Mini test 2 - 1

Mini Test 2

01 Biology

Listen to a lecture in a biology class.

M: Today we’re starting out the week with a look into the discovery of evolution.

There’s a couple of different factors that come into play here, but I think it’s easier to think more about the important figures in the discovery of evolution.

So there’s two people in particular who I think were instrumental in figuring out how evolution works.

The first is Charles Darwin, who is known mainly for his work in developing evolutionary theory, which I’ll go into more detail about later in the lecture.

The second figure I’d like to talk about is Gregor Mendel, the father of modern genetics.

Before I go on, I think I should give you some context so you’ll understand what people thought about evolution before Darwin.

You may never have guessed it, but mining contributed to the discovery of many fossils as workers dug away at the Earth.

In Europe, the remains of gigantic saber-toothed tigers and elephants were discovered.

And at the beginning of the 19th century, popular naturalists had begun to explore the notion of evolution, but they didn’t really know how to explain how it happened.

That’s when Darwin comes in.

I’m sure there isn’t a single person in the room who hasn’t heard of Darwin.

Initially a student of medicine, he tired of his studies and went on to study theology.

He left that, too, and came across the opportunity to sail across the world in the 1830s.

Well, as it turns out, the captain hadn’t really gotten his maps correct, so there were a lot of deviations from their original itinerary.

In an interesting sort of way, as scholars, we owe a debt of gratitude to that captain.

Yeah, we should be grateful to him! Because you see, the side trips didn’t discourage Darwin.

Quite the opposite: They gave him the chance to travel for about five years, to everywhere from the South American coasts, to the Galapagos Islands to Australia, and across the Indian and Atlantic oceans.

See, all this traveling gave him the chance to encounter an endless array of animals, including several ancient species that only remained as fossils.

The observant Darwin noticed that animals changed as their environments changed.

In 1838, he created a theory about the evolutions he observed in some species.

In Darwin’s opinion, these species clearly changed, or evolved, over time.

He then wrote about the appearance of new species as a result of natural selection in his famous book On the Origin of Species Does everybody know what that is, by the way?

I don’t really want to spend a lot of time on it, but the theory of natural selection goes as follows:

let’s say an animal’s environment suddenly changes−like it gets colder and stays colder.

As a result, many species die off quickly, but some possess attributes like, denser fur, say, that allow them to survive, whereas others do not.

You see, these traits are passed on to the next generation.

This is survival of the fittest, and this is how species evolve.

Anyway, Darwin’s ideas were truly groundbreaking, but honestly, he didn’t really have any way of proving his theories.

People paid attention to his work, but seeing that he couldn’t support most of it, he was dismissed. I mean, uh, well, most scientists did not take his theory seriously.

And that’s where Mendel comes in… see, all the evidence Darwin needed was provided by Gregor Mendel, but unfortunately, the paths of these two amazing minds never crossed.

delaying the advancement of the theory of evolution for many years to come.

How did Mendel’s work support Darwin’s theory?

Well, think back to what Mandel did. he was a Czech mathematician and botanist who spent seven years breeding pea plants.

By controlling their pollination and recording the results, he noticed some patterns. Eventually, he was able to even predict the patterns of the hybridization of the plants.

And after observing many generations of these patterns, Mendel gained an understanding of the laws of heredity.

Through his mathematical calculations, he turned it into a science of genetics.

Like Darwin, the implications of Mendel’s work were not fully realized until the early 20th century. Still, when it was recognized, it meant that there was finally an explanation of how the traits from an evolved species were passed down over generations.

The knowledge of heredity and genetics from Mendel’s work was necessary to support Darwin’s theory of evolution, thus completing the picture for not only the discovery of evolution.

but also its widespread acceptance.

1) What is the professor’s attitude toward the way that evolution is studied?

2) Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question.

Before I go on, I think I should give you some context so you’ll understand what people thought about evolution before Darwin.

You may never have guessed it, but mining contributed to the discovery of many fossils as workers dug away at the Earth.

In Europe, the remains of gigantic saber-toothed tigers and elephants were discovered.

Why does the professors say this:

You may never have guessed it, but mining contributed to the discovery of many fossils as workers dug away at the Earth.

3) What is the professor’s opinion of the captain of the ship Darwin sailed on?

4) Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question.

Does everybody know what that is, by the way?

I don’t really want to spend a lot of time on it, but the theory of natural selection goes as follows:

let’s say an animal’s environment suddenly changes−like it gets colder and stays colder.

As a result, many species die off quickly, but some possess attributes like, denser fur, say, that allow them to survive, whereas others do not.

Why does the professor say this: I don’t really want to spend a lot of time on it

5) Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question.

Anyway, Darwin’s ideas were truly groundbreaking, but honestly, he didn’t really have any way of proving his theories.

People paid attention to his work, but seeing that he couldn’t support most of it, he was dismissed. I mean, uh, well, most scientists did not take his theory seriously.

And that’s where Mendel comes in… see, all the evidence Darwin needed was provided by Gregor Mendel, but unfortunately, the paths of these two amazing minds never crossed.

delaying the advancement of the theory of evolution for many years to come.

what does the professor imply when he says this:

see, all the evidence Darwin needed was provided by Gregor Mendel, but unfortunately, the paths of these two amazing minds never crossed.

6) Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question.

How did Mendel’s work support Darwin’s theory?

Well, think back to what Mandel did. he was a Czech mathematician and botanist who spent seven years breeding pea plants.

By controlling their pollination and recording the results, he noticed some patterns. Eventually, he was able to even predict the patterns of the hybridization of the plants.

What does the professor imply when he says this:

Well, think back to what Mandel did.