What Darwin Never Knew Video
What is the name of Darwin's book?
"On the Origin of Species"
How many letters is the gene for the development of the brain cortex different between chimps and humans?
18 letters.
How many years ago was Charles Darwin born?
200
How many genes are in the human genome?
23,000
How identical is the DNA of humans and chimps?
99% identical.
Define transitional fossil.
A transitional fossil is a fossil that is part fish with the beginning of legs.
Back in Britain, what did Darwin learn about the birds he collected? How many different species were there?
Back in Britain, Darwin learned that all of the birds he had collected were variations of a single type. There were 13 different species.
Why does nature select which individuals survive and which don't?
Because species have variation.
What did Charles Darwin want to understand?
Charles Darwin wanted to understand how you get the huge amount of diversity of life on Earth.
What do humans and chimps share?
Common ancestors.
Name the molecule shown in the beginning of the program.
DNA
How did Darwin explain how one species of finch had turned into many? What lead to the different shaped beaks?
Darwin determined that the beak of the finches altered to fit their diet.
What did Darwin discover while studying developing embryos (snakes, whales, human)?
Darwin discovered that developing embryos contain certain traits/limbs that disappear before the organism is born.
What was Darwin's job on the ship, the Beagle?
Darwin's job on the Beagle was to share conversation with the captain as his dinner companion.
Explain what it means to say survival of the fittest.
Every animal must fight for survival. Those best adapted to their surroundings (A.K.A. "fit") will survive.
Darwin thought humans were descended from what animal?
Fish.
What is a gene? What do genes turn into?
Genes are special sequences of DNA code lined along each DNA molecule. Genes turn into proteins.
In Pollards research, she found that most of the DNA differences between human and chimp DNA were in which type of genes?
Genes involved int he brain.
What do HOX genes do?
HOX genes give orders to developing embryos t activate genes/switches. They determine the physical form of the organism such as where the front, back, top and bottom of the animal is supposed to be and where the head/legs go.
If Darwin were alive today, how do you think he would react to current scientific evidence and support of his theory of evolution?
If Darwin were alive today he may be stunned, delighted, moved, blown away, and satisfied with current scientific evidence and support of his theory of evolution.
Stedman believe that a mutation in the human jaw muscle allowed for what unique feature of the human brain?
It allowed human skulls to keep expanding into adulthood which would create a bigger space for the brain to grow.
Name one way that DNA can change.
Mutation.
Are mutations always bad? Explain.
Mutations can be good depending on the conditions that an organism finds itself in.
List four organisms Darwin observed on the Galapagos Islands.
Penguins that live by the equator and swim in warm water, giant tortoises, iguanas, and finches.
When comparing the gene that controls brain development between humans and chimps, what did researchers discover?
Researchers discovered that the human gene is radically different than chimps due to large series of mutations.
What did the researchers find that explained the different color mice fur?
Researchers found that their were four places in one gene where the sequence of A's T's G's and C's were different due to natural selection.
Describe the two kinds of mice in the desert.
Some Rock Pocket Mice have light hair while others have dark hair to blend into their surroundings.
Research on the fruit fly showed there are "switches in DNA. What switches?
Switches are a piece of DNA that turn genes that transform into proteins on and off.
What is called the best idea anyone ever had?
The best idea that anyone ever had is Charles Darwin's theory that explains how species adapt and change.
Why is the human hand so unique?
The human hand is so unique because due to its thumb, it is nimble and powerful.
What helped Darwin come up with the idea for natural selection?
The idea of artificial selection helped Darwin come up witht eh idea for natural selection.
What could the islanders tell about the tortoises on the Galapagos?
The islanders could tell which island the tortoises came from by looking at their shell.
How did the lake stickleback fish loose its spikes?
The lake stickleback fish lost its spikes because of a mutation that broke a switch.
Why is the tiktaalik fossil so important?
The tikaalik fossil was in the perfect transitional form. It had the body of a fish with a fin like arm. It contained the same bone structure seen in every four limbed animal.
Finch beaks are all made by the same gene, so why are there different shaped beaks?
There are different shaped beaks due to genes turning on and off in the embryos at different times and intensities.
What can we study today that Darwin couldn't?
We can study the DNA of organisms.