StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

U10a1 Life in the Universe Review Assignment - Coursework Example

Cite this document
Summary
4. Why is the theory of evolution so critical to our understanding of the history of life on Earth? Explain how evolution proceeds by natural selection, and what happens to DNA that allows species to evolve. Some 99.9 percent of all the species that have ever lived are now extinct…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.6% of users find it useful
U10a1 Life in the Universe Review Assignment
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "U10a1 Life in the Universe Review Assignment"

Download file to see previous pages

Evolution is a natural phenomenon. Natural selection is the reason why evolution happens. In its most basic form, evolution is genetic change within a population - specifically changes in the allelic frequencies of said population. Genetic drift, natural selection, mutation, and migration these are the basic mechanisms of evolution. Evolutionary thought can be traced back to classic Greece, but it is most commonly associated with Charles Darwin. Darwin only described one of the mechanisms that now are known to guide evolution: Natural Selection.

He also put forward his idea that all the species have originated from a common ancestor and changed over time to the present situation. Natural Selection is the process by which favorable heritable traits become more common in successive generations of a population and unfavorable heritable traits become less common due to differential reproduction. That is: given a certain population, those individuals who are more fit to the selective pressure(s) by their habitat will leave more descendants than those less fit.

This means that for Natural Selection to act, a population must be composed by individuals that differ in their traits. Evolution is the explanation for the development, adaptation and diversity of life, as well as the morphological similarities between different kinds of life. Darwin's Theory of Evolution: Darwin's Theory of Evolution is the widely held notion that all life is related and has descended from a common ancestor: the birds and the bananas, the fishes and the flowers -- all related.

Darwin's general theory presumes the development of life from non-life and stresses a purely naturalistic "descent with modification". That is, complex creatures evolve from more simplistic ancestors naturally over time. In a nutshell, as random genetic mutations occur within an organism's genetic code, the beneficial mutations are preserved because they aid survival -- a process known as "natural selection." These beneficial mutations are passed on to the next generation. Over time, beneficial mutations accumulate and the result is an entirely different organism.

Darwin's Theory of Evolution - Natural Selection: Natural selection acts to preserve and accumulate minor advantageous genetic mutations. Suppose a member of a species developed a functional advantage, its offspring would inherit that advantage and pass it on to their offspring. The inferior members of the same species would gradually die out, leaving only the superior members of the species. Natural selection is the preservation of a functional advantage that enables a species to compete better in the wild.

Natural selection is the naturalistic equivalent to domestic breeding. Over the centuries, human breeders have produced dramatic changes in domestic animal populations by selecting individuals to breed. Breeders eliminate undesirable traits gradually over time. Similarly, natural selection eliminates inferior species gradually over time. With the proper tools, we can sample the DNA of a population to see how the abundance of a particular gene changes as the environment changes. For example, in the mangled example of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, one type of antibiotic targets the prokaryotic ribosomes.

A drug that binds bacterial ribosomes blocks the ability of the bacteria to synthesize proteins. One way that bacteria can evade this type of drug is to mutate the target site. If in the

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“U10a1 Life in the Universe Review Assignment Coursework”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/finance-accounting/1425323-u10a1-life-in-the-universe-review-assignment
(U10a1 Life in the Universe Review Assignment Coursework)
https://studentshare.org/finance-accounting/1425323-u10a1-life-in-the-universe-review-assignment.
“U10a1 Life in the Universe Review Assignment Coursework”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/finance-accounting/1425323-u10a1-life-in-the-universe-review-assignment.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF U10a1 Life in the Universe Review Assignment

Sun Centered Universe and Earth Centered Universe

Heliocentric model challenged the Earth Centered theory stating Sun as the center of the universe.... In Quest of the universe.... According to Geocentric model, earth is the center of the whole universe.... The author describes Heliocentrism and Geocentrism which are the two key milestones in the growth of astronomy....
1 Pages (250 words) Assignment

View on Environmental Sustainability

The videos explain that to be able to make the environment sustainable for human life into the future, it is the duty of everyone to ascertain that their actions are in line with the goal of environmental sustainability.... Sustainability will ensure that humans have access to clean water, food and fresh air, which will be achieved if humans do not become a threat to their way of life by polluting the environment (Igloo Animations)....
1 Pages (250 words) Assignment

The Reasons Why Sociologists Give for Studying the Reproduction of Inequality

The stories of Copernicus who challenged the idea that the earth is not the center of the universe, Galileo who prove that heavy and light objects have the same gravitational pull were shunned by authorities where Copernicus and Galileo were persecuted.... Some of the reasons why sociologists study the reproduction inequality is to engage in a meaningful debate and discussion on why education is sometimes perceived to a source or reproducer of inequality when its intent is to better an individual either for progress or social… Sociologists would also like to know the dynamics why education which is supposed to empower people could be a source of inequality. People resist questioning and changing the ideas that are shared by society's members because that would mean going against the norm and First assignment....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment

Warranty Review Assignment

Magnuson-Moss warranty also provides Warranty review Assignment Introduction Warranty refers to the affirmative ment given by the seller or producer to retailer or final consumer.... It is about quality of a given product on sale.... The statement offers customer protection on use of a particular good....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment

Heart Disease Affects the Health of the US Population

?Asia-Pacific Business review, 4(1).... The actual ethical implication is to improve the health of all people through equity, in their all life stages (People & US Department of Health and Human Services, 2011).... Therefore, primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions are necessary to overcome this problem....
3 Pages (750 words) Assignment

Fires and Human Behaviour

The author of this assignment "Fires and Human Behaviour" casts light on the management of fire departments.... According to the text, this kind of management is a continuous process, which means that leadership within the departments is not permanent.... nbsp;… Leaders come and go, just as staff members come and go....
12 Pages (3000 words) Assignment

The Impact of Stress Working Environment at Nursing Home

The paper "The Impact of Stress Working Environment at Nursing Home" focusses on the fact that If stress is left untreated, it could result in severe depression and anxiety, resulting in other related diseases that would kill an individual if not treated on time.... hellip; Stress can impair people's ability to self-care and affect their ability to eat, drink, sleep, poor diet, and irregular sleep patterns that magnify existing physical health symptoms....
7 Pages (1750 words) Assignment

Public Transport Infrastructure - Brisbane Bus Rapid Transit System

The paper "Public Transport Infrastructure - Brisbane Bus Rapid Transit System" examines two projects which are similar to BCUR and highlights the areas which can be incorporated so as to facilitate an effective, attractive, amenable, and safe mass transit corridor.... hellip; The report gives a description and justification of the concept scheme for the project to incorporate appropriate preliminary geometry, intermodal access, and integration features with consideration to pedestrian and cyclist, rail, bus, ferry, and private vehicles....
43 Pages (10750 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us