commit edc454b815cb591d9208ce2db70d8e82473889d6 Author: evolution9197 Date: Mon Dec 16 18:24:29 2024 +0800 Add Three Reasons Why The Reasons For Your Evolution Site Is Broken (And How To Fix It) diff --git a/Three-Reasons-Why-The-Reasons-For-Your-Evolution-Site-Is-Broken-%28And-How-To-Fix-It%29.md b/Three-Reasons-Why-The-Reasons-For-Your-Evolution-Site-Is-Broken-%28And-How-To-Fix-It%29.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f8dba23 --- /dev/null +++ b/Three-Reasons-Why-The-Reasons-For-Your-Evolution-Site-Is-Broken-%28And-How-To-Fix-It%29.md @@ -0,0 +1,55 @@ +The Academy's Evolution Site + +Biology is a key concept in biology. The Academies have long been involved in helping those interested in science comprehend the concept of evolution and how it permeates all areas of scientific research. + +This site offers a variety of resources for students, teachers and general readers of evolution. It includes key video clip from NOVA and WGBH produced science programs on DVD. + +Tree of Life + +The Tree of Life is an ancient symbol of the interconnectedness of life. It is an emblem of love and unity across many cultures. It has numerous practical applications in addition to providing a framework to understand the history of species and how they respond to changing environmental conditions. + +Early approaches to depicting the biological world focused on separating species into distinct categories that were distinguished by their physical and metabolic characteristics1. These methods, which rely on the collection of various parts of organisms, or DNA fragments, have significantly increased the diversity of a tree of Life2. However the trees are mostly made up of eukaryotes. Bacterial diversity is not represented in a large way3,4. + +Genetic techniques have significantly expanded our ability to represent the Tree of Life by circumventing the requirement for direct observation and experimentation. Particularly, molecular techniques allow us to construct trees by using sequenced markers such as the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene. + +The Tree of Life has been dramatically expanded through genome sequencing. However, there is still much biodiversity to be discovered. This is particularly true of microorganisms, which can be difficult to cultivate and are usually only represented in a single sample5. A recent study of all genomes known to date has produced a rough draft of the Tree of Life, including numerous bacteria and archaea that have not been isolated, and which are not well understood. + +The expanded Tree of Life is particularly useful for assessing the biodiversity of an area, assisting to determine whether specific habitats require special protection. This information can be used in a variety of ways, including finding new drugs, fighting diseases and improving the quality of crops. It is also useful for conservation efforts. It can aid biologists in identifying the areas that are most likely to contain cryptic species with potentially significant metabolic functions that could be vulnerable to anthropogenic change. Although funding to safeguard biodiversity are vital, ultimately the best way to preserve the world's biodiversity is for more people living in developing countries to be equipped with the knowledge to act locally in order to promote conservation from within. + +Phylogeny + +A phylogeny (also called an evolutionary tree) depicts the relationships between organisms. Scientists can build an phylogenetic chart which shows the evolutionary relationship of taxonomic groups using molecular data and morphological similarities or differences. The concept of phylogeny is fundamental to understanding biodiversity, [www.Evolutionkr.kr](https://evolutionkr.kr/) evolution and genetics. + +A basic phylogenetic Tree (see Figure PageIndex 10 Finds the connections between organisms that have similar characteristics and have evolved from a common ancestor. These shared traits can be either analogous or homologous. Homologous traits are similar in terms of their evolutionary path. Analogous traits may look like they are, but they do not share the same origins. Scientists put similar traits into a grouping called a clade. All members of a clade have a common characteristic, for example, amniotic egg production. They all evolved from an ancestor with these eggs. A phylogenetic tree can be built by connecting the clades to identify the organisms who are the closest to each other. + +Scientists utilize DNA or RNA molecular information to construct a phylogenetic graph that is more precise and detailed. This information is more precise and gives evidence of the evolution of an organism. Researchers can utilize Molecular Data to calculate the evolutionary age of living organisms and discover how many species share a common ancestor. + +The phylogenetic relationships between species can be influenced by several factors, including phenotypic plasticity an aspect of behavior that changes in response to specific environmental conditions. This can cause a characteristic to appear more like a species another, obscuring the phylogenetic signal. However, this problem can be solved through the use of techniques like cladistics, which combine analogous and homologous features into the tree. + +In addition, phylogenetics can aid in predicting the length and speed of speciation. This information can aid conservation biologists to make decisions about which species to protect from the threat of extinction. In the end, it's the conservation of phylogenetic diversity that will lead to an ecosystem that is balanced and complete. + +Evolutionary Theory + +The main idea behind evolution is that organisms alter over time because of their interactions with their environment. Many scientists have developed theories of evolution, including the Islamic naturalist Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1201-274) who believed that a living thing would evolve according to its own requirements and needs, the Swedish taxonomist Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778) who conceived the modern hierarchical taxonomy and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1844-1829), who believed that the use or absence of certain traits can result in changes that are passed on to the next generation. + +In the 1930s and 1940s, ideas from a variety of fields--including natural selection, genetics, and particulate inheritance -- came together to create the modern evolutionary theory, which defines how evolution occurs through the variation of genes within a population, and how those variations change in time as a result of natural selection. This model, known as genetic drift, mutation, gene flow, and sexual selection, is a key element of the current evolutionary biology and can be mathematically explained. + +Recent developments in evolutionary developmental biology have revealed how variations can be introduced to a species through mutations, genetic drift and reshuffling of genes during sexual reproduction and the movement between populations. These processes, as well as others, such as the directional selection process and the erosion of genes (changes in the frequency of genotypes over time) can lead to evolution. Evolution is defined as changes in the genome over time and changes in phenotype (the expression of genotypes within individuals). + +Students can gain a better understanding of the concept of phylogeny by using evolutionary thinking into all areas of biology. A recent study conducted by Grunspan and colleagues, for example demonstrated that teaching about the evidence that supports evolution increased students' acceptance of evolution in a college-level biology class. For more details on how to teach evolution look up The Evolutionary Potential in all Areas of Biology or Thinking Evolutionarily A Framework for Integrating Evolution into Life Sciences Education. + +Evolution in Action + +Scientists have traditionally studied evolution through looking back in the past, analyzing fossils and comparing species. They also observe living organisms. Evolution is not a past event, but a process that continues today. Bacteria transform and resist antibiotics, viruses re-invent themselves and are able to evade new medications, and animals adapt their behavior in response to the changing environment. The changes that result are often visible. + +It wasn't until late 1980s that biologists began realize that natural selection was in action. The main reason is that different traits can confer a different rate of survival as well as reproduction, and may be passed down from generation to generation. + +In the past, if one particular allele - the genetic sequence that controls coloration - was present in a population of interbreeding organisms, it could quickly become more common than other alleles. Over time, this would mean that the number of moths with black pigmentation could increase. The same is true for many other characteristics--including morphology and behavior--that vary among populations of organisms. + +The ability to observe evolutionary change is much easier when a species has a rapid generation turnover such as bacteria. Since 1988, Richard Lenski, a biologist, has been tracking twelve populations of E.coli that descend from a single strain. Samples from each population have been collected frequently and more than 50,000 generations of E.coli have been observed to have passed. + +Lenski's research has revealed that mutations can alter the rate at which change occurs and the effectiveness at which a population reproduces. It also proves that evolution is slow-moving, a fact that some are unable to accept. + +Another example of microevolution is that mosquito genes for resistance to pesticides appear more frequently in areas where insecticides are employed. This is because pesticides cause an enticement that favors those with resistant genotypes. + +The rapid pace at which evolution can take place has led to a growing appreciation of its importance in a world shaped by human activities, including climate change, pollution and the loss of habitats that hinder many species from adapting. Understanding the evolution process can help us make better decisions regarding the future of our planet as well as the lives of its inhabitants. \ No newline at end of file