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I. Introduction
Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.
-- T. G. Dobzhansky
DISCLAIMER
A. Religion and the Farmer
1. Religious Dogma to be Believed
a. The Earth is only about 6000 years old.
i. Archbishop James Ussher (1581-1656)
a) The Earth was created by
God in 4004 B.C. (1650)
b. The Earth and organisms do not change.
2. Confusing Thoughts
a. Cattle and Grain
b. Layers of Soil
c. Fossils
3. Some Possible Explanations
a. Religious Explanations
b. Other Explanations -- Science
II. Geology and Paleontology
A. How did the Earth come to be the way it
is today?
1. Catastrophism
a. Georges Cuvier (1769-1832)
(Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert,
Baron de Cuvier)
2. Uniformitarianism
a. James Hutton (1726-1797)
b. Charles Lyell (1797-1875)
i. Principles of Geology
c. William Smith (1769-1839)
i. Stratigraphy
III. Early Theories of Evolution
A. Evolution
B. Jean Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829)
(Jean-Baptiste Antoine de Monet, Chevalier de Lamarck)
1. Inheritance of Acquired Characters
a. Examples
i. Giraffe
As a giraffe stretched its neck to reach food, its neck became
longer. This trait was passed on to its offspring, who were
born with longer necks. As they stretched, their necks
became even longer, and they passed this trait on to their
offspring. Over a period of time, giraffes acquired long necks.
b. Exceptions
i. Weightlifters
ii. Mice
IV. Population Studies
A. Thomas Malthus (1766-1834)
1. An Essay on the Principle of Population
a. Because many organisms do not survive
competition for the same resources and
because they cannot overcome other limiting
factors in the environment (that is, there is a
"struggle for existence"), overpopulation does
not usually occur.
V. Darwin and Wallace
A. Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
1. The "Beagle"
2. The Galápagos Islands
a. Darwin's Finches
b. Galápagos Tortoises
3. Evolution: How Does it Work?
a. How does evolution occur?
b. Hints: Lyell, Malthus, Breeders
i. Lyell
a) Time
ii. Malthus
a) A struggle for existence
iii. Breeders
a) Artificial Selection
i) Pigeons
ii) Dogs
c. Answer: Natural Selection
i. Struggle for Existence
ii. Variation / Adaptation
iii. Survival of the Fittest
a) Giraffes again
Both short necked giraffes and long necked giraffes are
present and they compete for the same food sources. Once
all the lower food is gone, the short necked giraffes die and
do not leave any offspring. The long necked giraffes survive
(natural selection), reproduce (fitness), and pass on their
traits to their offspring.
d. Publication
i. On the Origin of Species (1859)
ii. The Descent of Man (1871)
B. Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913)
1. Malay Archipelago
a. Islands (again)
Plus...
2. Sickness
a. Malthus (again)
Equals...
3. Evolution through Natural Selection
a. Natural Selection Idea (again)
VI. Aftermath of Publication
A. Misunderstanding
1. Most of the adverse reaction to the
Darwin-Wallace theory was due to
the misconception that humans evolved
linearly from apes (one branch).
2. What the theory actually said was that both
apes and humans evolved from a common
ancestor (several branches).
However...
B. Understanding, Perhaps, But...
1. Some reactions were for other reasons
(e.g., social).
2. Other reaction was on religious grounds.
VII. The Scopes Trial
A. Tennessee Anti-Evolution Law
B. The Scopes "Monkey" Trial (1925)
1. The Participants
a. John Thomas Scopes
b. William Jennings Bryan
c. Clarence Darrow
2. The Outcome
a. Scopes lost...
b. Was fined $100, but…
c. The verdict was overturned on a
technicality.
VIII. Scientific Creationism
A. What is Scientific Creationism?
IX. Summary
Every great scientific truth goes through three stages. First, people say it
conflicts with the Bible. Next they say it had been discovered before. Lastly,
they say they always believed it. -- J. Louis R. Agassiz
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