General Thoughts: Biology (6 Viewers)

Some Vunt

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I don't want to get in a lengthy debate about it (not in this thread anyway), but there is actually a surprisingly small amount of what we would call transitional fossils.
Well, according to the syllabus there are clear examples and that is what biology students are basing their knowledge on.

According to gradualism we should be finding thousands of them (yet there are quite few - which is why the idea of punctuated equilibrium was put forward - and some of the ones we discover are being disproven such as the archaeopteryx as the most recent example). Also, all of the fossils show an organism that is fully-formed or complete (they aren't lesser or more simplistic as what would be expected when we look back thorugh the "evolutionary tree")
Well, according to gradualism we should be finding them all in different time periods. That's all.
Was put forward, but not proven. Proof would need to be shown by clear evidence. This is where your argument falls down. You can't prove something by lack of evidence.

"and there is fossil evidence of rapid change in evolution and shit"
Actually there is no fossil evidence of rapid change, all transitional fossils currently supported show gradual change over millions not thousands of years
I think you need to check the definition of punctuated equilibrium. The "rapid" change is millions of years, not thousands, just several million as opposed to several hundreds of millions or whatever.
And there is proof of this.

You know what, cbf arguing. We'll find out that I'm right when the answers come out.
Good day to you, sir.
 
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Was put forward, but not proven. Proof would need to be shown by clear evidence. This is where your argument falls down. You can't prove something by lack of evidence.
I never agreed that it is valid evidence, however this is what supporters of punctuated equilibrium suggest as their proof. The same scepticism you hold I agree with and is also brought up in the encyclopaedia

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Punctuated_Equilibrium.aspx
"Probably the most tangible contribution of the punctuated equilibrium controversy has been the widespread acceptance of Gould and Eldredge’s claim that “stasis is data.” Lack of morphological change is an evolutionary pattern that warrants an explanation."

The founders of the idea argue that stasis (lack of fossils due to large periods of no change) is equivalent to data and so evidence. I'm not supporting them but this is what they consider to be evidence.

You know what, cbf arguing. We'll find out that I'm right when the answers come out.
Good day to you, sir.
Agreed and we shall find out on that day,
and it's mam not sir,
good day also

P.s it appears we are both wrong for the time scale, according to this source it is hundreds of thousands of years:
www.ecotao.com/holism/glosoz.htm
"A model of evolution where new species appear suddenly (within a few hundred thousand years) in the fossil record and show little change for millions of years until their extinction.Gradualism is the term used where there is a gradual evolution of one species into another."
 
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Some Vunt

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I never agreed that it is valid evidence, however this is what supporters of punctuated equilibrium suggest as their proof. The same scepticism you hold I agree with and is also brought up in the encyclopaedia

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Punctuated_Equilibrium.aspx
"Probably the most tangible contribution of the punctuated equilibrium controversy has been the widespread acceptance of Gould and Eldredge’s claim that “stasis is data.” Lack of morphological change is an evolutionary pattern that warrants an explanation."

The founders of the idea argue that stasis (lack of fossils due to large periods of no change) is equivalent to data and so evidence. I'm not supporting them but this is what they consider to be evidence.


Agreed and we shall find out on that day,
and it's mam not sir,
good day also

P.s it appears we are both wrong for the time scale, according to this source it is hundreds of thousands of years:
www.ecotao.com/holism/glosoz.htm
"A model of evolution where new species appear suddenly (within a few hundred thousand years) in the fossil record and show little change for millions of years until their extinction.Gradualism is the term used where there is a gradual evolution of one species into another."
I said good day!
 

2011_

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I still believe 20 is C. My teacher said he would send me the official answers when he starts marking early this week. He also said he may be able to send marking criteria for short response if its not too red hot
Please share if he does!
 

Hamoramo

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MC question 4 was D) wasnt it? cos chormosomes have both DNA and protein, whereas option A doesnt include protein
 

lachlanmitchell

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Thought the test was pretty easy, I'm pretty sure i got full marks in the MC (wrote down my answers on exam) and am hoping to have got somewhere in the 90's.
My answers for the MC are 1B 2C 3B 4C 5B 6D 7B 8B 9C 10D 1A 12B 13A 14B 15B 16A 17C 18A 19A 20A
 

hotmess

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lachlanmitchell

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you got 20 wrong.



lol.
I dont think i did get question 20 wrong. (If i did though serves me right). The question was How does the fossil record provide evidence to support the concept of punctuated equilibrium. The answer is the fossil record is incomplete (A) as the theory of punctuated equilibrium would explain why it is incomplete. The next most likely answer is C but this shouldnt be right as the fossil record does not show that there are short periods of rapid change.
 

smartalec

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I dont think i did get question 20 wrong. (If i did though serves me right). The question was How does the fossil record provide evidence to support the concept of punctuated equilibrium. The answer is the fossil record is incomplete (A) as the theory of punctuated equilibrium would explain why it is incomplete. The next most likely answer is C but this shouldnt be right as the fossil record does not show that there are short periods of rapid change.
yeah, I know now but I just wanted to reignite a conflict that occured before because I was being. well. a smart alec/arse. Im convinced A was the most correct answer now (thats only 15/20 for me now :( )
 

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