POLS 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Umbilical Cord, Natural Selection, Teratology

• School: Emory University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLS 110
• Professor: Reinhardt Eric

Document Summary

Evolution is a scientific theory (cid:894)not a (cid:862)guess(cid:863) a(cid:374)d (cid:374)ot a h(cid:455)pothesis(cid:895): a (cid:272)ohere(cid:374)t set of principles that fits well with the accumulated evidence. Evolution helps explain how all living things on earth came to be. Every living thing passes on genes through reproduction to the next generation (descent). Offspri(cid:374)g"s ge(cid:374)es are (cid:374)ot ide(cid:374)ti(cid:272)al to its pare(cid:374)ts" genes (modification). We are not the exact same as our parents. The next generation will have something a little different than the previous generation. Teleolog(cid:455) = (cid:862)the use of desig(cid:374), purpose, or utilit(cid:455) as a(cid:374) e(cid:454)pla(cid:374)atio(cid:374) of a(cid:374)(cid:455) (cid:374)atural phe(cid:374)o(cid:373)e(cid:374)o(cid:374). (cid:863) has a(cid:374) e(cid:374)d set i(cid:374) (cid:373)i(cid:374)d. Evolution does not have an end product (goal) set in mind. The basic of evolution is genetic variation, caused by random mutations, which are only passed on to future generations (through reproduction) if they confer a benefit.