Biology Test Notes part 2

introduced uniformitarianism

the idea that the present is the only key to the past

story of evolution

story of origin

the idea that the fittest and strongest of each species were more likely to survive and reproduce than weaker, poorly adapted animals

sought to improve the human species by selectively breeding humans to produce a "master race"

changes within a particular kind of organism

process by which new kinds of creatures emerge from existing kinds over time

the study of fossils

fossils that connect one kind of organism with another kind by a series of tiny steps

evolution occurs in sudden spurts followed by long periods without noticeable change

hypothetical arrangement of fossils allegedly demonstrating evolution in the fossil record

based on the fact that atoms of certain elements break down into atoms of other elements

argument that is based on the assumption it attempts to prove

sudden outburst of living things of great variety in the fossil record

fish discovered alive in 1938

"missing link" between dinosaurs and birds

"reconstructed" from a single tooth

a mixture of human fossils and ape fossils

lived next to modern Man

the study of similarities and differences in the body structure of organisms

discovered comparative anatomy

the similarities among organisms adapted to the same environment

the similar organs which are also similar in internal structure

the science which seeks to discover how the mechanisms of living cells work

Austrian monk

random errors in an organism's genetic code

a quasi-religious idea that states that earth and all the living things that inhabit it constitute a single living thing