Blog Post Module 1: Reflection Prompt

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  • In your own words, how would you explain what evolution is?
This question seems simple but answering it is quite difficult. Not because it is difficult to understand, but because of the amount of grey area that lies within the subject. Evolution is all around us. We are immersed in an ever-changing society. I would explain evolution in a biological sense as the change in characteristics of a species over a time period (measured in generations). Each species has a different generational time, so we have to measure time in that aspect. Bacteria can adapt very quickly while other species may take more time to evolve. There is a modification in successive generations due to natural selection that allows species to change and develop. Evolution is both fact and theory and allows us to begin to understand how life emerged and evolved early in time. Living organisms developed and became diverse as they evolved throughout history. They adapted to environments or took changes on for other reasons. But then these changes became heritable and were passed on through generations. 

  • Do you think that evolution is a fact or is it a theory?

Evolution is both fact and theory. When saying "evolution is just a theory", there is a negative connotation associated with it. The idea of theory becomes discredited when evolution is explained. But when we talk about the theory of gravity, no one goes "gravity is just a theory." There is fact and theory with both topics, it's just easier to understand and prove gravity with math and experiments. Evolution is a theory though because, in science, there is a large difference between a hypothesis and a theory. It started off as a hypothesis when the assumption was made, but it became a theory through research and testing. The idea of evolution is now supported by principal data and is supported by the scientific community. It is undeniable that organisms have changed throughout time, which can be studied on a small scale with bacteria and environmental pressures, or on a larger scale with bird beaks. There is fact surrounding the idea that organisms changed but theory comes into play next. The problem is, we do not know how organisms initially changed and evolved. We don't have the technology yet to see that initial evolution (using technology like carbon dating or other means) or discover the first changes seen. So, there is uncertainty. But that also doesn't mean that scientists created a random idea. With hypotheses and data, ideas can be formed to explain this phenomenon. Evolution becomes a theory because of unknown principles. There are testable predictions and explanations about living, deceased, and extinct species. We don't know everything there is to know about evolution, so it remains a theory, but there are facts within this theory that are undeniable. There is data to support the facts and ideas that help us interpret facts. 

Comments

  1. Taylor DavisonSeptember 2, 2021 at 10:18 AM

    Hi Madison,
    I really liked your ideas on evolution as a theory and a fact simultaneously. For me one of the hardest parts of biology and many other fields of science is the terminology that is used verses its common meaning. Out side of my classes I use the phrase "in theory" quite liberally and in a way that does not reflect its definition in the scientific community. To me it has always made sense to say that in a scientific context evolution is a theory, but outside of that it is a fact as it is something that will not be refuted and can be assumed to be true. This doesn't quite hold up to scientific scrutiny but feels appropriate in day to day life.
    - Taylor

    ReplyDelete

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