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67 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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List the different sciences and the aspects of our universe they study
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Math
Geometry- gives form to math Biology- study of life Physics- study of the natural world- everything from the Big Bang to gravity Chemistry- study of matter and the changes it undergoes Geology- study of nonliving component of Earth |
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What is the age of the universe and how was it determined?
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13.7 billion years ago, determined with WMAP data- captured a snapshot of the primordial universe.
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When did the first stars develop
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200 million years after the big bang
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What is the universe comprised of?
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4% real matter
23% dark matter 73% dark energy |
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What are dark matter and dark energy?
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Components of the universe that have yet to be understood.
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When did the big bang take place?
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14 billion years ago
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Compare the big bang story to the biblical creation story, Tantra and Hopi
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There was no light, a singularity exploded and the universe exponentially expanded after which there was a period of darkness after which the stars and planets began forming.
In the beginning there was darkness covering the ocean, God said let there be light- divided light form darkness making the first day (expansion) on the fourth day God created the sun and moon Shiva and Shakti in union represent ultimate reality and to create our universe, they moved away from each other (expansion) releasing consciousness and energy (light) Hopi- there were Tawa (Sun God) and Spider Woman (Earth Goddess)- singularity, they divided themselves into two gods which divided into two (division of light and antimatter/matter) |
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What is the hypothesis of the Big Rip?
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It is about the ultimate fate of the universe- the matter of the universe from stars and galaxies to atoms and subatomic particles are torn apart by the expansion of the universe in the future due to dark energy making the universe expand at an ever increasing rate
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Explain the concept of multiverses
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Dark flow- movement of galaxy clusters is thought to be caused by these clusters being tugged on by the gravity of matter outside the known universe. Chunks of matter got pushed outside the known universe shortly after the big bang- hints that our universe is a part of something larger.
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Explain the idea that our universe is inside a wormhole.
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There are things about the universe that dont make sense like gravity, the strong and weak nuclear forces and electromagnetism and dark energy. The big bang cannot explain these so there is a theory that something existed before the big bang that gave rise to our universe. It is possible that a giant star collapsed and its implosion crammed so much mass and energy together that it created a wormhole to another universe where the big bang took place.
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Define dark energy.
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Mysterious phenomenon that is expanding our universe at an accelerating rate even though gravity should be contracting it or slowing down the expansion.
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When did the earth form?
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4.5 billion years ago
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What is the Big Whack or Big Splat theory?
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A meteorite hit the earth and a big chunk flew off forming the moon.
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When did life begin on earth?
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3.5 billion years ago
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What is abiogenesis?
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The study of how biological life arises from inorganic matter through natural processes and the method through which life on Earth arose.
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What are emergent properties?
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Appear when a number of simple entities operate in an environment forming more complex behaviors a as collective. Example- combination of individual atoms to form molecules like polypeptide chains
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Summarize the Miller and Urey experiment
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Stimulated hypothetical conditions thought at the time to be present on early earth an tested for occurrence of chemical origins of life.
Used water, methane, ammonia and hydrogen- sealed in sterile array of glass tubes and flasks connected in a loop with a flask half full of water and other with a pair of electrodes. The water was heated and sparks were fired to simulate lightning and the atmosphere was cooled so that the evaporated water would trickle back into the first flask. After a week, 10-15% of the carbon was in the form of organic compounds, 2% formed amino acids (glycine most abundant) and sugars and liquids were formed. |
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What is the "biopolymer first" scenario?
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A possible path of formation of protocellular structures from the "primordial soup".
Self replicating informational strings like RNA and proteins originated independently of lipid encapsulation and just entered the vesicles. |
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What is the "Lipid World" scenario?
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A possible path of formation of protocellular structures from the "primordial soup"
The roots of life could have just been aggregates of spontaneously assembling lipid-like molecules capable of self organization and compositional inheritance. Informational and catalytic biopolymers evolved gradually. |
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What is the Hansma mica hypothesis?
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Narrow confined spaces between the thin layers of mica could have provided the righ tconditions for the rise of the first biomolecules creating cells without membranes. Concentration of potassium inside mica is similar to concentration of potassium in our cells and seawater that bathed mica is sodium rich, like our blood.
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What is autocatalysis
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Potential explanation for abiogenesis.
Life may have arisen through the development of a molecular autocatalytic set that evolved over time- life arose not from a moleucle with any particular trait but from a set of entities that as a whole can catalyze its own production. |
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What is the clay theory?
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Potential explanation for abiogenesis.
Postulates that complex organic molecules arose on a pre-existing, non-organic replication platform- silicate crystals in solution.These crystals store and transfer information from one generation to the next. Discredited |
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What is Gold's "deep-hot biosphere" model?
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Life first developed several kilometers below the earth's surface- nanobes (filamental structures smaller than bacteria) were found in deep rocks.
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Explain the abiogenesis theory of polyphosphates
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Polyphosphates cause polymerization of amino acids into peptides and are important in synthesis of ATP. This could have been the driving force of polymerization.
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Explain the PAH world hypothesis
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PAH's are the most complex molecules found in space- could be the precursor to the RNA world.
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Explain Multiple Genesis
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Different forms of life may have appeared in the early history of Earth. The other forms may be extinct leaving fossils through their different biochemistry or they could be analagous to organisms of current life tree.
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Explain the two models that demonstrate life's ancestry.
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Tree of life- six kingdoms
Ring of life- derived from analysis of 30 genes, modified version of classic tree showing the key kingdoms |
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Explain the creationist interpretation of the catastrophism theory
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The earth's history is an accumulation of catastrophic events over a short time period. Example- flood that destroyed civilization and killed all earlier species that we see in fossils
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What is the steady state theory?
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Alternative to the Big Bang theory, new matter is continuously created as the universe expands.
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List some evolution models
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LeClerk- conceived by nature and produced by time
Lamark- inheritance of acquired characteristics Darwin/Wallace- descent with modification by natural selection |
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Explain natural selection
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The fittest organisms leave the most offspring.
Caused by variability in structures and behaviors and competition for survival and reproduction created by constant resources and population size and potential for rapid reproduction |
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Explain evolution
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Genetic make up of the population changes over time due to natural selection and inherited variability
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Role of gene duplication in evolution
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Huge role. If changes in duplicated genes aren't beneficial then they are neutral.
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What are the sources of evolutionary change?
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Mutation, small population size, natural selection.
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How do new species form?
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Speciation depends on isolation of populations and genetic divergence of populations
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Explain the concept of a population bottleneck.
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Evolutionary event in which a significant percentage of a population or species is killed or prevented from reproducing or if as mall group becomes reproductively separated from the main population (founder effect). Both of these reduce genetic variation and the population's ability to adapt to new selective pressures. This also increases genetic drift- increasing genetic homogeneity.
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What is a species?
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Groups of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups- this only applies to sexually reproducing organisms. There are always examples of species that can interbreed and produce viable offspring.
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What is the biological species concept?
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Defines a species as members of populations that actually or potentially interbreed in nature not according to similarity of appearance.
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What is adaptive radiation?
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Speciation caused by a relaxation of normal selective pressure allowing members of a species to occupy different niches
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Proof of Evolution?
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Fossils
Comparative anatomy Embryology Biochemistry Genetics |
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What are the five chordate characteristics?
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Notochord
Post anal tail (fleshy- muscle and skeletal) Dorsal nerve tube Pharyngeal slits/pouches Thyroid gland or endostyle |
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What are Tunicates classified as and why?
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Chordates, display all five chordate characteristics in larval stage.
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What organism explains the transition of organisms from the water to land?
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Tiktaalikmay have left water to lay eggs- led to their evolution on land. Time of transition- late Devonian in the tropics- went to Canada (plate tectonics)
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Lungs are a ________ characteristic
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Fish
Tiktaalik, panderichthys and eusthenopteron all had lungs |
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What organism shows the transition between reptile and bird?
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Archaeopteryx
o Had reptilian features (teeth, bony tail, claws, no keel on sternum) and bird features (feathers, furculum aka wishbone) o Have since found many fossils of dinosaurs with feathers. Example- Microraptor gui |
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What organism shows the transition between reptile and mammal?
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Therapsids
Mammal-like reptiles classified as reptiles Huge group, spanning huge period of time that developed more mammal-like features Bones in lower jaw of early therapsids have changed function- part of ear |
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What modern day organism is an example of a transition between reptile and mammal?
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Duck-billed platypus
o Living example- has reptilian (lays eggs, cloaca) and mammalian features (fur, mammary glands, warm-blooded) |
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What are three important aspects of sexual selection?
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Variations are random
Natural selection isn't random Evolution is not a trend toward perfection- not goal oriented. |
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Is evolution "goal-oriented"
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No
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What do phylogenetic trees show?
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How organisms are related to one another but not who gave rise to what.
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Define primates
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Include prosimians, monkeys, apes and humans
Prosimians- lemurs and tarsiers Apes- gibbons, orangutans, gorillas and chimps They have binocular vision (important for depth perception) and strong grip |
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Define anthropoids
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Include monkeys (have tails), apes (no tails) and humans
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Define hominoids
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Include apes and humans
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Define hominids/hominins
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Humans and their extinct relatives
Homo and Australopithecus |
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New World Monkeys
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Have tails used for grasping.
Tamarin, spider monkeys, howler monkey |
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Old World Monkeys
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Sexual selection- males need to have a large proboscis to be successful at mating.
Baboons, proboscis monkey, macaque |
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African and Asian Apes
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Gibbon, orangutans, gorillas
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How did humans evolve?
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Exact path is unknown- fossils are being found but they cannot directly prove ancestry- provide us with an excellent record with which we can reconstruct phylogenetic relationships.
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What is a key characteristic of hominids?
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Upright walking
Can be determined from type of bones- occipital skull bone |
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List all hominid species:
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Ardipithecus- ancient fossil
Australopithecines- Lucy A. boisei A. africanus Homo habilis- "handy man" earliest homo Homo erectus- earlier looked like Homo habilis, later ones look like Homo sapien. Hard to draw the lines- huge transitional group with differences in skull structure, bone structure Homo erganster- could be lumped in with Homo erectus. More and more modern features Homo neanderthalensis- lived with modern humans for a while- went extinct 30,000 years ago- were either killed or interbred with humans or both. Showed evidence of religion, took care of sick and injured. Bigger brains than ours, shorter and stockier- lived in colder regions, helped conserve heat. Homo sapiens- appeared in Africa 150,000 years ago, Cromagnon- showed first evidence of art (cave drawings) |
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How do chimpanzees compare to australopithecine?
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Chimpanzee- skull attaches posteriorly, spine slightly curved, arms longer than legs and also used for walking, long, narrow pelvis, femur angled out, feet look like hands
Australopithecine- skull attaches inferiorly, S shaped spine, arms longer than legs but not used for walking, bowl-shaped pelvis, femur angled in |
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Observations made by Darwin
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Rapid reproduction but populations stay stable- must be competition for survival.
Variation in characteristics- must be advantages=natural selection |
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Evolution of horse
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Eohippus (4 toes)-Miohippus (3 toes)- Menychippus (3 reduced toes)- Piohippus (1 toe)- Horse (hoove)
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Tiktaalik Characteristics
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Fish-o-pods
fish and tetrapod not part of alligator moveable wrist joings could move neck because pectoral girdle wasnt connected to head robust rib cage lungs 375 million years ago |
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Prehensile Tails
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Used to grasp objects, new world monkeys have them, old word monkeys don't
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African ape
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Gorilla chimpanzee human
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Asian ape
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Orangutan, gibbon
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