The ___ theory explains the origin of the universe as a singular huge explosion.

Big Bang

Life on Earth is believed to have originated approximately ___ billion years ago.

4

Spontaneous generation, the idea that life arises from non-living matter, was disproven by ___ through controlled experiments.

Louis Pasteur

The first cellular forms of life likely originated about ___ million years ago.

2000

True or False: The theory of special creation suggests that all living organisms were created in their current forms and have not changed.

True

The process by which individuals better adapted to their environment tend to survive and reproduce is known as ___ selection.

Natural

Adaptive radiation occurs when a single ancestor species evolves into multiple forms adapted to different environments. This can be observed in ___ finches.

Darwin's

Fossils provide evidence for evolution by showing the existence of species that are ___ with modern organisms.

Extinct

The Hardy-Weinberg principle helps predict the frequency of ___ in a population.

Alleles

True or False: Analogy refers to structures in different species that are similar due to common ancestry.

False; analogy refers to structures that perform similar functions but do not share a common ancestry.

The first self-replicating molecules are believed to be ___ or proteins.

RNA

In Darwin's theory, fitness is primarily measured by an individual's ___ success.

Reproductive

The phenomenon where different species evolve similar traits due to similar environments is called ___ evolution.

Convergent

Fill in the blank: The study of embryonic development provides evidence for evolution through the observation of ___ features.

Vestigial

True or False: The process of natural selection can lead to the emergence of new species over time.

True

The concept that populations remain stable unless influenced by external factors is described by the ___ principle.

Hardy-Weinberg

Fill in the blank: Species that reproduce more successfully in a given environment are said to have a higher ___ than others.

Fitness

The evidence from genetics supporting common ancestry among species primarily comes from similarities in ___ and proteins.

DNA

True or False: Evolution is a directed process with predetermined outcomes.

False; evolution is a stochastic process based on chance events.

The first mammals are believed to have evolved from ___ during the age of dinosaurs.

Reptiles

Fill in the blank: The majority of life forms on Earth today are estimated to have evolved from a common ___.

Ancestor

The study of fossil layers helps establish the ___ timeline of life on Earth.

Geological

Fill in the blank: The term used to describe the gradual change in species over time is called ___ evolution.

Biological

True or False: The extinction of species is a phenomenon that does not provide evidence for evolution.

False; extinctions provide critical evidence for evolutionary change.

In the context of evolution, genetic drift refers to changes in allele frequencies due to ___ events.

Chance

Fill in the blank: The adaptation of organisms to their environment can lead to ___ structures that serve similar functions.

Analogous

True or False: Lamarck's theory of evolution is widely accepted in modern biology.

False; Lamarck's theory is largely discredited in favor of Darwinian evolution.

The development of different species from a common ancestor in response to different environmental pressures is known as ___ radiation.

Adaptive

Fill in the blank: The proportion of individuals in a population that have a specific trait can be calculated using the ___ principle.

Hardy-Weinberg

The first hominids are believed to have appeared around ___ million years ago.

4

Fill in the blank: Evidence of evolution can be found in the comparative anatomy of species, which shows ___ similarities.

Structural

True or False: The process of speciation can occur rapidly under certain environmental conditions.

True

In natural selection, traits that enhance survival and reproduction are referred to as ___ traits.

Adaptive

True or False: Evolutionary change can occur in a single generation.

True; rapid changes can occur through mechanisms like mutation and natural selection.

The process of evolution by natural selection implies that organisms with favorable traits are more likely to ___.

Survive and reproduce

In evolutionary biology, the term used to describe the gradual development of new species from existing ones is ___.

Speciation

The accumulation of genetic changes in a population over time can lead to the development of new ___.

Species

True or False: The theory of spontaneous generation was widely accepted after Louis Pasteur's experiments.

False. Pasteur's experiments disproved the theory of spontaneous generation, demonstrating that life arises from pre-existing life.

What is adaptive radiation?

Adaptive radiation is the process by which organisms diversify rapidly into a wide variety of forms to adapt to different environments, originating from a common ancestor.

What role did the Miller-Urey experiment play in understanding the origin of life?

The Miller-Urey experiment simulated early Earth conditions and demonstrated that organic compounds, such as amino acids, could be synthesized from inorganic precursors, supporting the idea of chemical evolution.

How did industrialization affect the survival of white-winged and dark-winged moths?

Industrialization caused tree trunks to darken, helping dark-winged moths survive, while white-winged moths were easily spotted by predators.

What is the founder effect in evolution?

The founder effect occurs when a small group of individuals forms a new population, leading to changes in allele frequencies and sometimes the formation of a new species.

How did continental drift affect the survival of marsupial mammals in Australia?

Continental drift allowed marsupial mammals in Australia to survive due to the absence of competition from placental mammals.

How did the Coelacanth, once thought extinct, challenge our understanding of evolution?

The discovery of the Coelacanth in 1938 proved that some species evolve slowly and may survive in hidden environments, challenging the idea of complete extinction.

What was the significance of the fossil discoveries of Homo habilis in understanding human evolution?

Homo habilis, with a brain size of 650-800cc, marked the first human-like species that used stone tools, showing early stages of human evolution.

What evidence suggests that Homo sapiens evolved in Africa before spreading across the continents?

Fossil and genetic evidence show that Homo sapiens evolved in Africa and migrated across continents, developing distinct races.