Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Uses of the Study of Evolution
What do you believe are the modern day, common man uses from the study of Evolution. Now this is not talking about the study of DNA, but simply evolution. For example, medical research leads to cures to disease. Technological research leads to new inventions. But whats the point of studying evolution? Is the endgame to convince everyone it exsists and that its happening? In general, what are the uses of knowing about the topic of evolution and how can it affect us in our world. After all we did fine without it as a civilization for a good 12,000 years or so, how will it help us now? Post your own opinions and use examples from the book to strengthen your argument.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Well, the general goal of any organism on the Earth is to survive and reproduce. For humans, studying evolution can help us understand the earth, and how it came to be, and we can take steps to preserve the earth, and understand the development of other organisms to our own benefit. For example, knowing how evolution works helps breeders. The breeding of chosen friendly wolves led to the evolution of dogs, man's best friend. Breeders also choose the most muscular cows, the fastest horses, the fattest pigs, etc. to create the biggest, fastest, the best of a species. Although a new species is not actually being created, this is the artificial form of natural selection, which ultimately leads to evolution. Also, understand how organisms have evolved to adapt to extreme selective pressure can help us understand how we can artificially solve our own problems.
ReplyDeleteI think that Paul makes the obvious point that understanding the way evolution works, even within our own species, makes us more apt to survive and reproduce. But I feel like understanding evolution also has some altruistic benefits. Carroll talks extensively about the effects of humans on other species' development (see p 52 concerning moth coloring for one example). I have come across many a journal article studying the effects of human by-products or actions on native populations, as I'm sure many an AP Biology student has*. In the particular article I cited, the researchers observed the effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition from local industry. The researchers mainly observed which plant species were able to survive, which plant species were forced out of the area, etc. The researchers also examined the DNA of the surviving individuals to see what traits were common or what traits were becoming more prevalent.
ReplyDeleteBy understanding evolution, we can predict how our actions will effect the organisms around us. If we understand the most significant selective pressures acting on a population or community, we can take measures to avoid interfering with these conditions to keep our hands out of the evolutionary process. We can thus preserve diversity and satisfy our biophilia. For the moths from Carroll chapter 2 and the plants in the journal article, this would include reducing the amount of pollution spewed forth by the industries. In other examples this could mean altering trails in a natural park or not cutting down a certain type of tree that is important in a community. It all depends on the situation, and understanding evolution is the only way we can determine how to best preserve nature.
*Christopher M Clark, David Tilman. (2008). Loss of plant species after chronic low-level nitrogen deposition to prairie grasslands. Nature, 451(7179), 712-5. Retrieved February 24, 2009, from Platinum Periodicals database. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=1&did=1425991801&SrchMode=2&sid=4 &Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1235629179&clientId=15232
As Eric said, evolution helps us make predictions of the fate of other organisms based on our actions. We are able to make predictions and determine suitable actions mostly because evolution repeats itself. (Chapter 6 of Carroll - Deja Vu: How and Why Evolution Repeats Itself). One example of evolution repeating itself is with birds violet-sensing and UV-sensing capabilities. These capabilities "must have evolved at least four separate times" (Carroll 156). One amino acid in the SWS opsin of birds affects which capability the bird has (serine=violet-sensing, cysteine=UV-sensing). Carroll further explains the mathematics behind the phenomenon. It gets a bit confusing since we have been told that evolution occurs because of random mutations. But here, Carroll tells us that "evolution via specific, selected changed in DNA is not merely probable, it is abundantly so" (156).
ReplyDeleteA Science Daily report states that "in environments that vary over time in a non-random way, evolution can learn the rules of the environment and develop organisms that can readily generate novel useful traits with only a few mutations". (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081107071822.htm) The researchers also found that "organisms can learn how previous environments changed, and then use this information for their evolutionary advantage in the future".
In conclusion, it is extremely important for humans to study evolution in order to learn the patterns it follows due to changes in the environment. Therefore, we can learn how other species have adapted in the past so we are prepared for any changes the environment may and probably will bring.