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Dangerous ideas: Evolution

Dangerous ideas: Evolution. Jeremy Pritchard School of Biosciences. # students. Support evolution Don’t support Evolution. Subject specific views of evolution: 2 nd year students University of Birmingham, Autumn 2007. The issues. Organising diversity - trees

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Dangerous ideas: Evolution

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  1. Dangerous ideas: Evolution Jeremy Pritchard School of Biosciences

  2. # students Support evolution Don’t support Evolution Subject specific views of evolution: 2nd year students University of Birmingham, Autumn 2007

  3. The issues • Organising diversity - trees • Evolution as ‘dangerous’ • Design and complexity from chance • Science and intelligent design

  4. The issues • Organising diversity: Taxonomy and trees • The Evolution of Evolution where do the ideas come from? • Complexity vs chance • Science and intelligent design

  5. Organising diversity: Taxonomy and trees

  6. There is a lot of diversity out there………………………… Where does it come from?

  7. Darwin’s theory of evolution • Many are born • Individuals vary • Not all survive • ‘Useful’ variations increase • Variations are inherited

  8. Diversity is the consequence of the non-random survival of randomlyvaryingreplicators • Random = Mutation • Non random = Natural selection • Replicators = Inheritance

  9. So….. What’s the reason some things are more similar than others? Descent with modification from a common ancestor What’s the mechanism? Natural selection

  10. The issues • Organising diversity - trees • Evolution as ‘dangerous’ • Design and complexity from chance • Science and intelligent design

  11. Change…………… • Fact ? • Mechanism ?

  12. The Great Chain of Being • Ideas of organisation and direction in evolution • Complex is better

  13. The middle ages • Change is dangerous…..

  14. AL-BIRUNI 973 - 1048 • Gradual changes • But change is dangerous…..

  15. Change……..? Stasis!!

  16. Classification - Linneaus • Species descriptions • But some things are more similar than others...

  17. Explaining complexity

  18. Intelligent design • Explaining complexity

  19. Irreducible Complexity = Intelligent design Michael J. Behe

  20. The emergence of change Stasis ?……...….Change

  21. Voyages of discovery

  22. Wedgwood • Small changes improve things • Experiments are needed

  23. Erasmus Darwin But change is dangerous…..

  24. Stasis ?.... Change!Mechanism?

  25. Lamark • Inheritance of acquired characteristics • Desire to improve

  26. Charles Darwin

  27. Malthus: An Essay on the Principle of Population Noted 1. Overproduction of young 2. Rising population outstrips resources 3. Lower classes are irresponsible. Solution Family size of the lower class regulated so that they do not produce more children than they can support

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