1. Everything’s Relative
Don’t I Know You?!?

2. Are the people in these pics related? How can you tell?

3. What about these folks?

4. Are these people related too?

5. How about them?

6. Here too?

7. How are all these organisms related?
Have students fill in the answers as you type.

8. What is a common ancestor?
An organism that gave rise to new species of organisms. For example, the common ancestor of modern birds are dinosaurs.

9. What is evolution?
The change in the DNA of a population over time. One organism itself cannot evolve, only a population can evolve.

10. How does the dna change? Two Ways:
Sexual Reproduction – mixes the DNA of two individual organisms in a new and unique way.
Mutation – a spontaneous change in the DNA which can be passed from parent to offspring.

11. How does the new dna spread?
If the new pattern of DNA is beneficial, then the organism will outlive its competitors.
If it outlives its competitors, it can have more opportunity for reproduction.
All of its offspring will then have this new beneficial trait.
The trait will spread through the population.
If it spreads through the population, it isn’t a mutation anymore, because almost all the organisms have it. It has now become an adaptation!

12. I don’t believe in evolution because it’s just a theory!
Well, do you believe you are made of trillions of tiny cells? Do you believe that all things are held to Earth because of gravity? These are examples of scientific theories. A scientific theory doesn’t mean that it’s just some dude’s random idea. A scientific theory MUST be supported by data, and I mean LOTS of data!!!! It must be researched, defended, and all but proven in order to reach the status of “theory”. We’ll be looking at this data in just a moment! Link to Just a Theory video clip

13. But believing in evolution goes against my religion…
Science as a whole has nothing to do with religion. People of all faiths all over the world practice science.
Science can tell us HOW something happens.
Religion can help determine WHY.
For example, I don’t know the purpose of life. I don’t know WHY we’re here. My personal religious beliefs tell me that there is a greater purpose for us being here.
But I do know HOW we got here. Science tells me that it happened through the process of evolution…AND we have the evidence to back it up!