What Type of Species Is It?

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Let's use our imagination. Pretend you are a zoologist and you are on a very important expedition in search for a new species. You have traveled to Africa and you are now walking through the dense forests in search of something new, and suddenly something amazing happens! A random, but intriguing, animal has come out of the forest in plain sight-one you've never seen before. You spend weeks with this animal, studying it, observing, and taking notes. But how can you classify it into a certain species category? Well, this may help you...

If you have studied this new animal for weeks now you probably know if it has any ecological roles or niches, right? If it does, then it should be classified as an ecological species. But what if the animal lives in a population and has the ability to interbreed within that population? Then it would be classified as a biological species. If it's population shows evidence of a specific evolutionary lineage then it would have to be classified as a phylogenetic species. And if it were to not give enough evidence of interbreeding within their poulation it would then need to be classified as a morphological species. With this information, you can now classify this new discovery and make it known to the rest of the world, if you want.

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Source: Class Notes: Chapter 14-The Origin of Species

Culture Shock

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Around 5 years ago, a zoologist named Lydia Luncz visited West Africa's Ta'i National Park to observe chimpanzees. What she discovered could possibly change science forever. First, she visited the southern end of the park and observed that the chimpanzees located there used stone hammers to crack open nuts. This has been observed before, so what is so different about it now? Well, she observed chimps inhabiting the northern and eastern parts of the park and noticed that they used wooden hammers as the tool for cracking nuts. The big question was, "If these animals live in the same forest, then why do they use different techniques of obtaining their food?" Luncz was curious as to why this was happening, so she observed the adult females, being that they often leave their birth community. Her finding were that the females adopted whatever technique their new community used. What does this tell us? That chimps may have developed their own cultural traditions just as we do! Lydia Luncz is the first to show us that there are actually differences in neighboring groups of chimps even though they live in the same area. It seems like the more we observe these chimps, the more similarities we find between them and ourselves.
Sources: http://discovermagazine.com/2012/dec/25-chimps-share-nut-cracking-culture

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Where Would We Be Without Him...?

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The theory of natural selection is easily one of the most profound in the history of biology. Who do we have to thank for it? Well, the answer to that question is easy...his name is Charles Darwin. He's one of the most important people in the world of biology. But how did he come up with this theory you ask? It all started in 1831 when he set off on a 5 year long voyage on a ship named the HMS Beagle. He had heard that the captain of the ship was planning to chart poorly known parts of the South American coast. Since he had always been very interested in nature he looked at this as a perfect opportunity to learn more about the world. While the ship's crew was busy surveying the coast, Darwin spent his time on shore collecting thousands of specimens and sketches of new organisms. While on the Galapagos islands, he noticed that organisms on different islands were different but similar at the same time to that of organisms on neighboring islands. Influenced by Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology, he decided to find out more about this. He concluded that Earth constantly changes due to natural forces. He also discovered that the reason organisms from different islands had some of the same traits was because they evolved from a common ancestor. He explained this as a logical explanation called "descent with modification" which later on became known as natural selection. Without the knowledge of what Darwin discovered we probably would not know as much about evolution as we do today
Sources: Class Notes-Chapter13: How Populations Evolve

We Found the Ankle!

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Until recently, the only proof we had of Earth's earliest primates were several teeth and a few mouth bones. The bones were found in northeastern Montana in a place very close to where the first Tyrannosaurus Rex was first discovered. Scientists couldn't tell much from the teeth because they were so primitive, so they decided to set out and find more proof of this primate. They decided to search in the same area they originally found the bones, and after only two days the discovered an ankle bone! To us, an ankle bone doesn't have much significance. But to paleontologists Stephen Chester and Jonathan Bloch, this ankle bone was the exact proof they needed. It proved that what they call Purgatorius really was one of the first primates on Earth. They discovered that the ankle could have moved in many different ways which meant that Purgatorius could have easily scampered along the ground as well as climbed trees.

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Sources: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/346001/description/Earliest_primate_had_tree-climber_ankles

Who's At Fault?

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Since DNA was first discovered, we have continued to find uses for it. One of the most profound uses is that of gel electrophoresis. What you're about to learn could keep you from going to jail, so keep reading. When the police or other authorities are working on a case and there is more than one suspect, gel electrophoresis is often what they turn to. After collecting the suspects' DNA samples they send them to the forensics lab where the magic happens. All the samples are placed on a porous gel in separate sections with the unknown DNA in order to compare them. When a current is applied, the molecules move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode. The size of the fragments determines how far they will move. When the process is over the fragments will appear as bands that are visible through staining them. By doing this, it is easy to see whose DNA matches up with the suspect's. This technology has helped keep a lot of people out of jail, and given families of lost loved ones peace.

Sources: Class Notes-Chapter 12:DNA Technology and Genomics

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With the Flick of a Switch!

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Karl Deisseroth, a scientist at Stanford University, has discovered a way to control brains with different colored lights. His idea of lights being able to change our lives came to him at a stoplight. He thought of it with idea that when we drive through stoplights, one part of our mind in controlled by the lights and what command they are, while the other part of our mind can be focused on something completely different at the same time. He wanted to test out this idea, so he did so with mice the basic "lab rats". First he introduced the mice to cocaine, to which they got addicted. After the mice had showed signs of euphoria associated with the cocaine he then used flashes of bright yellow light. Those flashes immediately blocked the mice's need for the high of the cocaine. After being shown the lights, the mice showed no more interest in the cocaine as they did before they were exposed to it. Deisseroth's technique is now known as optogenetics. Maybe with this knowledge that he has gave us, we can hopefully cure psychiatric diseases as well as drug addictions. The most remarkable part about all of this is that we can do these things with "the flick of a switch".
Sources: http://discovermagazine.com/2012/sep/25-controlling-brains-with-flick-of-light-switch

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Genetically Modified Organisms

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After years and years of discovering DNA, chromosomes that are found inside it, and the genes that make them up, scientists have found a new way to utilize that information. Scientists now have the ability to artificially insert genes into an organism in order to enhance it. If the organism has more than one gene artificially inserted, it's technically called genetically modified. Organisms containing only one gene from another species is called a transgenic organism. Genetically modified organisms can be very beneficial to us. For example, GM plants have completely changed the world of agriculture. By introducing different specific genes to plants, scientists have successfully made them resistant to herbicides and pests. They also have successfully increased the amount of minerals in certain plants we consume. Genetically modified organisms are not only limited to plants. Animals can be modified too such as improving qualities, increasing production of proteins, or therapeutics. With all the positive effects that come with genetically modifying organisms there are also some negative effects that can come along with it, especially with plants. GM plants can potentially introduce allergens into the food supply or spread genes to related plants. Genetically modifying organisms can bring great things to the table, which is why scientists take extra safety precautions to protect the health of humans and the environment.
Sources: Class Notes: Chapter 12-DNA Technology and Genomics

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