Download Evolution & The Time Machine

Evolution & The
Time Machine
A Look at How it All
Connects
Point 1: Science deals with the
physical laws of nature (not spiritual)
 This means that science cannot solve all
problems
 Science answers the how—not the why
 It cannot answer the questions that
depend on opinion, belief, or judgment
 What is a “Theory”—well tested
explanation that unifies a broad range of
observations
Point 2: The idea of evoultion
began more than 2000 years ago
 The Greek philosopher Empedocles was
the first to write down his observation that
the world was in a state of gradual
development affecting living and non-living
things
 The term “evolution” comes from a Latin
word meaning the unrolling of a scroll
 Jean Baptiste Lamark coined the term (as
we use it today) in the early 1880s
Point 2: The idea of evoultion
began more than 2000 years ago
 In the mid-late 1800s, both Charles Darwin
and Alfred Russel Wallace independently
developed the Theory of Natural Selection,
based upon experiments and
observations, as a mechanism to explain
evolution
 Today, a simple definition of evolution is a
change that occurs in a population over
many generations
Point 3: Theory of Natural Selection
states:
 All organisms vary in their characteristics
 Organisms in nature produce more offspring
than can possibly survive
 Organisms always struggle for food, habitat,
protection, and mates
 On average, offspring that vary in ways favoured
by the environment will survive better and
produce more offspring of their own (biologically
successful)—favourable characteristics will thus
accumulate in the population over time
Point 3:
Continued
(Piranha
Test)
Point 4: Implications of Natural
Selection
 1: Populations evolve, individuals do
not
 2: Evolution has no purpose other
than to increase success
 3: Evolution is not “headed” anywhere
in particular (no direction)
Part 5: Evidence for Evolution
 Fossils of extinct creatures are the best
evidence for change
 The fossil record allows us to reconstruct
evolutionary history with confidence
 The DNA of organisms that seem to be
related is similar
 Homologous and vestigial organs—no
other good reason for them to exist
Point 5:
Continued
(Homologous)
 Homologous—
organs and
structure are the
same but have
different
functions
Point 5: Continued (Vestigial)
 Whale: pelvis/femur/ischium = bones
needed for walking
 Python: femur/illium = bones needed for
walking
 Human: wisdom teeth, appendix,
rudimentary tail muscles (Shallow Hal)
Point 5: Continued—We can watch
it happen
 Natural Selection
 Darwin’s Finches
 Artificial Selection
 Bacteria and antibiotics (antibiotic resistant
strains)
 Insects (insecticide/pesticide resistance)
 Domestic animals (grey wolf and dogs)
Point 5: Continued—We can watch
it happen
Point 6: No, humans have not
evolved directly from apes
 Darwin said humans and apes evolved
from a common distant ancestor
 This split occurred 4-5 m.y.a.
 Today, our closest cousin is the
chimpanzee
Point 7: Religious viewpoint
 Many people accept evolution as being
controlled by divine guidance
 Pope John Paul II accepted evolution as a
plausible theory
Point 8: Evolution & The Time
Machine
 Wells is suggesting a split or branching of
humanity
 One branch went underground—over time
they evolved into the creature known as
Morlocks (loss of pigmentation, eyes don’t
do well in light)
 One branch remained above ground—
over time they evolved into the creatures
known as Eloi (loss of ability to think or
fend for themselves
Point 8: Evolution & The Time
Machine--Continued
 Using what we have just learned—how
could this evolution have occurred in the
human race?
 Take five minutes, and respond to that
question. If you are not 100% sure, then
give a logical guess.