A Brief Explanation of Evolution

A Brief Explanation of Evolution The theory of evolution is a scientific theory that essentially states that species change over time. There are many different ways species change, but most of them can be described by the idea of natural selection. The theory of evolution through natural selection was the first scientific theory that put together evidence of change through time as well as a mechanism for how it happens. History of the Theory of Evolution The idea that traits are passed down from parents to offspring has been around since the ancient Greek philosophers time. In the middle 1700s, Carolus Linnaeus came up with his taxonomic naming system, which grouped like species together and implied there was an evolutionary connection between species within the same group. The late 1700s saw the first theories that species changed over time. Scientists like the Comte de Buffon and Charles Darwins grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, both proposed that species changed over time, but neither man could explain how or why they changed. They also kept their ideas under wraps due to how controversial the thoughts were compared to accepted religious views at the time. John Baptiste Lamarck, a student of the Comte de Buffon, was the first to publicly state species changed over time. However, part of his theory was incorrect. Lamarck proposed that acquired traits were passed down to offspring. Georges Cuvier was able to prove that part of the theory incorrect, but he also had evidence that there were once living species that had evolved and gone extinct. Cuvier believed in catastrophism, meaning these changes and extinctions in nature happened suddenly and violently. James Hutton and Charles Lyell countered Cuviers argument with the idea of uniformitarianism. This theory said changes happen slowly and accumulate over time. Darwin and Natural Selection Sometimes called survival of the fittest, natural selection was most famously explained by Charles Darwin in his book On the Origin of Species. In the book, Darwin proposed that individuals with traits most suitable to their environments lived long enough to reproduce and passed down those desirable traits to their offspring. If an individual had less than favorable traits, they would die and not pass on those traits. Over time, only the fittest traits of the species survived. Eventually, after enough time passed, these small adaptations would add up to create new species. These changes are precisely what makes us human.   Darwin was not the only person to come up with this idea at that time. Alfred Russel Wallace also had evidence and came to the same conclusions as Darwin around the same time. They collaborated for a short time and jointly presented their findings. Armed with evidence from all over the world due to their various travels, Darwin and Wallace received favorable responses in the scientific community about their ideas. The partnership ended when Darwin published his book. One very important part of the theory of evolution through natural selection is the understanding that individuals cannot evolve; they can only adapt to their environments. Those adaptations add up over time and, eventually, the entire species has evolved from what it was like earlier. This can lead to new species forming and sometimes extinction of older species. Evidence for Evolution There are many pieces of evidence that support the theory of evolution. Darwin relied on the similar anatomies of species to link them. He also had some fossil evidence that showed slight changes in the body structure of the species over time, often leading to vestigial structures. Of course, the fossil record is incomplete and has missing links. With todays technology, there are many other types of evidence for evolution. This includes similarities in the embryos of different species, the same DNA sequences found across all species, and an understanding of how DNA mutations  work in microevolution. More fossil evidence has also been found since Darwins time, although there are still many gaps in the fossil record. The Theory of Evolution Controversy Today, the theory of evolution is often portrayed in the media as a controversial subject. Primate evolution and the idea that humans evolved from monkeys has been a major point of friction between scientific and religious communities. Politicians and court decisions have debated whether or not schools should teach evolution or if they should also teach alternate points of view like intelligent design or creationism. The State of Tennessee v. Scopes, or the Scopes Monkey Trial, was a famous court battle over teaching evolution in the classroom. In 1925, a substitute teacher named John Scopes was arrested for illegally teaching evolution in a Tennessee science class. This was the first major court battle over evolution, and it brought attention to a formerly taboo subject. The Theory of Evolution in Biology The theory of evolution is often seen as the main overarching theme that ties all topics of biology together. It includes genetics, population biology, anatomy and physiology, and embryology, among others. While the theory has itself evolved and expanded over time, the principles laid out by Darwin in the 1800s still hold true today.

Friends of Foster Care

Friends of Foster Care Please Help us Bring Christmas Gifts for Friends of Foster Care Foster Children today! Disability Attorneys of Michigan is Working with Friends of Foster Care this Holiday Season!Each year thousands of children are placed in foster care and do not get to experience the joy of receiving a gift at Christmas. This year we will be collecting donations in hopes to fulfill each child’s need and wishes. Donations needed include:PJ’sHoodiesBlanketsToysThe holiday season is here and Christmas is right around the corner. This year Disability Attorneys of Michigan will be working directly with Friends of Foster Care and we are thrilled to be â€Å"adopting† 10 incredible foster-care children for Christmas!Friends of Foster Care is a Macomb County based charity helping our community’s foster children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect and placed in temporary housing or shelters.The Friends of Foster Care still have about 150 children in need of adoption! We will be taking donations of blankets, cold weather gear and toys her e at the office by December 15! With your help, we can make sure no child is left out this Christmas.Remember to donate by December 15th at our Warren location – 30500 Van Dyke, Ste. 400, Warren, MI 48093.Disability Attorneys of Michigan. Compassionate Excellence.

Critical evaluation of energy relations between Russian Far East and Dissertation

Critical evaluation of energy relations between Russian Far East and Asia (China & Japan) post 2000 - Dissertation Example During the period of the 1990s the government of the country did not directly control the large number of oil resources and industries in Russia. Rather big business tycoons who maintained a strong relation with the Russian Government officials controlled these industries. The Russian government during the period ranging from 1995 to 2000 endeavored to take decisive steps to bring about reforms in the country’s energy policies, which failed to get fulfilled owing to poor performances of the Russian economy. However the gradual revival of the economy after the 1999 period led the Russian government formulate an energy strategy till the 2020 period. This strategy aims at augmenting the supply of energy to meet the global demand. Further, the strategy aims at reducing the dependence of natural gas from around 50 percent during the 1990 period to around 42 percent during 2020. Rather the strategy focused on increasing the share of coal in energy generation from 16 percent in 1998 to around 23 percent during 2020. These policy directions along with focus on nuclear energy generation are expected to draw huge investments of around $700 billion by the 2020 period (Woehrel, 2009, pp.1-2; Russian Energy Survey, 2002, p.23). Russia’s Energy Policy towards China and Japan post 2000. In the field of energy development, the two countries Russia and China started their cooperation from the period of the late 1950s with Russia rendering technological knowhow for developing the oil industry in China. With the emergence of the 1990 period several government and energy agencies in both countries figured the laying down of gas pipelines between themselves as a feasible idea. With the signing of the ‘Treaty of Friendship’ during 2001 the expectation of energy collaboration between Russia and China gained further ground. The directions took shape under Vladimir Putin’s leadership after the 2001 period with the decision taken by the two countries to construct a joint pipe line for transmitting oil. Exports of oil by Russia to China augmented through different routes from 3 million in 2002 to 16 million during the period of 2006. This clearly reflects the growing interest of Russia on exporting oil to China which gained growth after the 2005 period. The construction period for the gas pipeline laid at 2008 failed owing to failure of price agreements between Russia and China. During 2006, Putin further announced the extension of gas resources to China along the Serbian border. (Eder, Speed & Korzhubaev, 2009,pp.219-2224, 240-242). The energy policy of the Putin government became an area of higher influence by the Japanese diplomats in trying to get the best out of it. The Japanese diplomats desired the map for the oil pipeline to be set from Angarsk to Nakhodka which would be beneficial to the Japanese region. Japan considered the above move a strategic importance for it would reduce their dependence on oil resources of the Midd le East and also strengthen its relationship with Moscow (Amalia, 2006.p.3, 7). Trend of Energy Uses in China and Japan The advent of China in the World Trade Organization augmented the country’s use of energy resources, which gained growth at the rate of 71.5 percent during the period ranging from 2001 to 2006. The region of China during the period of 2003 consumed around 31 percent of the total coal energy in the world. Further, China accounted for 7.6 percent of the global oil consumption and