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Natural Selection Misconceptions

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We have probably all heard of natural selection but do we really know what it means? There are some statements that could lead people to misunderstand different scientific concepts or any concepts or issues in general.The term natural selection might seem like a simple term but it holds complexities within its two syllables and in order to have a clear understanding of it one must be able to differentiate between an individual and a whole species. As defined in the textbook, a species consist of a diverse population of individual while an individual is a single entity within the species. A person who is currently taking Anthropology 1 can identify at least three misconceptions and provide a thorough explanation to rectify these errors.
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In order to clarify this statement, one can imagine this specific aspect as a tree. The tree will keep branching out and it will keep growing over time, some organisms will cease to exist, some will diversify, and some will not undergo change and stay stable as time is continuous (Linden 2016: lecture 2). For example, some humans think that we are the best species at this moment, but we are still not perfect. In terms of natural selection, perfection means being able to survive and adapt to any changes presented by the environment whether those changes are minimal or significant. We might consider ourselves the best organism right now because we are said to be the most complex species, but we are still not perfect and who knows what could happen to our species in the …show more content…

Natural selection does not necessarily eliminate bad traits. Natural selection does not occur because an individual encounters a problem, but because there are genetic variations which are arbitrary and random. Besides, natural selection acts on individuals and not the population. Selection usually affects individuals’ behaviour and morphology that could help increase those individuals fecundity but as a side effect lower the average fecundity of the group, population, or species (Boyd and Silk, 10). In addition, as mentioned in class, natural selection does not appear just because an individual species needs it. Natural selection only works on variations that are already within the organism (Linden 2016: lecture 2). For example, infanticides in gorillas. The infanticide genes are passed on and this bad trait just kept getting passed on until the non infanticide species are gone or extinct and eventually these infanticides gorillas will eventually kill off its own kind. Also as the population of individuals with higher fecundity increase, their demand for resources also increases which could lead to the depletion of resources, therefore leading to the end of their existence. Take note that it is not the bad trait that caused the extinction, but it was the trait favored by natural selection which proves that natural selection is

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Selective breeding can be used for a lot of good things. However, there are some downsides to using it. One is that it can cause discomfort to the animals. For example, in the article “Did Science Build a Better Turkey?” written by Kimberly Crandell she discusses a major issue with selective breeding. “Industry-bred birds have such unusually large breasts, so disproportionate with the rest of their bodies that they often have trouble standing, walking and mating.”

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Mutations deals with the production of DNA cells based on a natural selection by chance. Genetic Drift is solely based on changes and has nothing to do with natural selection. Non-Random mating deals with that populations that chooses their mates based of their

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Additionally, the book modified my judgments of inheritance. Many research topics can stem out of these inherited defects with beneficial advantages for survival such as taking a part of the G6PD- deficiency gene to cure malaria. Furthermore, studying defects like hemochromatosis, diabetes, or favism may be crucial to taking a leap (and hopefully, landing) in the scientific and medical community. And we end on this quote from Dr. Sharon Moalem himself which very accurately sums up my comprehension of evolution from this book, “If you’ve come this far on our journey across the evolutionary landscape, you’ve probably gathered a good sense of the interconnectedness of — well, just about everything. Out genetic makeup has been adapting in response to where we live and what the weather’s like.

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Natural selection, the process in which individuals that have certain inherited

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Darwin and Bacon (The Analysis of the Concurrences between Darwin and Bacon) The anomaly that is the Earth works in strange ways, while failing to balance on one foot all one has to do is place one finger on the wall and you are safe from crashing to the ground. This phenomenon seems to suggest that all things are connected; however there is a delicate balance to be maintained. Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection proposes that there is a balance that allows for the life on Earth to maintain the equilibrium of evolution. On the other hand, Francis Bacon composed an idea of the levels of the mind called the four idols which obstructed the path for scientific reasoning and observation.

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So, the genetic diversity or the variety of different genotypes will be severely reduced in modified communities. Also, the ability to survive directly depends on genetic diversity because populations without it will not be able to meet the demands of the environment (Wolfe, Christian). A disease that could be survived by a population with the normal human genetic diversity, would wipe out the modified community without the genetic diversity. Changing the genotype of just one can affect the whole diversity of humans and with the many processes, including sterilization and genetic screening, changing the genotype of one comes with ease. The ease of changing one leaves humans at a point where the achieved diversity can be easily destroyed, further placing them at risk through the threat of disease (Wolfe, Christian).

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This process is known as natural selection, which explains how Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution can occur. Natural selection is an important component of evolution. It occurs when some members of a population are better fit for survival and proliferation than others in that population. The environment in which organisms live plays a large part in natural selection as well.

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The theory of Natural Selection allows more individuals to be produced each generation that can survive. Phenotypic variation is hereditary. Those individuals with hereditary traits better suitable to the environment with survive. This mechanism known as natural selection, which can be identified as genetic change in a population emerging from differential reproductive success. Thomas Malthus.

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Natural Selection is the long gradual process in which Biological traits either become more or less common in a population as a function of the effect of inherited traits on the differential reproductive success of organisms interacting with their environment. In Darwin’s work The Origin of Species he also mentioned evidence for the Theory of Evolution from his voyage around the world on The H.M.S. Beagle. The Origin of Species is probably the most influential work on evolutionary biology. The Origin of Species will help prove my thesis because it introduces the ideas that we base on evolutionary biology today.

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But when it comes to us evolving, many scientists believe that we have stopped. They claim we are close to the end of human evolution because of all the genetic engineering and medicinal use, that is causing us now not to evolve naturally by natural selection, and survival of the fittest but by our own means. But at the same time, with all the evidence that scientists like Elisabeth Bolund of Uppsala University in Sweden show, one could argue that we are still evolving. This evidence being that between 4 and 18 percent of the variations among individuals in lifespan, family size and ages of the first and the last childbirth are influenced by genes.

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Charles Darwin became famous for his theory of natural selection. This theory suggests that a change in heritability traits takes place in a population over time. This is due to random mutations that occur in the genome of an individual organism, and offspring can inherit these mutations. This was defined as the key to evolution, this is because random mutations arise in the genome of an individual. Until the 19th century, the prevailing view in western societies was that differences between individuals of species were uninteresting departures from their platonic ideals of created kinds.

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Since now we know lots about artificial selection, let 's hear a bit about natural selection also known better as, the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and

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Three different sides will be discussed in this paper. First is the theory of natural selection, often called the survival of the fittest. Natural selection as quoted by the Merrium Webster Dictionary is, “a natural process that results in the survival and reproductive success of individuals or groups best adjusted to their environment and that leads to the perpetuation of genetic qualities best suited to that particular environment.” For example there is a litter of cats. One of these cats is a lot faster than the other cats and is therefore able to get food easier.

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