Evolution/Natural Selection/ Common Ancestry

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What are vestigial structures?

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Vestigial structures are body parts that have lost their original function through evolution. An example is the wings of ostriches.

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What are homologous structures?

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Homologous structures are anatomical features in different species that share a common ancestry, even if they have different functions. An example is the forelimbs of humans and whales.

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What is the significance of DNA and RNA analysis in evolution?

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DNA and RNA analysis helps classify organisms and understand their evolutionary relationships, indicating how closely related different species are.

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What is mimicry in the context of evolution?

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Mimicry is when one species evolves to resemble another species for protection or other advantages, such as the king snake resembling the deadly coral snake.

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What does variation mean in evolutionary biology?

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Variation refers to the differences in traits among individuals of the same species, which can lead to natural selection.

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What is natural selection?

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Natural selection is the process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

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What is adaptive radiation?

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Adaptive radiation is the process by which a single ancestral species rapidly diversifies into a wide variety of forms to adapt to different environments.

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What is a common ancestor?

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A common ancestor is an ancestral species from which two or more different species have evolved.

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What is the role of fossils in understanding evolution?

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Fossils provide evidence of past life forms and their evolutionary changes over time, helping scientists understand the history of life on Earth.

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What is extinction?

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Extinction is the end of an organism or a group of organisms, often due to environmental changes or loss of habitat.