My Evolution Blog- Kaelyn Page

To begin talking about The Tree of Life , it is best to know exactly what this means. The tree of life is a history of descent- a set of genetic connections that can describe the relationships of organisms. They can show the similarities and differences between organisms.  This can explain how closely a species is related to one another and why. Like, is a monkey more related to a human or a bear? A part of the Tree of Life is the phylogeny. This is a map of evolutionary history.  Within a phylogeny, there are different types of groups within the tree. One of them being a monophyletic group.  In this type of group, all the species (descendants)share a common ancestor. Below is an example of this. As you can see, every one of these species can be traced back to the same starting point- the common ancestor. Another type of group that is included in the tree is the Paraphyletic group. This group does NOT  include all the descendants of the most recent common ancestor. I...

Fitness is measured by the number of production of offspring. The more offspring produced, the fitter that species is. If a species is not able to successfully produce and raise offspring, they are less fit. A common misconception of fitness is that it has to do with an animal’s physicality; How strong they are, how much muscle they have, or how powerful. Basically, it was thought of as “how well do this animal/species survive. These traits do NOT determine fitness. But, they can play a role in an animal’s increased fitness.  I was mildly aware that there were two scales of evolution. But I have never learned or been taught in depth about it. Short time frames and long time frames. To me, yes- These make sense. Because like it was said in the video, there are some forms of evolution that we will be able to experience and see in our lifetimes. And then there are forms that we never saw and will never even be close to seeing. These events I feel should be separated into macro an...

  I felt 🗲struck🗲 when it was said that one of the obstacles that makes learning harder is distractions. This could not be a truer and more prevalent scenario that describes my life. It is like one thing after the other distracting me and holding me back. Some of these things I can control and some I cannot. Another point made in these slides that really hit me was the topic of “being cut out for science.” And that being “cut out” is just a load of crap💩. This honestly really settles and encourages me. Because sometimes, I just get down on myself. My goal in life is to be a veterinarian. And during some hard classes, I just feel like I am not good enough or smart enough to be in the science field. My passion for science didn’t start until college. When I was in high school, I did not enjoy science🔬; In fact, it was my lowest scoring section on the ACT. So I just had it in my head that I was not cut-out. Now, I am a senior in college, earning my bachelors in Biology and I am...

Hello:)) I am a biology major studying to become a veterinarian.  I have 2 dogs and a cat. I hope to have many many more in the future.  I do NOT have a favorite animal, because I love so many of them.  During the summer, I work at a veterinary clinic as a veterinary technician and lodging assistant in Edmond, Oklahoma.  During the school year, I work on a farm here in Stillwater and am involved in artificial insemination in cows.