76 Answered Questions for the topic Evolution

06/06/19

What are chemical candidates for replicator molecule?
I have read `Selfish gene` by Richard Dawkins and idea is that at random some molecule was synthesized that had a property if there is enough 'materials' to construct copy of itself - it would. And... more
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06/04/19

What came first? The DNA or the DNA polymerases?
I know this sounds a lot like chicken and egg question and while the latter has an answer, I am intrigued about the former.A modified form of the question would be, in the course of abiogenesis,... more
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Evolution Genetics

06/01/19

Validity of the August Weismann mouse-detailing experiment refuting Lamarckism?
Weismann conducted the experiment — [described in Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Weismann) — of removing the tails of 68 white mice, repeatedly over 5 generations, and reporting... more
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05/31/19

Why and how does complexity usually tend to increase through time?
The question of complexity is classic in the very first lectures of evolutionary biology where the teacher usually tries to tell the students that complexity does not necessarily increase and that... more
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05/29/19

Does the genome make sense without knowledge of the ovum?
Much of the literature for laypeople seems to consider (and to spreadthe idea) that an animal (or a plant, I guess) is characterised by itsgenome. I do not know whether the same goes for more... more
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05/29/19

How did genome duplication in jawed vertebrates allow gene specialization?
I am currently reading from Chapter 15 in Principles of Life, 2nd Edition:>Many gene duplications affect only one or a few genes at a time, but in some cases entire genomes may be duplicated.... more
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Evolution Genetics Definitions

05/23/19

What is the definition of a mutation?
There are two alleles that determine the sensitivity of a person to Coumadin (a medicine for blood thinners used to treat a stroke etc). Sometimes you encounter the terminology that one has a... more
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05/22/19

Books on population or evolutionary genetics?
I have recently been involved in collaborations that require me to model the population genetics of eukaryotic populations. I fear I may either be "re-inventing the wheel" or making conceptual... more
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05/21/19

Why do birches have a white bark?
Several species of the tree genres *Betula* have a white bark,especially when they are young. This is quite peculiar to trees - at least in central Europe; so I'm wondering if there is a ecological... more
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Evolution Ecology

05/21/19

Parasitism and mimicry?
I was reading [this article](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature13112.html) which states this: > Classical Batesian mimicry, in which an undefended mimic evolves... more
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05/13/19

Why is chlorophyll green? Isn't there a more energetically favorable color?
Chlorophyll being green means it absorbs light in the red and blue area of the spectrum. Isn't this the high and low energy light? Wouldn't plants get more energy if they absorbed light in the... more
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05/13/19

Is it mostly true that predators or parasites traverse wider spatial areas than their prey or hosts?
Does it tend to be true that as you go up the food chain, the species tend to cover wider areas? I am basically asking whether a population's prey varies spatially more than a population's... more
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05/11/19

What is the origin of the word: tropism?
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Evolution Zoology Genetics

05/06/19

Why do men have nipples?
I'd be tempted to call nipples in men vestigial, but that suggests they have no modern function. They _do_ have a function, of course, but only in women. So why do _men_ (and all male mammals) have... more
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Evolution Genetics Dna Genomics

05/01/19

Are there differences in DNA between humans of today and humans from 2000 years ago?
Are there any significant differences in our genome compared to the genes of our ancestors from 1000-2000 years ago? And if there are significant differences, do they result in significant... more
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Evolution Genetics

04/28/19

How can the number of genes increase through evolution?
I am aware of the basics of evolutionary theory, however I don't understand how mutations can add genes over time. Am I correct in thinking that creatures within the same species who mutate to... more
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04/28/19

Is abiogenesis possible today?
Life on earth started about 3.5 billion years ago. I would assume abiogenesis happened because the conditions were right. Would the current earth conditions allow for new abiogenesis and completely... more
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04/26/19

What is an accessible book about plant evolution for a non-biologist?
I have an acquaintance interested in learning about the evolution history of plants. This person has a wide knowledge on botanics, from personal reading and taking care of plants, but E is neither... more
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Evolution Physiology Genetics

04/26/19

Is there any reason for the variation in mitochondrial DNA size?
As my textbook *An Introduction to Genetic Analysis* points out, yeast mitochondrial DNA has approximately 78 kb of genetic data, while the human mitochondrial DNA contains 17 kb. Is there any... more
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04/24/19

Symmetry of species?
I've got a silly question, sorry for that. I know, that we probably have no the right answer and the current answer could be "that's evolution, external conditions". I'd like to speculate, why most... more
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Evolution Zoology Entomology

04/22/19

Why does the butterfly have a cocoon stage in its life cycle?
Why does the butterfly have a cocoon stage in its life cycle? It could have simply grown up within the egg/cocoon, and emerged as a butterfly. Instead it is first an egg, then a worm, then a... more
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04/18/19

Why does the seed of the coconut tree have a liquid in it?
What is the purpose of water in the coconut seed? The reason I ask this is that I was reading about coconut water and all the benefits it has for us Humans. But why does the tree put a liquid in... more
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04/17/19

Quelles règles gouvernent la prononciation du "ch" ?
Un sondage dans le dictionnaire m'a laissé dans une confusion complète."chimie" devrait se prononcer "kimie" d'après l'étymologie *χημεία* ; de plus j'entends en général "kimiothérapie", et le... more
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Evolution Botany Ecology Food

04/12/19

Why are some berries poisonous?
In my understanding, the evolutional function of berries is to be eaten and pood out somewhere else, so that the seeds of the plant spread. Is this so? Then why are some berries poisonous?
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Evolution Biochemistry Dna

04/11/19

Why are there exactly four nucleobases in DNA?
Does someone know why DNA is composed of four nucleobases? In particular, is there an explanation for the number? Why four and not two, or eight?
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