17A+EVOLUTION+-+Just+a+Theory

//**Except in the Light of Evolution**"//
- //Theodosius Dobzhansky//

This statement made by Theodosius Dobzhansky summarised succinctly the essence of Biology.
 * What prompted Dr Dobzhansky to make this statement?
 * Do you agree with him?
 * Do you understand what it means?
 * Take a moment to look back at the biological systems you have studied (respiration, homeostasis, photosynthesis etc.), can you explain them in terms of evolution?

Read the original article [|HERE] and see if you agree with him after learning more about evolution.

Evolution is one of the most important concepts in all of science It has become a unifying principle It is a biological theory and not intended to be useful outside of science

How much do you really know about Evolution?

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To learn more about the common misconceptions, read "[|Misconceptions about evolution and the mechanisms of evolution"].

What do scientists think of evolution as a theory?
Watch the video that I will show you in class and answer the following questions:
 * Does theory becomes a fact?
 * Why is Evolution an important theory in Biology?
 * What is the key element of hypothesis or theory?
 * So what does a theory do?

But Evolution is JUST a theory

 * What is a theory in a scientific sense?
 * Do you need to see to “believe” in a theory?
 * What can scientists rely on theory for?
 * What are inferences based on?

What is evolution?

 * Evolution is a process that results in heritable changes in a population spread over many generations.
 * Biological evolution is change in the properties of populations of organisms that transcend the lifetime of a single individual.
 * Biological evolution refers to populations and not to individuals
 * Changes must be passed on to the next generation- heritable
 * Therefore it can also be defined as:  any change in the frequency of alleles within a gene pool from one generation to the next

Open up the moodle window and read the full lecture under Explore

Here are some references to help you to understand better:
 * 1) An Introduction to Evolution
 * 2) [|Introduction to Evolutionary Biology]
 * 3) [|History of Life _ Looking for Patterns]