ANT-1430 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Mutation, Niles Eldredge, Gregor Mendel
Document Summary
Species change and have changed over time. Normally small scale changes, shorter time period. Calculated the age of the earth from the bible. October 23rd, 4004 b. c. at noon (according to the bible) Believed in the fixity of species - species do not change. Developed first formal classification system of all known living organisms. Included humans in his classification of animals. Nature as a dynamic system of processes. External environment as an agent of change in species. Similarity between organisms was related to the fact of common inheritance. Stressed importance of interactions between organisms and their environment. A trait acquired by an animal during its lifetime can be transmitted to its offspring, giving rise to new forms and new species. The earth"s geological features are the result of catastrophes. Earth"s physical features were the result of natural forces operating in a uniform manner through time. Geological change was slow and steady throughout time.
