Evolution

The definition of evolution is the change over time in one or more inherited traits found in populations of organisms. Some different theory’s of evolution are from Charles Darwin and Lamarck. Charles Darwin’s theory is natural selection. Natural selection is when a species has to change in order to survive. Whether its change in environment, or struggle for existence, or survival of the fittest, the species has to be able to adapt to its environment to survive. Lamarck’s theory is the inheritance of acquired characteristics. It states a changing environment creates a need for certain features to be developed in order to survive. They acquire characteristics needed for survival then somehow pass those characteristics on to their offspring. Over many generations a new species has been developed.

There are two different levels of evolution microevolution and macroevolution. Microevolution is on the small scale in one population. A population is a group of organisms that interbreed with each other and share a gene pool. Macroevolution is evolution on a scale of separated gene pools.

Microevolution, the evolution on the small scale in one population, has four mechanism of microevolution are mutation, migration, genetic drift, and natural selection. Mutation is when some genes randomly mutate to different genes. Migration is when one species from one population immigrate to another population and mate spreading their genes. Genetic drift is when a species reproduces and just by luck more of one gene ends up the offspring the other gene. And last is natural selection. Natural selection is when a species changes color to match its surrounding so it doesn’t get eaten by predators.

An example of natural selection evolution is the mice. There were some black mice and white mice in a black environment. Predators ate the white mice because they could see them easier. The black mice had offspring that were black so they were able to survive and grow up to be big and healthy.

An example of Lamarck’s theory is the long legs of wading birds such as herons and egrets, birds that are common around rivers and marshes. This caused by a change in environment. The food in the shallow water was depleting so the wading birds had to stretch its legs to get food in deeper waters. When the next generation was born they had a little longer legs.

Macroevolution, evolution on a scale of separate gene pools, is a much longer process then microevolution. Macroevolution is when the whole family changes over a long period of time and completely changes the creature and makes a whole new creature.

An example of this is humans. we have been evolving as a family for many many years. Charles Darwins says we have evolved from apes. This would have taken many many years to happen but their is actually alot of proof that it has happened.

Evolution is really cool. I would like to learn more about it. To do that I plan on actually doing all the blogs you sent out instead of skimming through them to get enough information for me to write my paper. I did that because I have senioritis bad and I can’t focus at all anymore.

Microevolution

Microevolution

PART 1: EVOLUTION 101

--Go to http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IVMicroevolution.shtml and proceed to the definition of microevolution page.

1. How do the authors of this page define microevolution?
Microevolution is evolution on the small scale. In one population.
2. How do they define a population?
Population is a group of organisms that interbreed with each other and share a gene pool.

--Read the section “Mechanisms of Microevolution”

3. Summarize each of the 4 mechanisms of microevolutionary change that are discussed.
Mutation Some genes have been randomly mutated but this is rare.
Migration some members of a population with a certain gene migrated to population with another gene and bred
Genetic drift when a population reproduces by random luck more of one genes end up in the offspring then in the parents
Natural selection preditors eat one color of beetle because they stand out while the other blinds in.

--Under “Explore further” at the bottom of the page, click on “examples of microevolution” and read the examples provided.

4. Summarize the 3 examples of microevolution on this page.
Size of sparrows sparrows in the north are bigger then sparrows in the south because larger bodied birds survive lower temperatures better.
Global warming some species use the summer to for growth and reproduction. With warmer summers they have more time for growth and reproduction
Resistance pesticides herbicines and antibolic resistance are examples of natural selection.

--Go to the link “Artificial selection in the lab” and read about experiments with the evolution of guppies.

5. Summarize the results of the two different experiments (with and without predators).
With the predators the guppys changed to blind in with their eviroment. Without the predators the guppys changed to stand out to attract the females.
6. What types of selection were demonstrated in each experiment? Are these experiments truly cases of artificial selection? Explain your answer.
With the predator it was natural selection because the guppy changed to bend in so it doesn’t get eaten. Without the predators it was genetic drift.

--Click on the quick quiz link to go to the quiz.

7. Pick your three favorite questions from the quiz and write how you would answer them if you were teaching this class.
How can microevolution happen? It can happen from mutations change in DNA migration or genetic drift.
Is microevolution the evolution of small things? No it is evolution on a small scale.
My dad says we shouldn’t use too much pesticide. Why not? The survivers may develop a resistance.

PART 2: SEX AND THE SINGLE GUPPY

Go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/sex/guppy/index.html

Use the simulation to test different hypotheses about why some guppies are very brightly colored even though that makes them easy for predators to find.

1. Why do some guppies tend to be drabber than others?
Some guppys are drabber then others to avoid predators.
2. Why do some guppies tend to be more colorful?
Some guppys are more colorful because the female chooses the most attractive mate and the male guppy has a chance to pass his genes on to the next generation.
3. What role does color play in guppy survival?
Color makes it easyer for predators to find them but the female also picks the best looking mate so the species keeps going.
4. Explain the push and pull that the environment (including predators) has on the coloration of guppies in Endler’s pools.
Color makes it easyer for predators to find them but the female also picks the best looking mate so the species keeps going

Animal Indexing

These last few weeks I had to walk around my neighborhood counting the animals I saw. I had to do this 4 times each 30 mins long. I counted 14 dogs and 1 cat in my neighborhood. They were all owned. This is after the company spayed and neutered all the dogs and cats. They were having us count the number of stray dogs we saw on our walk so they know if their experiment of spaying and neutering the animals would bring down the number of stray dogs. So far it seems like it is working.

DNA Detective Work

DNA DETECTIVE WORK

Unless you have a twin, no one in the world has a DNA sequence identical to yours. Although 99 percent of the DNA is the same in all humans, certain segments vary widely. Differences in these segments are detected through DNA fingerprinting. A small amount of tissue, such as blood, hair, or semen, is all that is needed to create a DNA fingerprint. The sample is cut up using enzymes and the segments are separated by size through gel electrophoresis. DNA is made visible either with radioactive probes or by staining. This reveals a pattern of bars: the DNA fingerprint. If the two DNA fingerprints match, they probably came from the same person. If they don't match, they certainly came from different individuals. In recent years, a number of people convicted of crimes have been exonerated based on DNA evidence.

Activity

In this exercise, you will learn the basics of DNA fingerprinting and consider the use of DNA in criminal investigations.

Part 1.

Use your browser to go to NOVA’s web site about “Killers Trail,”  the story behind the man who inspired the Fugitive TV series and later the movie version starring Harrison Ford:

Click on the “Chronology of a Murder” section and read about the events that led up to the murder trial of Dr. Sam Sheppard.

1.In your opinion, what role (if any) did newspaper stories and editorials have in the outcome of the original trial of Dr. Sam Sheppard?

The newspaper stories and editorials blamed Dr. sam Sheppard even though he was innocent.

Go back to the Killers Trail homepage and select ”Create a DNA Fingerprint.”

Read about the crime and the suspects then go on to part 2. Answer the following questions about the technique as you go through the simulation:

2.What is the function of the restriction enzymes in DNA fingerprinting?

The restrictive enzymes act like scissors to cut the DNA

3.What is the function of  the agarose gel electrophoresis step?

The agarose gel acts like a molecule strainer.

4.Why is a nylon membrane used to blot the DNA?

Because the agarose gel is difficult to work with.

5.What does a dark spot on the X-ray film indicate?

The dark spot on the xray film represented the DNA sequence.

Part 2.

Use your browser to go to Frontline's "What Jennifer Saw" at

The material on this site is about a man convicted of rape but later exonerated by DNA evidence. To read a summary of the case, choose the link to Ronald Cotton's wrongful conviction, then choose "Summary of Cotton's Case."

In the interviews section, read the interviews with DNA expert Peter Neufeld and lawyer Barry Scheck.

Answer the following questions:

6.What evidence was initially used to convict Cotton?

The evidence used to convict cotton was a photo id was made by one of the victims. A police lineup id was made by one of the victims. A flashlight in cottons house resembled the one used by the assailant. And last rubber from cottons shoes were consistent with rubber found at one of the crime scenes.

7.What did the DNA evidence show?

The DNA evidence showed it was not cotton that committed the crime but the guy in prison that had already admitted to cottons crimes

8.How could DNA fingerprinting be used to prevent a false conviction if a case like this was being tried today?

DNA fingerprinting could save a guy from being committed for a crime they didn't do by testing the DNA evidence and the DNA of the assailent.

9.What percentage of convicts are unjustly convicted of sexual assault cases, according to Neufeld and Scheck?

25% of convicts are unjustly convicted of sexual assault cases.

10.The O.J. Simpson trial was one of the most visible trials that attempted to use DNA evidence.  In the end, the DNA evidence was not satisfying to the jury, who acquitted Simpson.  What do Neufeld and Scheck believe about the impact of the O.J. Simpson trial on the use of DNA evidence?

The oj simpson trial made people in prison who are innocent try to use dna to get out of their crimes.

DNA Sequencing Graph

 

As you can see in the graph Abby and Bob are both 97% from normal and Carol is 58%. Abby has point mutation wrong with his DNA. this means that one point is wrong with his.Bob has truncation mutation. This means one point is wrong with his but that point caused the DNA to add a stop. so everything after the stop doesn't matter. so really Bob is 79%. the last is carol she is at 58% because she has a frame shift mutation. one letter was missing so all the rest of the letters shifted over and made her entire DNA wrong. All three people have a chance of having a disease but we don't know them so we can't tell. We are pretty sure carol has a disease though.

DNA extraction lab

A few days ago we did a DNA extraction lab. It was really cool first we mixed wheat germ water and soap together. None of us knew what we were doing. then when we added the alcohol the DNA started to rise into the alcohol. It looked like a booger. My group didn't think about getting a picture of it for our blogs, so we didn't, too bad.

Eugenics

Eugenics

Eugenics is a very interesting subject. In this post I will go through what eugenics are, what is the social and scientific origins of eugenics,  How they researched it, and finally how it impacted America.

Eugenics is the study of or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or a human population, especially by such means as discouraging reproduction by persons having genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable undesirable traits (negative eugenics) and  encouraging reproduction by persons presumed to have inheritable desirable traits. This was started in the united states of America. Only instead of just trying to discourage people with genetic defects from having kids. They sterilized them so they couldn't have kids. They also wanted to improve humanity by encouraging the blessed and healthiest people to have more children.

 The social origins of eugenics was it explained the causes of pauperism, feeble-mindedness, alcoholism, rebelliousness, nomadism, criminality, and prostitution as the inheritance of defective germ plasm. Eugenicists said society paid a high price by allowing the birth of defective individuals who would have to be cared for by the state and Sterilization of one defective adult could save future generations thousands of dollars. Eugenics was seen as a way to solve all of these  problems because it placed the cause in the defective germ plasm of individuals and ethnic groups, and not society itself. Eugenics used the cover of science. 

Francis Galton made up the word eugenics. Positive eugenics is encouraging the blessed and healthiest people to have more children. negative eugenics is when stopping the less fit people from having kids. Germany and the united states did the negative approach. Indiana law enacted in 1907 compulsory sterilization of "degenerates",  the First Eugenic Sterilization Law in the United States. people caught masturbating were known as degenerates and then sterilized them to stop the degeneracy gene.

Eugenics research started with Mendel’s laws of inheritance of human traits. Also known as independent assortment which states that alleles of different genes assort independently of one another during gamete formation. By examining pedigrees eugenicist attempted to make a pattern of one of these three basic modes of inheritance either recessive, dominant, or sex-linked. They had to find big families and score each member of the family of the absence or presence of  a trait. This would work but where they messed up on back then was they attempted to measure complex traits like intelligence or musical ability or complex mental illnesses like schizophrenia or manic depression.

Eugenics did many things for America. The first and biggest thing it did was bring the crime rate down. They made us more educated. Also they tried to save the future generations money. The last thing they did for a America was made us a pure race. 

This was an interesting subject. I'm kind of interested to learn more about it and wonder if we or other countries still do this only smarter.