...where we came from.
...why we (humans in particular) are the way we are.
...whether humans evolved from apes.
...whether Darwin even got it right.
...if you ought to believe this "theory". What is the evidence and reasoning behind it?
...what exactly is a theory anyway.
...what we (scientists and non-scientists alike) do not yet know about this thing called evolution.
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Part of formal education is to become increasingly "scientifically literate". In my view this means, in part, to distinguish what 'science' actually is; to understand its powers and limitations and its elaborate web of interconnecting concepts. To be able to evaluate claims made by anyone peddling ideas and wares that are "proven by science". In other words, not get ripped off by the 21st century snake-oil salesman.
To behold the universe with a great sense of wonderment and awe. To ask grand questions and to try to investigate the shadow cast by the answer even if it proves to be elusive. Science is about investigating and communicating and creating. It is not just about facts but about the journey of exploration.
So, lets start a conversation. What do you think?
According to the comic strip that I evaluated, I realized that the main idea had to do with the generations of human evolution. While the process of Natural Selection is present, it isn't portrayed in the right way. Instead of the evolution process happening over millions of years, the comic strip portrays it in a few generations using the caveman couple against the primates (I have no idea what they are). I've learned a lot more than I intended with this unit honestly. Using scientific evidence and evaluation is something that I have learned to do, in order to prove or even disprove certain theories. even though my beliefs are strong, I can see why and how scientists would believe this theory, as more and more evidence is being brought up.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I understand about this comic, the artist is saying that because the main character in this strip came from nowhere, the world came from nowhere. Therefore we are all orphans.
ReplyDeleteAs a logical teen, I know this to be untrue. All humans came from a female human, male and female. According to science, the world (Planet Earth) was a result of the Big Bang (not to be confused with the popular TV series The Big Bang Theory or Korean Pop sensation hip-hop group Big Bang) which makes this artist’s claims to be unsupported and therefore, false.
In this cartoon two boys are scared of growing up because they don’t know what will happen to them. Charles Darwin pops in and tells them that humans are always changing, this scares the boy because they don’t know how they will change as they grow up. This cartoon shows that humans and other species are always changing but it doesn’t say how often. Species change as a population over many generations. One organism can simply not change on its own. It takes many years of reproduction for a change in traits to help the species evolve in a new environment. Because of species evolving this is how different breeds are changed and there is variation.
ReplyDeleteThe strip that I examined wasn’t necessarily supposed to teach anything about evolution, but it was a very simple satire of it. There were a few points that were incorrect, like sharks evolving into fish. There were almost no ties to any of the Enduring Understandings, other than simply saying, very abstractly, that evolution at least exists. There were no explanations of anything, just very simple pictures suggesting the possibility of evolution. However, it did somewhat correctly show the evolutionary relationships between tigers and cats, as well as wolves and dogs. Unfortunately, there was a lot wrong with this comic, probably because the creator had no idea what they were doing.
ReplyDeleteI wondered why when animals evolve they don’t become very powerful. When animals evolve they are supposed to evolve to survive, but animals that are prey/bottom of the food chain don’t get stronger and get eaten or end up dead. For example a fly is nothing compared to a lizard because lizards eat flies but flies haven't evolve to solve the problem with lizards eating them. If it was up to a fly it would rather be the one eating the lizard than being eaten by it. So with that we can say animals are not control of evolving, but if there is really evolving is there a limit to the stronger animals get when they evolve?
ReplyDelete-JaQuan
The comic strip that I evaluated showed how if we went back in time then we would change something in the future. The artist was trying to tell us how species evolved in a certain way to present day. The comic strip didn't really talk about natural selection and how species evolve over time. Just that we evolve in a certain way to survive. The comic strip was good because when the person came back to present day, the other scientists were mixtures of different animals
ReplyDeleteMy comic doesn’t connect to the enduring understanding of how all animals that live on earth are created. The picture shows how you can’t adapt over short periods of time. I now know that according to Natural Selection that all the adapting and changing and variations happen in very long periods of time. Also it doesn’t show that we all came from a common ancestor. I understand now that according to Natural Selection that because we have some similarities with the genetic makeup of other animals we have a common ancestor. The comic shows the trial and error of testing theories. It also shows that theories are open to investigation because you can’t prove a theory 100%.
ReplyDeleteNatural Selection
ReplyDelete"The process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called "survival of the fittest"
I now know that all animals have a common ancestor and that individuals do not evolve, instead the population evolves. Also, evolution can be proven correct by examining fossils, anatomies, biochemistry, and embryology. Changes can happen due to crossing over, random fertilizations, and mutations.
My comic strip shows some of the vital parts of the theory of Natural Selection, but unfortunately, not all of them. For example, it shows how animals have adapt certain traits over time to benefit their chances of survival. It also shows how that the same species living in the same environment that are lacking the trait would eventually die out. What my comic lacks is that all animals have a common ancestor. I also forgot to include that animals with the same characteristic then have a common ancestor.
Even though the Theory of Natural Selection is supported by strong quantity evidence does not mean that it is 100% correct. In Unit 6: Exploring Change, I had learned that not all theories are correct. If it was true then it would be considered a fact, not a theory. Instead, the theories are updated to fit with current information or thrown away completely instead. In the last 150 or so years, the theory of Natural Selection has been revised countless times. Charles Darwin, himself, did not know about genetics, however knew that some traits were passed down from parent to offspring. Theories are always changing or thrown away instead.
The Comic strip that I evaluated showed the natural selection theory. a short person was trying to get an apple from a tree but could not reach the apple. Then a taller person comes by and explains the natural selection theory, in the mean time the short person dies for starvation. this showed that species that do not evolve( the short Person) go extinct because they can not meet the standards of survival anymore. While the evolved species( the tall person) lives on until the next evolved group comes into play.
ReplyDeleteI think that the cartoon is saying that Darwin was correct that all species evolve, but animals had some choice about if they evolve or not. It also presents a humorous view of humans being monkeys that have evolved and some of the monkeys not being sure about whether or not to evolve. The cartoon shows Darwin giving a lecture to a class and explaining how each variation of trait, if useful is preserved. In the comic Darwin also states how “Evolution occurs in all species.” One part of the comic shows a chalkboard with a picture of a monkey and then an arrow pointing towards a human showing how humans began as monkeys. Darwin explains to one of his students that some monkeys in the modern day have started evolving into humans too. At the end of the comic a monkey is about to get on the “train to evolution” and isn’t sure if evolution is worth it. While this comic has several accurate details like how it states that “Each slight variation of a trait if useful is preserved” and that “Evolution occurs in all species” it also has several inaccurate details. One example is its view on adaption and about how species get to choose whether or not they evolve. This is inaccurate because we know that species don’t get to choose whether to adapt or now and that adaption happens over a long period of time, longer than one lifetime. It also is incorrect in the way that it portrays adaptations. It is incorrect in the way that it portrays individuals in a species developing adaptations on their own. Individuals do not get to choose which adaptations they receive which is why this part of the comic is inaccurate. It also has the major misconception that humans evolved from monkeys. This is incorrect because humans didn’t evolve from monkeys, humans and monkeys came from a common ancestor. The length of time it takes for evolution to occur is also inaccurately represented. In the comic evolution is shown to be a quick process, like a train ride. All in all, while this comic is humorous and has a few accurate details, it is mostly inaccurate in the way that it portrays evolution.
ReplyDeleteMy comic’s main idea was to show that animals in environments don’t survive if they don’t have the right features to survive. One part of my comic that supports this is when the black animal that is out in the desert dies. That animal dies cause the black color of its fur caused it of get the heat attracted to it so the animal died from the heat. This also really demonstrates natural selection, because if there was a sandy colored animal that animal would survive better, because the animals coat would match the terrain. Savannah T.
ReplyDeleteThe main idea of my comic is that Charles Darwin is upset that the Pokémon chose to evolve on its own after the fight and Darwin tells the audience that evolution doesn’t work like that. For example in the comic Charles Darwin specifically says that organisms evolve slowly overtime to adapt to the environment. Also Right after the fight under no dangers or need of adaption Pidgey the Pokémon evolved. In the comic the 5th panel it shows that the Pokémon is confused like he doesn’t understand how evolution works and that’s why he was evolving “wrong”. In the fourth panel the one it shows that the Pokémon evolved in one generation and from what Darwin said that wasn’t possible. Lastly Pidgey evolved after he fought so there was no environmental change that caused it to evolve but he evolved for the sake of it like Charles Darwin said. My comic explains natural selection fairly well. In it says exactly, “Why can’t people understand that you evolve slowly over time to adapt to the environment. Not for the sake of it” And this is exactly the same idea of the second EU. Also it connects to the first EU because my comic shows the evolution process of one animals so by showing that the one animal evolved into another one it shows that all animals are connected from a common ancestor. Even though my comic did not have a connection through fossils if you look at the physical structure of the evolved Pidgey versus the non-evolved you can see that they have similar structure like you would see in fossils. Also all theories usually can’t be fully proven so they are all open to investigation that is why the Pokémon is confused because he is learning new things that he is learned and that new idea causes him to devolve back to his first state. Because what he did was not proven. So my comic is very closely related to how natural selection really works.
ReplyDeleteThe main idea of my comic strip is to show how Charles Darwin's idea of evolution was incorrect. Because of this, my cartoon didn't connect to any specific Enduring Understandings for this unit. My cartoon didn't really have anything to show towards natural selection but only seemed to show on the idea of Charles Darwin being incorrect. But because of my lack of knowledge on this specific subject, I had a biased opinion at this time. I now know that the theory of natural selection isn't that all these changes happen to specific animals at a specific time, but happens to their species over long periods of time. I also learned throughout the unit about theories. I learned that theories are not always perfect and are always open to change when new evidence is brought up. This is how my biased thinking was changed. By me learning about new pieces of evidence that I didn't know about before, it ha changed the way I look at things in life. I also learned about the idea of a common ancestor. I am a little uncertain about this, but the theory believes because of similar animals having homologous structures that it shows that they have all adapted and changed over time to better fit their environment.
ReplyDeleteThe main idea of my comic is that it connects to the 2nd enduring understanding, species adapt to new environments; they are said to evolve over time. This connects to Darwin’s idea and shows how species can evolve. This is shown because the fish is changing in its size and evolving. It doesn’t describe how natural selection works that well. According to natural selection, animals will adapt and change over time. It doesn’t show any fossil records or physical similarities among organisms. It does show how the stronger animal in the environment will always win and that it is part of the circle of life. My comic doesn’t cover how all species came from a common ancestor. I now know that we have body parts that are similar and show evolution. Theories like these are never proven correctly, but are shown through some evidence.
ReplyDeleteMy cartoon is titled “Charles Darwin: An Unexpected Journey!” Its main idea is talking about the stages of evolution and how people adapt to the new environment, in this case: the products of McDonald’s. My cartoon is not really accurate to the theory of natural selection. First, let’s talk about the accurate point. Evolution of humankind has 5 stages, it was portrait in mine cartoon by a frame that describe a lesson about evolution stages in a Biology class. Also, my cartoon has proven that people adapt to new environment, and inventions. As we know, McDonald’s is the largest chain of fast-food restaurant in the world. It is available in 120 countries around the world. That shows how people adapt to the new living styles (aka how people adapt to the environment changes). On the other end, my cartoon is off-target. First, it talks about the 6th stage of evolution of human, which is not discovered. Second, Darwin’s ghost is a character in the story, and ghosts are not totally true. Finally, the cartoon shows that human evolve directly from chimpanzees, which is not true because we are cousins.
ReplyDeleteQuoc T.
Evolution, something that we’ve heavily discussed in class is something that I understand, and respect. I’ve learned that natural selection states that evolutionary change comes through the production of variation in each generation. Some species are more likely to survive because of the characteristics they possess. It’s always been survival of the fittest. One common misconception is that species can evolve in a lifetime, when really evolutionary change occurs in small parts over long periods of time. Something that supports that comment is that according to Darwin, all animals evolved from a common ancestor. This is shown to homologous, and analogous structures that in animals of different species and environments. With all these details and many more in Darwin’s full theory of natural selection, I think that it’s safe to say my comic has left a lot to be desired. I focused mainly on the first part of Darwin’s theory which stated that life arises from non-life, and poked on that concepts vagueness. Needless to say that my comic didn’t say anything about a common ancestor that all animals have descended from, Natural selection provides explanation for similarities in animals. Something that my comic touched on was the concept that animals evolve over time, as my character waited for something to become “living” for over 100 years. I also think that my comic tried to approach the topic that scientific explanations must be based on evidence, because my character believed that the claim that life arises from non-life had no possible evidence, as he spent over 100 years trying to witness it. And for the last idea that scientific theories are open to investigation, well I think that my comic proves that point rather than addressing it, because it shows how sometimes theories can be proven wrong, or just don’t make any sense. I definitely appreciated the opportunity to analyze my work after we’ve taken the time in class to learn about the topics that we wrote/drew about. It gave me a chance to see how my preconceived ideas have changed.
ReplyDeleteThe main idea of my comic was to refute the basic principles of natural selection. In my comic Darwin explained what natural selection was. He said that survival depends on how well the physical characteristics blend in with the environment. He also said that all living things come from four basis species. Then Jesus refutes the opinion by saying He is the one who created all living things and he created the environment. The one thing that was incorrect about my opinion was that all living things come from four different base species. What I have learned over this unit was that every living thing comes from a common ancestor. My thinking on natural selection was correct though. It is based purely on genes, and the giraffes lucky enough to have long necks and the wolves lucky enough to blend with humans are the ones that survive. My opinion on this stays the same. I think some of Darwin's theories might be right, but overall I still think my comic was correct in that God created the environment and all living things.
ReplyDeletethe main idea of the comic was to explain the theory of natural selection. In my comic strip Charles Darwin was represented though snoopy from the comic strip peanuts. Snoopy talked about what the theory of natural selection was. With this charley talked about the reason why it is not true. Along with him proving it wrong with the reasoning of religion. Darwin said that all species as a population adapt to new environments; and are said to evolve over time, also Natural Selection provides a scientific explanation for the fossil record and the physical similarities among the diverse species of living organisms. overall I believe that the contact of my comic sits by what I believe(God created the environment and those that live in it)
ReplyDeleteMy comic lacked a main idea that really related to of our Enduring Understandings. The main idea of my comic is that Charles Darwin comes back from the dead to punch someone in the face because they refuse to acknowledge any part of evolution. My comic had some evidence of Enduring Understanding 2, about how natural selection provides explanations for fossil records, shown when the professor gave some of his reasons for believing in evolution. My comic did not cover the Enduring Understandings about species adapting over time, the diversity of animals, the criteria for theories, and that theories are open to investigation. I have learned over the course of this unit that the evidence for evolution is based in homology, fossil, biochemistry, embryology, and geology. I also learned that species adapt slowly over time, and that animals are diverse because of 3.5 billion years of evolution. I learned that theories themselves must be logical, consistent, and based on previous and current scientific knowledge, and must be open to change should new information require it.
ReplyDeleteBefore we started this unit, I only knew very little information about Darwin and evolution. Looking back at my comic, it was interesting to see how much I grew from a knowledge aspect. I barely knew anything and I didn't remember much about the evolution unit in 7th grade. I learned so much about evolution, like natural selection, adaptations, and Darwinism. All of these things show how much my knowledge grew. I also realized that my comic was partially right, but didn't cover all of the points that we learned in class. I know realize that I didn't cover the theories of Darwin and classification, diversity of organisms and much more.
ReplyDelete