AP Biology jumped right back in after intersession. To finish up evolution, we watched the movie "What Darwin Never Knew." What did Darwin never know?
What did Darwin never know?
Quite a lot, actually. Darwin would have been surprised at the idea of DNA, at the idea of epigenetics and even at the mechanisms of evolution. Although he came up with the idea of natural selection, Darwin by no means invented evolution or was the first scientist to theorize about it.
Definitely nothing about DNA.
After discussing Darwin's theories, "What Darwin Never Knew," began to discuss HOW human thought exists. Because humans have less muscle power in the jaw, the skull is less constricted than that of an ape. This was the part of the movie that interested me the most, and when Team AP Bio sat down to discuss, we happily chatted for the class period. It's amazing to think about the things that Darwin never knew.
The difference in skulls.
With the end of Season 8 came the start of a new Season. We kicked it off with a bang by watching another movie: "Origins - How Life Began". Delving into the idea of how life was formed on Early Earth, we were presented with different theories and then asked to look for others.
Bacteria in very uninhabitable caves form structures like stalactites.
Julia found a theory about the presence of dark matter creating enough force for essential elements to reach our planet. Isabelle discovered RNA Theory, in which life originated from RNA molecules. M0nica found Stephen Hawking's theory of accidental life formed in pools of primordial soup of amino acids.
Bianca's contribution was the theory that life could have originated in life. Water in ice could have gathered molecules and combined them. I found the idea of spontaneous generation - if you put dirty garments and wheat in a container, suddenly mice are generated. Christine, the idea that meteors carried the simple molecules needed to create single-celled organisms.
Spontaneous generation.
And finally, Sofia presented us with the Clockwork Universe Theory, the idea that God set life into motion.
I love combining all of our ideas into a giant pot and then just discussing. Interesting that out of all of us, only one found a non-scientific theory. Where did life come from? We're still not sure, but at least the world now has seven more people interested in figuring this mystery out.
Works Cited
Bacteria Snots Carve Caves. Digital image. Softpedia. Softpedia, n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
DNA. Digital image. Basics of DNA. Youtube, n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
Origins of Life. Digital image. NOVA. PBS, n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
Spontaneous Generation. Digital image. Time Toast. Time Toast, n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
What Darwin Never Knew. Digital image. NOVA. PBS, n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
Who Are You Calling Weak? Digital image. Discover Magazine. Discover Magazine, n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
Eden, I really enjoyed the way you organized this post. The visuals were thoughtfully chosen. The ending made me smile because I am confident that the 7 of you will go out into the world and share your thoughts, passions, and experience to make a positive impact. Oh, I can't wait to hear all about it!
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