Evaluating Science in the Media: Evolution / Primate Phylogenetics Researchers Swinging from Tree to Tree/ Connecting the Concepts: Chordate Clades

On a scale of 0 to 6, where 6 is the most trustworthy, how would you rate this site? (Note that all responses will be marked as "correct" at this point.)

5-6 (very trustworthy)

Animal diversification appears to have accelerated rapidly from 535 to 525 million years ago, during the Cambrian Period. Because so many animal body plans and new phyla appear in the fossils from such a relatively short time span, biologists call this episode the "Cambrian explosion."

Evolution

What seems to be the main purpose of the blog post?

to discredit scientific research findings on primate evolution and phylogenetics

The extended period of human development lengthens the time parents care for their offspring, which contributes to the child's ability to benefit from the experiences of earlier generations. This is the basis of human culture--social transmission of accumulated knowledge, customs, beliefs, and art over generations.

Information flow

Many lakes and ponds are affected by large inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus from sewage and runoff from fertilized lawns and farms. These nutrients often produce heavy growth of algae, which reduces light penetration. When the algae die and decompose, a pond or lake can suffer serious oxygen depletion, killing fish that are adapted to high-oxygen conditions.

Interactions within biological systems

Lampreys

Vertebrates(vertebral column) Yes Jawed Vertebrates(jaws) No Tetrapods (legs) No Amniotes (amniotic egg) No

Ray-finned fishes

Vertebrates(vertebral column) Yes Jawed Vertebrates(jaws) Yes Tetrapods (legs) No Amniotes (amniotic egg) No

Animals obtain nutrients by eating. This mode of nutrition contrasts animals with plants and other organisms that construct organic molecules through photosynthesis. It also contrasts with fungi, which obtain nutrients by absorption after digesting the food outside their bodies.

Pathways that transform energy and matter

The equator receives the greatest intensity of solar radiation and thus has the highest temperatures, which in turn evaporates water from Earth's surface. As this warm, moist air rises, it cools, diminishing its ability to hold moisture. The water vapor condenses into clouds, and rain falls.

Pathways that transform energy and matter

A bilateral animal has a definite "head end" that first encounters food, danger, and other stimuli when traveling. In most bilateral animals, a nerve center in the form of a brain is at the head end, near a concentration of sense organs such as eyes. Thus, bilateral symmetry is an adaptation that aids movement, such as crawling, burrowing, or swimming.

Relationship of structure to function

Some fishes in the twilight zone have enlarged eyes, enabling them to see in the very dim light, as well as light-emitting organs that attract mates and prey.

Relationship of structure to function

amphibians

Vertebrates(vertebral column) Yes Jawed Vertebrates(jaws) Yes Tetrapods (legs) Yes Amniotes (amniotic egg) No

Mammals

Vertebrates(vertebral column) Yes Jawed Vertebrates(jaws) Yes Tetrapods (legs) Yes Amniotes (amniotic egg) Yes

Reptiles

Vertebrates(vertebral column) Yes Jawed Vertebrates(jaws) Yes Tetrapods (legs) Yes Amniotes (amniotic egg) Yes

Assign a numerical score for each category. Then add up the total score. (The highest possible score is 6; the lowest is 0.) In what range does this source fall?

0 to 1

What is the affiliation of the writer?

The writer was a staff member at the Discovery Institute.

Adaptation via natural selection results from the interactions of organisms with their environments, which brings us back to our definition of ecology. Thus, events that occur in the short term, during the course of an individual's lifetime, may translate into effects over a longer scale of time.

Evolution

Farmers and gardeners value earthworms because the animals aerate the soil and increase the amount of mineral nutrients available to plants.

Interactions within biological systems

Does Luskin discuss incomplete lineage sorting or offer any evidence to refute incomplete lineage sorting?

No, the author does not discuss incomplete lineage sorting.

What is the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture's agenda with regard to evolution?

They promote the idea of purposive and directed design--intelligent design--as the best explanation for the diversity of life on Earth.

What types of sources does Luskin link to that share his interpretation of the scientific findings on evolution?

other articles he's written for the same web site