BIOL 105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Wisdom Tooth, Scientific Method, Great Chain Of Being
Document Summary
Lecture 2: introduction to evolutionary biology http://idea. ucr. edu/documents/105-2018- fall/02_introduction_to_evolutionary_biology/story. htm. Lecture outline : what is evolutionary biology, an example of evolution in action, early history of evolutionary biology, test your knowledge! Scientific studies begin with questions and then proceed to find the (provisional) answers. Evolutionary biologists ask many kind of questions: medicine. Why do we have an appendix, wisdom teeth: genetics. Is this change rapid: sociology, psychology, anthropology. Why does every human appear to be unique: proximate vs. Ultimate causation: (there are two approaches to address casual questions in biology!: proximate questions: Proximate causes are observable and include the molecular, physiological, and chemical mechanisms that shape characteristics of organisms in nature: ultimate questions: Ultimate causes are the historical, evolutionary forces that shape characteristics of organisms in nature, including both natural and sexual selection. In general, evolutionary biologists focus on ultimate questions: examples of ultimate questions: Why do birds migrate? (ultimate and proximate)
