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Question
A woman gave birth to a child with a small tail. Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the child with respect to evolution?
A woman gave birth to a child with a small tail. Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the child with respect to evolution?
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Solution
The correct option is C The child shows an evidence of evolution by depicting an atavism
Evolution is derived from the latin word evolvere which means ‘to unfold or unroll’. The gradual changes taking place in organisms to form more and more different forms from their original ancestors over the course of time is known as evolution.
The development or reappearance of ancestral characters in the descendants after several generations is called atavism. The ancestral characters here refer to the characters which had either disappeared or were reduced during the course of evolution. Some of the examples of atavism in human beings are the power of moving pinna in some persons, short tails in some babies, exceptionally long dense hairs in some people, etc.
As given in the question, the child has a small tail, which is an ancestral trait. Hence, the child shows evidence of evolution by depicting an atavism.
The attempts for understanding the root mechanism of evolution have led to the collection of numerous entities known as evidence. These include:
- Paleontological evidence refers to the evidence of evolution based on the knowledge of fossils. For example, the proof that birds evolved from reptiles came from fossil studies of Archeopteryx.
- Embryological evidence is based on the comparative study of the embryos of various animals. For example, resemblance among vertebrate embryos in early stages of embryonic development justify similar lines of ancestry.
Connecting links: The living organisms which possess characters of two different groups are called connecting links. For example, Peripatus shows the characteristics of Annelida (worm-like, segmented body and nephridia for excretion) and Arthropoda (semi jointed legs and tracheal respiration).
Evolution is derived from the latin word evolvere which means ‘to unfold or unroll’. The gradual changes taking place in organisms to form more and more different forms from their original ancestors over the course of time is known as evolution.
The development or reappearance of ancestral characters in the descendants after several generations is called atavism. The ancestral characters here refer to the characters which had either disappeared or were reduced during the course of evolution. Some of the examples of atavism in human beings are the power of moving pinna in some persons, short tails in some babies, exceptionally long dense hairs in some people, etc.
As given in the question, the child has a small tail, which is an ancestral trait. Hence, the child shows evidence of evolution by depicting an atavism.
The attempts for understanding the root mechanism of evolution have led to the collection of numerous entities known as evidence. These include:
- Paleontological evidence refers to the evidence of evolution based on the knowledge of fossils. For example, the proof that birds evolved from reptiles came from fossil studies of Archeopteryx.
- Embryological evidence is based on the comparative study of the embryos of various animals. For example, resemblance among vertebrate embryos in early stages of embryonic development justify similar lines of ancestry.
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