Genetics
What molecule carries the instructions for building and maintaining an organism?
What is DNA?
What process explains how species adapt to their environments over time?
What is evolution?
What does the Tree of Life illustrate about living organisms?
What is the interconnectedness of all living organisms?
What type of environment did LUCA inhabit?
What is an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment?
What is March Mammal Madness?
What is an event that showcases animal battles based on scientific facts?
What are the genes called that control basic functions in a cell?
What are housekeeping genes?
What is the term for small genetic changes that accumulate in a lineage?
What are mutations?
What does each branch in the Tree of Life represent?
What is a distinct lineage?
What do scientists analyze to trace the evolution of species?
What are genetic sequences?
In 2016, what humorous conversion was made to highlight weight differences?
What is 1 Wolverine = 67 stoats?
How do scientists determine evolutionary relationships among species?
What is by comparing DNA sequences?
Approximately how many years ago did animals first appear on Earth?
What is 650-800 million years ago?
What does the trunk of the Tree of Life signify?
What is the common ancestor of all life?
How do scientists calculate the time since species shared a common ancestor?
By using mutation rates and genetic differences.
What controversy arose during a battle in 2017 dubbed "FIG-gate"?
What was the dispute over who first left the field of battle?
Why are some genes considered "highly conserved"?
Because they change very little over evolutionary time scales.
What is a phylogenetic tree?
A diagram that shows evolutionary relationships among species.
How many years ago did the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) live?
What is about 4 billion years ago?
Why is understanding common ancestry important in biology?
It helps explain the diversity and relationships among species.
What does the term "Durgavitched" refer to in Mammal Madness?
What are particularly catastrophic and ignoble deaths?
What is the significance of the ribosome in all living organisms?
It is responsible for protein synthesis and is similar across species.
What does the acronym LUCA stand for?
What is Last Universal Common Ancestor?
What evidence supports the idea that all life on Earth shares a common origin?
What are genetic similarities across diverse organisms?
What is the main focus of evolutionary biology?
What is understanding how species evolve and adapt over time?
How do players usually react to battles that end without drama?
They demand “carnage” but may regret it when they get gruesome outcomes.