The tree of life and common origin
It was over a century and a half ago that Charles Darwin published his revolutionary book “On the Origin of Species”. However, the genetic evidence that substantiate his theory of evolution was revealed many decades later. Nowadays, by virtue of their genetic analysis capabilities, scientists can calculate the genetic proximity between species and thereby place them on the evolutionary “tree of life”. The following video depicts how life began on Earth and leads us through a journey from the first cells to human beings, all based on our current genetic knowledge.
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What is the source of differences between different organisms?
The structure or proteins.
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The behaviour of organisms.
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The DNA sequence.
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The RNA sequence.
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Every new trait that developed in organisms (for example, the development of eyes):
Must occur more than once throughout evolution.
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Can occur more than once throughout evolution.
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Develops once and is then transferred to other organisms.
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Occurs only once in evolution.
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The mass extinction of the dinosaurs over 65 million years ago:
Was the largest mass extinction event in the history of earth (in terms of percentage of extinct species).
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Allowed the development of new species.
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Annihilated all the species of dinosaurs.
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Was the only mass extinction event on earth.
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All the branches of “the tree of life” (phylogenetic tree):
Branch in different locations and have different lengths.
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Start at the same location but have different lengths.
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Branch in different locations and have the same length.
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Start at the same location and have the same length
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The Tree of Life and Common Origin – An Interactive Video
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In this video the pupils will learn about the concepts of evolution and “The Tree of Life”. The video clearly depicts changes in organisms throughout evolution. The questions are of intermediate-difficult level and require implementation of previous knowledge or group discussions.
Modern genetics, Life, Molecules, Cells, bacteria, Algae, Multicellular organisms, Sensory organs, Biodiversity, Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, mammals
Knowledge building
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