Arguing for Evolution: An Encyclopedia for Understanding Science

Contents......Page 8
Quick A–Z Guide to the Evidence......Page 18
Acknowledgments......Page 22
Introduction: Evolution as a Predictive Science......Page 24
Definitions of Science and Scientific Theory......Page 28
Definition of Evolution......Page 29
Adaptation and Natural Selection......Page 30
Natural Selection and Fitness......Page 32
Proximate versus Ultimate Causation......Page 33
Complexity......Page 34
Homologous and Analogous Features......Page 35
Evolution in Action: The Modern Threat of Antibiotic Resistance......Page 36
Summary......Page 39
Prediction......Page 40
Scriptural Claims about Earth’s Age......Page 41
Using Seas and Salt to Estimate Earth’s Age......Page 45
Sedimentation Rates as a Measure of Time......Page 46
Geological Formations as Evidence of Earth’s History......Page 50
Earth’s Age as a Function of Temperature......Page 52
Radioactivity......Page 53
Radiometric Dating......Page 54
What Isotopes Occur in Nature?......Page 55
Using Radioactivity to Determine the Ages of Rocks......Page 56
Paleomagnetism......Page 60
The Age of Earth......Page 61
Summary......Page 62
Predictions......Page 64
How and Where Do Fossils Form?......Page 67
Is the Fossil Record Complete?......Page 71
The Fossil Record Can Be Matched with Geologic Evidence to Describe the History of Life on Earth......Page 72
Fossils in the Sediments and Biostratigraphy......Page 73
Creationists’ Objections to Biostratigraphy......Page 76
Fossilized Invertebrates......Page 79
Evolutionary Lineages for Vertebrates......Page 80
The Fossil Record, “Sudden Appearance,” and the Cambrian Explosion......Page 82
Missing Links......Page 84
Archaeopteryx : From Dinosaurs to Birds......Page 85
Tiktaalik: From Fish to Land Vertebrates......Page 87
Cuvier’s Theory of Extinction......Page 90
Background Extinction......Page 92
The K-T Extinction......Page 93
The Permian-Triassic Extinction......Page 95
Human-Caused Extinction......Page 99
Summary......Page 102
Darwin’s Observations of Life’s Diversity......Page 104
Earth’s Biodiversity......Page 105
Biogeography......Page 107
Early Theories of Biogeography......Page 110
Biogeography in the Age of Exploration......Page 111
Biogeography and Geology......Page 113
Continental Geography......Page 114
Continental Drift......Page 115
Geologic Evidence of Continental Movement......Page 117
Pangaea and Biogeography......Page 119
Tectonic Movement and Evolution......Page 121
Convergent Evolution......Page 122
Continental and Oceanic Islands......Page 124
Colonization of Oceanic Islands......Page 125
Adaptive Radiation......Page 126
Unique Features of Island Biogeography......Page 128
Creationists’ Explanations for Biogeography......Page 130
Summary......Page 132
Predictions......Page 134
Antigen Specificity......Page 135
Ubiquitous Proteins......Page 138
Cytochrome c......Page 140
DNA Hybridization......Page 141
Genomes and Genetic Timelines......Page 143
Genes as Evidence of Common Descent......Page 144
Transposable Elements and Shared Ancestry......Page 145
Pseudogenes as Evidence of Common Inheritance......Page 146
Endogenous Retroviruses and Common Descent......Page 147
Summary......Page 148
Predictions......Page 150
Comparative Anatomy......Page 151
Homologous Structures......Page 152
Structural Similarities in Plants......Page 153
Vestigial Structures as Remnants of Ancestral Organisms......Page 154
Embryological Similarities......Page 156
Development and Embryology as Evidence of Common Ancestry......Page 157
Developmental Variation......Page 158
Eye Development and Animal Evolution......Page 160
Summary......Page 161
Predictions......Page 162
Behavior......Page 163
Tropic or Taxic Behavior......Page 164
Thermoregulation......Page 165
Storage and Retrieval......Page 166
Conspecific Infanticide......Page 167
Experimental Manipulation of Behavioral Traits......Page 168
Heritability of Behaviors......Page 169
Altruistic Behavior and Kin Selection......Page 170
Helping......Page 171
Suicide......Page 174
Worker Castes......Page 175
Intrasexual Competition......Page 176
Intersexual Selection and Behavior......Page 177
Theories of Female-Choice Mechanics......Page 178
Competitive Sperm......Page 181
Cooperative Sperm......Page 183
Destructive Reproductive Behavior in an Evolutionary Context......Page 184
Parental Favoritism of the Sexes......Page 185
Summary......Page 186
Predictions......Page 188
Coloration, Mimicry, and Warning Signals......Page 189
Influence of Predation Pressure......Page 191
Predators Possess Ecologically Relevant Adaptations That Allow Them to Conquer Prey......Page 192
Odor Used to Attract Prey......Page 193
Selection for Predatory Ability......Page 194
Diversifying Coevolution......Page 195
Reciprocal Adaptations......Page 196
Selection-Driven Virulence in Parasites......Page 197
Parasite-Mediated Behavior and Coevolutionary Escalation......Page 198
Specificity of Hosts and Intensity of Reciprocal Adaptations......Page 200
Host Responses to Parasitism......Page 201
Obligate Mutualism......Page 202
Rewarded Symbionts Are Penalized for Cheating......Page 204
Summary......Page 205
Predictions......Page 206
Sites of Origin......Page 207
Dart’s Discovery of Hominin Fossils......Page 208
Other Hominin Discoveries in Africa......Page 209
Universal Homology, Ubiquitous Proteins, and Human Evolution......Page 215
Fossil Genes in the Human Genome......Page 216
Humans and the MC1R Gene......Page 218
Human Development and Evolutionary History......Page 220
Behavior as an Adaptation in Humans......Page 221
Mating in the Evolved Human......Page 222
Paternity Assurance in the Human Male......Page 225
Parental Favoritism as an Adaptation......Page 227
Human Evolution: Coevolutionary Evidence......Page 228
The Shared Evolution of Humans and Plasmodium......Page 229
Coevolution with Pathogens and HIV Resistance......Page 230
Human Exploitation of Third-Party Organisms......Page 231
Human Coevolution and Lactose Tolerance......Page 232
Summary......Page 233
Appendix 1: Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859, first edition), Chapters IV (“Natural Selection”) and XIV (“Recapitulation and Conclusion”)......Page 234
Appendix 2: The Geologic Timescale......Page 284
Appendix 3: Major Species of Known Hominins......Page 290
Glossary......Page 294
References......Page 312
Index......Page 338