EXAM 1 SUSTAINABILITY

what were the first organisms on earth?

prokaryotes (bacteria)

what's the difference between era and eon?

there are multiple eras with in an eon

when did the first human ancestors appear?

4.2 million years ago

how long ago did the increased climate variability start?

6milliuon yrs ago

A law is _______ A. A mathematical description of a natural phenomenon B. A phenomenon, like gravity, that we can't model, but we know it exists C. Another term for a theory D. Just a more complicated and detailed version of a hypothesis

A. A mathematical description of a natural phenomenon

Which term describes the largest/longest intervals of geologic time as described by scientist? A. Eons B. Eras C. Periods

A. EONS

Match the event and the time in history. Note: if the options do not match exactly to your notes from the lesson, do your best to match times on the same order of magnitude (e.g. 50 million years ago ~ 65 million years ago). A. Global temperatures became more variable B. The last glacial maximum C. Global temperatures were higher D. Homo sapiens first emerged in Africa 1. 200,000 years ago 2. 50 million years ago 3. 25,000 years ago 4. 3 million years ago

A. Global temperatures became more variable 4. 3 million years ago B. The last glacial maximum 3. 25,000 years ago C. Global temperatures were higher 2. 50 million years ago D. Homo sapiens first emerged in Africa 1. 200,000 years ago

Why did Homo survive whereas Paranthropus went extinct? A. Homo became more versatile in response to short-lived large swings between drier and wetter climate. B. Paranthropus was not adapted to handle a long-term trend towards grassland-dominated savanna.

A. Homo became more versatile in response to short-lived large swings between drier and wetter climate.

Which statement is true? A. The proposed hypothesis of variability selection states that the key events in human evolution were shaped by environmental instability and the flexibility of our ancestors in what they ate and where they lived. B. Savannas are desert-like ecosystems composed of shrubs and xerophytes common in East Africa. C. The savanna hypothesis states that Hominin speciation was driven by abrupt and fast climate fluctuations of wet-dry cycles. D. Human ancestors with more diverse diets were more likely to go extinct during times when environmental conditions change.

A. The proposed hypothesis of variability selection states that the key events in human evolution were shaped by environmental instability and the flexibility of our ancestors in what they ate and where they lived.

Extinctions as well as appearances of species in the fossil record mark many of the geologic time scale boundaries A. True B. False

A. True

One way to look at the geologic time scale is that it tells the story about the history of the Earth A. True B. False

A. True

We use the geologic time scale to describe and divide the history of the Earth into different sections. A. True B. False

A. True

The meanings and uses of the words hypothesis and theory for scientists are very different compared how the general public uses and understands the words A. True - The general public's use of these words is many times very different from what they mean in science. B. False - The general public understands the scientific meanings and uses of these words and uses them the same way C. False - Scientists use these words the same way the general public uses them so as to not confuse the general public.

A. True - The general public's use of these words is many times very different from what they mean in science.

100,000 years in the geologic history of Earth would be considered A. Immensely long B. A drop in the bucket C. Half of Earth's history D. An extremely significant amount of time

B. A drop in the bucket

Once a theory has been formed, it rarely is updated or changed A. True - it takes so much work once a theory is made that no one wants to update or change it with new information B. False - theories are constantly updated as new information become available, old hypotheses are thrown out, new hypotheses are tested and stand up to scrutiny. C. False - theories are changed on a regular, set schedule whether or not there is new information D. True - theories can only be changed every few years, so many scientist do not have the time to update the theory

B. False - theories are constantly updated as new information become available, old hypotheses are thrown out, new hypotheses are tested and stand up to scrutiny.

Theories are easily accepted by scientists A. True - theories are hunches that require little confirmation B. False - theories require a lot of support from many different lines of evidence to be accepted by scientists C. True - they are supported by little supporting evidence D. False - theories are not very important to scientists. Only scientific laws matter

B. False - theories require a lot of support from many different lines of evidence to be accepted by scientists

What evidence allowed scientists to refute (disprove!) the hypothesis that bipedalism and increased brain size were driven by a single, gradual long-term trend towards increased aridity and the expansion of the savanna? Select all that apply. A. Adaptations of Bovids (African antelopes) in the fossil record. B. Paleo diet research of fossil tooth isotopic data. C. Plant wax biomarkers in sediments. D. Layers from deep-sea sediment cores. E. Carbon 13/12 isotopic ratios of C4 grasses versus C3 woody plants in

B. Paleo diet research of fossil tooth isotopic data. D. Layers from deep-sea sediment cores. E. Carbon 13/12 isotopic ratios of C4 grasses versus C3 woody plants in

The Earth is approximately ________ years old. A. 6,000 B. 46,000,000 C. 4,600,000,000 D. There is no way to know

C. 4,600,000,000

A hypothesis is a random guess or attempt at explaining a phenomenon A. True - a hypothesis is a random guess made by a single person or scientist B. True - a hypothesis is a random guess made by a group of collaborating scientists C. False - a hypothesis is usually based on prior experience, observations, evidence, etc. D. False - a hypothesis is a fact that will never change

C. False - a hypothesis is usually based on prior experience, observations, evidence, etc.

Geologically speaking with reference to the entire history of the earth, the dinosaurs went extinct when? A. Shortly after the formation of Earth B. In the first billion years of Earth's history C. In the most recent 2% of the history of Earth D. Before the first fish formed

C. In the most recent 2% of the history of Earth

Relative to the percent of time dominating the surface of Earth, which organisms have the longest reign? A. Dinosaurs B. Plants C. Prokaryotes - microscopic, single (or uni)-celled organisms that do not contain a nucleus D. Eukaryotes - microscopic, single or multi-celled organisms that contain a nucleus. E. Humans

C. Prokaryotes - microscopic, single (or uni)-celled organisms that do not contain a nucleus

what era are we in today?

Cenozoic

Let's imagine the entire history of Earth as if it were mapped to a single calendar year. What day in that year would the first dinosaurs arrive? A. January 30 B. February 14 C. March 15 D. December 10 E. December 30

D. December 10

Theories and hypotheses essentially are the same thing A. True - They are usually the same thing B. True - Although a hypothesis can be much more complicated than a theory C. False - Hypotheses are more complicated D. False - Theories are made from integrating and combining different hypotheses and can be used to predict E. Both are fake news

D. False - Theories are made from integrating and combining different

Understanding geologic time is significant because it helps us A. Understand humans' impact on our environment B. Understand how organisms evolve over time C. Understand the possibility for life on other planets D. Understand the processes of natural selection and evolution E. All of the above

E. All of the above

Which organism first dominated Earth? A. Dinosaurs B. Insects C. Plants D. Fish E. Bacteria

E. Bacteria

Let's imagine the entire history of Earth as if it were mapped to a single calendar year. On what day would the dinosaurs go extinct? A. February 15 B. March 20 C. May 10 D. September 30 E. December 24

E. December 24

Let's imagine the entire history of Earth as if it were mapped to a single calendar year. On what day would "Modern Man" arrive? A. January 25 B. May 30 C. June 20 D. November 25 E. December 31

E. December 31

Which of the following definitions or domains of sustainability were discussed and explored in the sustainability reading on "Methods of Defining 'Sustainability' "? A. Biological B. Economic C. Sociological D. Planning E. Ethical F. All of the above

F. All of the above

Which of the following statements are true? A. A hypothesis is a random guess or attempt at explaining a phenomenon. B. Theories and hypotheses are essentially the same thing. C. Theories are easily accepted by scientists. D. A theory is a random guess or attempt at explaining a phenomenon. E. Over-arching theories can be easily refuted and discarded. F. None of the above statements are true.

F. None of the above statements are true.

The theory of natural selection, which aims to explain the evolution of life, is 'just' a theory. True/False

FALSE

why is the saying its just a theory misleading?

In science, a theory has been well supported by multiple pieces of evidence or hypothesis theories are based on more then 1 experiment

According to the article, one impediment for society to achieve sustainability includes the current population size and its growing rate of consumption. True/False

TRUE

English scientist William Smith is credited with showing how fossils could be used to compare rocks from different formations around the world.TRUE/FALSE

TRUE

From a biologist's perspective, preserving biodiversity (the genetic diversity contained in plant and animal species) is a big part of sustainability. True/False

TRUE

From a planner's perspective, sustainability involves integrating urban development and design with nature preservation. True/False

TRUE

From a sociologist's perspective, sustainability involves who decides whether or not individuals, families, neighborhoods, etc. have equitable access to resources. True/False

TRUE

From an economist's perspective, sustainability is a function of the environmental costs of industrial activity. True/False

TRUE

From an ethicist point of view, sustainability is whether or not nature has rights and if humans perceive they are part of (instead of apart from) nature. True/False

TRUE

Humans are more closely related to Gorillini (gorillas) than to Pan (chimpanzees and bonobos). True/False

TRUE

Hypotheses are proposed explanations for a fairly narrow set of phenomena, whereas theories are broad explanations for a wide range of phenomena. True/False

TRUE

Italian scientist Giovanni Arduino is credited with starting to name rock layers by depth and composition building off the work of Danish Scientist Nicholas Steno. English scientist William Smith is credited with showing how fossils could be used to compare rocks from different formations around the world.TRUE/FALSE

TRUE

Lake Turkana is located in a region with most of the fossil record of early human origins and contains sediments that can be used to study past climate fluctuations. TRUE/FALSE

TRUE

Scientists use the rock and fossil record to help determine the geologic time scale. True/False

TRUE

The geologic time scale was created by one scientist, Nicholas Steno TRUE/FALSE

TRUE

what often signifies new periods of geological time?

appearance of new organisms and extinctions

what is a law and how is it different than a theory?

in a science a law is a mathematical description of a natural phenomenon based on repeated observations. laws however don't tell us why something happens, that's what a theory does.

what do scientist use to determine geological time scales?

rock records including physical structure, chemical structures, and fossils

Why is there uncertainty in science?

you can never test the infinite possibilities of the natural world. and science is always changing.