Hello Origin readers,<br>I just wanted to drop you a quick note reminding you that our first conference call is two weeks from tonight at 8pm EST. Please let me know if you're having any problems with the reading or have any other questions - I'm really looking forward to speaking to you all on the 6th! <br>
<br>I know you probably all have the discussion questions, but just in case, I've copied them again at the bottom of this email. I will also be in touch with some of you at the end of this week to ask you to be prepared to start the discussion on a question. If you already have a question in mind, please feel free to contact me directly to volunteer! Also, please don't worry if I don't contact you this week - I will definitely make sure to give everyone the opportunity over the three reading sessions. <br>
<br>I will also be in touch next week with a reminder about how to call in for the discussion. <br><br>Happy reading!<br>Stephanie<br><br>Here are the questions for Origin Chapts 1 & 2. Enjoy! <br><br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Chapter 1:<span style=""> </span>Variation Under Domestication</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1. <span class="il">Darwin</span> states in chapter 1 that
"the laws governing inheritance are for the most part unknown." Given
that <span class="il">Darwin</span> had no idea how inheritance worked and
certainly had no access to the kind of knowledge we have 150 years later, what
do you make of the fact that he was able to get so much right and have such a
large impact? <i style=""><span style=""> </span>(In fact, when biologists are asked today for their top 10
list of general audience biology books that any mainstream adult should read,
Darwin’s 150-year-old Origin of Species is the only book listed that was not
published in the last 10 years.)</i></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">2.<span style=""> </span>Darwin
spends much of the first chapter introducing the concept of variation amongst
natural organisms.<span style=""> </span>Although Darwin
did not have any understanding of modern genetics and theories of inheritance,
he does still attempt to understand the causes of variation found in
nature.<span style=""> </span>How does Darwin explain
the variation observed in nature in physical characteristics amongst
organisms?<span style=""> </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">3. Darwin used the domestic pigeon as a sort of ‘model
organism’ in Chapter 1 when discussing natural variation and the effect of
external selection on this variation. Why does Darwin spend so much time
discussing pigeons and what evidence does he use from domestic pigeons to set
the stage for his theory of evolution by natural selection? </p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Chapter 2: Variation
Under Nature</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1. After reading chapters 1 and 2, you might have noticed
that Darwin spends a lot of time stressing the different types of variation in
nature.<span style=""> </span>In chapter 2 (page 45),
Darwin points out that variation “afford[s] materials for natural selection to
accumulate”.<span style=""> </span>What does Darwin mean
by this, and why does he describe the variation observed in nature in such
detail?<span style=""> </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">2. In chapter 2, Darwin tries to tackle a problem that is
still hotly debated by biologists today.<span style="">
</span>Namely, he attempts to distinguish ‘species’ from ‘varieties’ in this
chapter.<span style=""> </span>What does he say about
each of these concepts and how does he identify the differences between
them?<span style=""> </span>Do you think he is
successful in separating the two concepts?<span style=""> </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">3. On page 55 of Chapter 2, Darwin describes an experiment
he performed in which he compared the amount of variation observed in species
forming large genera to the amount of variation observed in species found in
small genera.<span style=""> </span>Why does Darwin
think that species from larger genera are more diverse and variable than
species from smaller genera?<span style=""> </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">4.<span style=""> </span>In the last
sentence of chapter 2, Darwin describes the members in the natural world as
‘groups subordinate to groups’.<span style="">
</span>What does he mean by this and how does this description correspond to
the Linnaean system of taxonomic classification (Kingdom-Phylum-Class-Order-Family-Genus-Species)?<span style=""> </span></p>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Stephanie W. Aktipis, Ph.D.<br>Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology<br>Harvard University<br><br>Sophomore Advising Coordinator<br>Resident Tutor<br>Cabot House<br>100 Walker Street<br>
Cambridge, MA 02138<br>