1/ What is the difference between the different patterns ofselection: directional, stabilizing, anddiversifying?
2/ How do bacteria acquire genetic variation and how does thatdiffer from the mechanism by which humans acquire variation?
3/ What were the key observations made by Darwin to develop thebasic tenants of the theory of evolution? Has thistheory been tested?
4/ What are the most common misconceptionsabout evolution and why are they not valid arguments againstevolution?
5/ The key component of the theory of evolution isnatural selection. Define this process. Why is itcommonly known as âsurvival of the fittestâ? What are examples offactors (selective pressures) that drive evolutionof populations?
6/ What is the indirect evidence of evolution? What arehomologous and analogousstructures? What is convergent evolution?How does similarity of proteins between different species supportthe idea of evolution?
7/ Be able to explain why the following statement is true:Natural Selection works on individuals while evolution works onpopulations over generations. Or to put it another way: Individualsdo not evolve, populations do.
8/ How can evolution explain theformation of complex structures such as the eye or the flagellamotor?
9/ What causes variation in a species? To putthis another way: all humans have the same genes, yet we do notlook alike. What is the reason for the phenotypicdifferences between individuals of the same species? What isgenetic recombination?
10/ What are the dangers of small populations of a species froma genetic and evolutionary standpoint? What is thebottleneck effect?
11. How does speciation occur? What is theimportance of geographic isolation? How is thisillustrated in the Galapagos?
12. What is Darwinian Medicine and how does ithelp us better understand medical conditions?
