1: Isn`t Evolution Just a Theory

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PBS Evolution Video Series
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/teachstuds/svideos.html
Segment 1: Isn’t Evolution Just a Theory
1. How does the scientific meaning of a term like theory differ from the way it is used in everyday life?
2. Can the “facts” of science change over time? If so, how?
Segment 2: Who was Charles Darwin?
1. What characteristics made Darwin especially well-suited for science?
2. What did Darwin see and do on his five-year voyage on the Beagle?
3. Why was the publication of On the Origin of Species a courageous act?
Segment 3: How Do We Know Evolution Happens?
1. How do fossils give us a picture of change over time?
2. What distinguishing feature of the fossil Pakicetus skull identified it as related to a whale? Why was this
surprising?
3. Why do scientists seek fossils that are intermediate in form and time between modern forms and their
probable earliest ancestors?
Segment 4: How Does Evolution Really Work?
1. What are the four components of natural selection?
2. What factors in the environment might select for beak length and shape within hummingbird populations?
3. How can hummingbird DNA help Dr. Schneider determine the evolutionary history of hummingbirds?
Segment 5: Did Humans Evolve?
1. What are the occasional mistakes in copying of DNA called and why are they significant for evolutionary
changes?
2. What is the difference between relatedness and descendancy?
3. What kinds of evidence support the fact that humans have evolved?
Segment 6: Why Does Evolution Matter Now?
1. How does the misuse of antibiotics affect the evolution of disease-causing bacteria like TB? Describe in
terms of natural selection.
2. How does globalization affect the transmission of diseases?
Segment 7: Why is Evolution Controversial Anyway?
1. Summarize what is presented in this segment