BIO 206 FINAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED
ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) |ALREADY GRADED
A+||BRAND NEW
What are the characteristics that make an idea scientific?
Ans✓✓✓sexual selection: selection on traits associated with mating
intrasexual selection: competition for access to mates (between members
of one sex)
intersexual selection: exercising choice of potential mates (members of
one sex towards the other)
What does it mean to say an idea refers to the supernatural? Why is it
important that a scientific idea make reference to "natural law"? How
does assessment of the meaning of empirical evidence differ from a
belief system? Ans✓✓✓the supernatural is something that cannot be
tested or proved false, such as ghosts or god
a scientific idea needs to make reference to natural law b/c natural law
has evidence to back it up or whatever and is legitimate
empirical evidence is measured; it is actually evidence
a belief system is choosing to have faith in something with no particular
reason to do so
If we define "proof" as something being irrevocably true, has always
been true, and will always be true, why is that inconsistent with our
definition of science? Ans✓✓✓science needs to be falsifiable so if it is
always irrevocably true it cannot be falsifiable
,If an idea is not falsifiable, why can it not be rejected as not true?
Ans✓✓✓the word falsifiable means being able to made false, aka not
true
if you can't say something is false you can't say it's not true
From the perspective of scientists, what is the difference between a
hypothesis and a theory? Ans✓✓✓a hypothesis is a tentative
explanation for a natural phenomenon made to be tested and a theory is a
well-tested well-substantiated unifying explanation for a large set of
verified observations or measurements
What is a general definition of evolution? Ans✓✓✓evolution is the
change in alleles of a population over generations
Describe how artificial selection serves as evidence for the principle
underlying evolution by natural selection. Ans✓✓✓artificial selection is
when humans choose a trait (such as extra milk production in cows) and
breed only those individuals with the trait
this results in more offspring having the desired trait
when a trait results in an individual being able to reproduce more, the
trait then shows itself in more offspring
How does the experiment on selection for running speed in mice serve
as indirect evidence for evolution by natural selection (Fig. 2.3, this is
redundant with question 2 above)? What does the effect of Ritalin on the
running speed in mice suggest about the genetic/evolutionary
relationship between humans and mice? Ans✓✓✓when only the fast
,mice were bred the mouse babies got faster (trait selected was more
popular in offspring)
ritalin affected mice in the same way it affects humans, suggesting that
there are similar pathways in the human and mouse brain due to relation
Describe how vestigial structures provide evidence for evolution (i.e.,
common ancestry among taxa). Describe three apparent examples of
vestigial structures. Ans✓✓✓vestigial structures are structures that serve
no purpose but still exist
for example whales have vestigial femurs
they don't nerdfed femurs but the femur remains because whales evolved
from creatures that once had femurs
other vestigial structures include human olfactory receptors and
flightless birds
Define what "transitional forms" are and how they provide evidence for
Darwin's idea that organisms share common ancestry? Give two
examples of transitional forms. Ans✓✓✓transitional forms are species
that share characteristics of two major taxa
this shows how animals come from a common ancestor allowing one
taxa to develop from another (missing links)
one example is tiktaalik and another example is egg laying mammals
Explain the experiments with the bacteriophage Φ6, and explain how the
results provide evidence that natural selection can result in new species.
Ans✓✓✓bacteria that affects one genus
evolves to infect another species too
, then evolves to only infect that other species
these bitches different!
What are homologous traits? Describe morphological, developmental,
and molecular homology and give examples. Why are homologous traits
relevant to the theory of evolution by natural selection?
Ans✓✓✓homologous traits are same structures in different
morphologies in different taxa
morphological is physical traits (ie lizards and snakes are cold blooded)
developmental is patterns of development in related taxa show very
similar structural morphology
molecular is how the same nucleotides code for the same amino acids
homologous traits provide evidence for genetic relationships between
different species
Describe how processed pseudogenes provide evidence for the
evolutionary relationships (common ancestry) among tax.
Ans✓✓✓pseudogenes are not selected for or against
so they will get passed on and will be shared between species with
genetic relationships
How does radiometric dating work? What assumptions must one make
when using radiometric dating to estimate the age of an organism of
geological structure? Why is radiometric dating important with regard to
evolutionary theory? Ans✓✓✓radiometric dating relies on measuring
radioactivity
ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) |ALREADY GRADED
A+||BRAND NEW
What are the characteristics that make an idea scientific?
Ans✓✓✓sexual selection: selection on traits associated with mating
intrasexual selection: competition for access to mates (between members
of one sex)
intersexual selection: exercising choice of potential mates (members of
one sex towards the other)
What does it mean to say an idea refers to the supernatural? Why is it
important that a scientific idea make reference to "natural law"? How
does assessment of the meaning of empirical evidence differ from a
belief system? Ans✓✓✓the supernatural is something that cannot be
tested or proved false, such as ghosts or god
a scientific idea needs to make reference to natural law b/c natural law
has evidence to back it up or whatever and is legitimate
empirical evidence is measured; it is actually evidence
a belief system is choosing to have faith in something with no particular
reason to do so
If we define "proof" as something being irrevocably true, has always
been true, and will always be true, why is that inconsistent with our
definition of science? Ans✓✓✓science needs to be falsifiable so if it is
always irrevocably true it cannot be falsifiable
,If an idea is not falsifiable, why can it not be rejected as not true?
Ans✓✓✓the word falsifiable means being able to made false, aka not
true
if you can't say something is false you can't say it's not true
From the perspective of scientists, what is the difference between a
hypothesis and a theory? Ans✓✓✓a hypothesis is a tentative
explanation for a natural phenomenon made to be tested and a theory is a
well-tested well-substantiated unifying explanation for a large set of
verified observations or measurements
What is a general definition of evolution? Ans✓✓✓evolution is the
change in alleles of a population over generations
Describe how artificial selection serves as evidence for the principle
underlying evolution by natural selection. Ans✓✓✓artificial selection is
when humans choose a trait (such as extra milk production in cows) and
breed only those individuals with the trait
this results in more offspring having the desired trait
when a trait results in an individual being able to reproduce more, the
trait then shows itself in more offspring
How does the experiment on selection for running speed in mice serve
as indirect evidence for evolution by natural selection (Fig. 2.3, this is
redundant with question 2 above)? What does the effect of Ritalin on the
running speed in mice suggest about the genetic/evolutionary
relationship between humans and mice? Ans✓✓✓when only the fast
,mice were bred the mouse babies got faster (trait selected was more
popular in offspring)
ritalin affected mice in the same way it affects humans, suggesting that
there are similar pathways in the human and mouse brain due to relation
Describe how vestigial structures provide evidence for evolution (i.e.,
common ancestry among taxa). Describe three apparent examples of
vestigial structures. Ans✓✓✓vestigial structures are structures that serve
no purpose but still exist
for example whales have vestigial femurs
they don't nerdfed femurs but the femur remains because whales evolved
from creatures that once had femurs
other vestigial structures include human olfactory receptors and
flightless birds
Define what "transitional forms" are and how they provide evidence for
Darwin's idea that organisms share common ancestry? Give two
examples of transitional forms. Ans✓✓✓transitional forms are species
that share characteristics of two major taxa
this shows how animals come from a common ancestor allowing one
taxa to develop from another (missing links)
one example is tiktaalik and another example is egg laying mammals
Explain the experiments with the bacteriophage Φ6, and explain how the
results provide evidence that natural selection can result in new species.
Ans✓✓✓bacteria that affects one genus
evolves to infect another species too
, then evolves to only infect that other species
these bitches different!
What are homologous traits? Describe morphological, developmental,
and molecular homology and give examples. Why are homologous traits
relevant to the theory of evolution by natural selection?
Ans✓✓✓homologous traits are same structures in different
morphologies in different taxa
morphological is physical traits (ie lizards and snakes are cold blooded)
developmental is patterns of development in related taxa show very
similar structural morphology
molecular is how the same nucleotides code for the same amino acids
homologous traits provide evidence for genetic relationships between
different species
Describe how processed pseudogenes provide evidence for the
evolutionary relationships (common ancestry) among tax.
Ans✓✓✓pseudogenes are not selected for or against
so they will get passed on and will be shared between species with
genetic relationships
How does radiometric dating work? What assumptions must one make
when using radiometric dating to estimate the age of an organism of
geological structure? Why is radiometric dating important with regard to
evolutionary theory? Ans✓✓✓radiometric dating relies on measuring
radioactivity
