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The New Evolutionary Synthesis

Go to these links for a brief overview of the new synthesis (Neo-Darwinism) and the individuals involved in creating it. Then take a quiz on the modern synthesis.

Evolutionary Theory: The Neo-Darwinian Synthesis
http://cogweb.ucla.edu/ep/Evolution.html

Think about: What kinds of information did twentieth-century biologists have that was unavailable to Darwin and Wallace?

The Modern Synthesis of Genetics and Evolution
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/modern-synthesis.html

Think about: What is the major controversy in evolutionary biology today?

Timeline of Evolutionary Thought
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/evotmline.html

Think about: How are Patrick Mathew's ideas similar to Darwin's?






1The unit of natural selection is the
A)allele.
B)chromosome.
C)individual.
D)species.



2What aspect of evolution is still a subject of debate?
A)Whether evolution occurs
B)Whether evolution acts on alleles or chromosomes
C)The mechanism of evolution
D)The effects of evolution



3According to Darwin, Lamarck's contribution to the theory of evolution was the idea that
A)acquired traits can be inherited.
B)change is an ordinary biological event.
C)invertebrates were an important category of animal.
D)plants and animals shared a common chemical structure.



4Which of these is a Neo-Darwinian?
A)Charles Cuvier
B)Charles Darwin
C)Charles Lyell
D)Julian Huxle



5The three "co-discoverers" of natural selection were
A)Darwin, Wallace, and Mathew.
B)Darwin, Wallace, and Huxley.
C)Darwin, Weisman, and Haeckel.
D)Darwin, Huxley, and Haldane.



6What did the contributors to the new synthesis (such as Wright, Simpson, Mayr and Dobzhansky) have in common?



7Why is there a debate about the "unit" of selection?







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