Term | Definition |
inherited characteristic | a trait that parents pass to their offspring through their DNA |
acquired characteristic | a trait that parents get during their lifetime which cannot be passed to their offspring through their DNA |
species | a group of organisms that can successfully reproduce with each other |
evolution | slow change in the inherited characteristics of a species over many, many generations |
natural selection | Darwin’s explanation of how evolution happens based on four ideas: overproduction, genetic variation, struggle for survival, and survival and reproduction of the fittest |
genetic variation | differences in inherited traits among members of a species; new variations happen because of genetic mutations |
adaptation | a genetic variation that helps an organism to survive better than an organism without the variation |
gradualism | explanation of how fast evolution happens and how new species evolve; gradualism says new species evolve slowly by gradual change |
punctuated equilibrium | explanation of how fast evolution happens and how new species evolve; punctuated equilibrium says new species evolve “quickly” due to small genetic mutations and/or rapid environmental change, then stay the same for long periods of time |
evidence | how you know something has happened |
fossil | any remains of life from an earlier time (imprints, casts, mineralized bone or wood, actual organism trapped in ice or amber) – a type of evidence for evolution |
relative dating | a way of estimating the age of a fossil by comparing layers of sedimentary rock…deeper layers are older |
radioactive dating | a way of estimating the age of a fossil by measuring the decay of radioactive elements |
homologous structure | body parts with similar structure in different organisms (wing of a bat and flipper of a dolphin) – a type of evidence for evolution |
vestigial structure | body parts that are shrunken or reduced in function (appendix in a human) – a type of evidence for evolution |
embryology | study of developing embryos – a type of evidence for evolution |
DNA | coded instructions to build an organism – a type of evidence for evolution |
Rosalind Franklin | DNA x-ray expert whose work was taken and used without being given credit |
Maurice Wilkins | gave the "Photo 51" DNA x-ray to the model-building team |
James Watson & Francis Crick | model builders who used "Photo 51" DNA x-ray to help finish their DNA model |
Watson, Crick, & Wilkins | won the Nobel Prize for figuring out the shape of DNA |
Reginald Punnett | mathematician who came up with a way to calculate probabilities |
Gregor Mendel | Austrian monk who figured out rules of genetics while studying pea plants |