With the publication of "On the Origin of Species" by Means of Natural Selection, Charles Darwin in 1859 showed conclusively that species evolved and were not immutable over time.【F1】This revolutionary idea permitted an explanation of the fossil record that did not need to invoke the Biblical story of the Flood or the view that all extinct animals and plants had perished as a result of this one global catastrophe.It became possible to compare modern and fossil animals and to construct lineages through time that documented the changes that had occurred, and the distribution of fossil forms began to take on new significance. It became apparent that assemblages of fossils betray climatic preferences at any given time and climatic change through time.【F2】Another 12 years elapsed before Darwin applied his theory of evolution—and its mechanism, natural selection acting upon a pool of normal biological variation—to the case of man; the delay more likely was because of lack of fossil evidence than lack of courage.【F3】The so-called Darwinian tautology, "The survival of the fittest is the survival of those best fitted to survive", gives an insight into the adaptations of living organisms that lead to an increase in their chances of survival and of leaving more offspring than their rivals.The closer the adaptation to the environment, the greater the chances of survival. This pathway leads to specialization: fish need water in which to swim, birds need wings with which to fly, koalas need eucalyptus leaves to eat—nothing else will do. This approach to survival has its advantages but also its drawbacks.【F4】Should the environment change suddenly, those who have gambled on specialization may lose, while those who have retained a generalized form and remained adaptable can adjust to the new situation and survive.【F5】On the whole, the order of Primates, which contains humans and their ancestors, has retained this approach, an evolutionary flexibility that has enabled primates to respond to change when it has arisen. 【F5】
Much of the excitement among investigators in the field of intelligence derives from their trying to determine exactly what intelligence is. Different investigators have emphasized different aspects of intelligence in their definitions. 【F1】For example, in a 1921 symposium on the definition of intelligence, the American psychologist Lewis M. Terman emphasized the ability to think abstractly, while another American psychologist, Edward L. Thorndike, emphasized learning and the ability to give good responses to questions.In a similar 1986 symposium, however, psychologists generally agreed on the importance of adaptation to the environment as the key to understanding both what intelligence is and what it does. Such adaptation may occur in a variety of environmental situations.【F2】For example, a student in school learns the material that is required to pass or do well in a course; a physician treating a patient with an unfamiliar disease adapts by learning about the disease; an artist reworks a painting in order to make it convey a more harmonious impression.【F3】For the most part, adapting involves making a change in oneself in order to cope more effectively, but sometimes, effective adaptation involves either changing the environment or finding a new environment altogether.Effective adaptation draws upon a number of cognitive processes, such as perception, learning, memory, reasoning, and problem solving. The main trend in defining intelligence, then, is that it is not itself a cognitive or mental process, but rather a selective combination of these processes purposively directed toward effective adaptation to the environment.【F4】For example, the physician noted above learning about a new disease adapts by perceiving material on the disease in medical literature, learning what the material contains, remembering crucial aspects of it that are needed to treat the patient, and then reasoning to solve the problem of how to apply the information to the needs of the patient.Intelligence, in sum, has come to be regarded as not a single ability but an effective drawing together of many abilities.【F5】This has not always been obvious to investigators of the subject, however, and, indeed, much of the history of the field revolves around arguments regarding the nature and abilities that constitute intelligence. 【F5】
With the publication of "On the Origin of Species" by Means of Natural Selection, Charles Darwin in 1859 showed conclusively that species evolved and were not immutable over time.【F1】This revolutionary idea permitted an explanation of the fossil record that did not need to invoke the Biblical story of the Flood or the view that all extinct animals and plants had perished as a result of this one global catastrophe.It became possible to compare modern and fossil animals and to construct lineages through time that documented the changes that had occurred, and the distribution of fossil forms began to take on new significance. It became apparent that assemblages of fossils betray climatic preferences at any given time and climatic change through time.【F2】Another 12 years elapsed before Darwin applied his theory of evolution—and its mechanism, natural selection acting upon a pool of normal biological variation—to the case of man; the delay more likely was because of lack of fossil evidence than lack of courage.【F3】The so-called Darwinian tautology, "The survival of the fittest is the survival of those best fitted to survive", gives an insight into the adaptations of living organisms that lead to an increase in their chances of survival and of leaving more offspring than their rivals.The closer the adaptation to the environment, the greater the chances of survival. This pathway leads to specialization: fish need water in which to swim, birds need wings with which to fly, koalas need eucalyptus leaves to eat—nothing else will do. This approach to survival has its advantages but also its drawbacks.【F4】Should the environment change suddenly, those who have gambled on specialization may lose, while those who have retained a generalized form and remained adaptable can adjust to the new situation and survive.【F5】On the whole, the order of Primates, which contains humans and their ancestors, has retained this approach, an evolutionary flexibility that has enabled primates to respond to change when it has arisen. 【F4】
Despite the basic biological, chemical, and physical similarities found in all living things, a diversity of life exists not only among and between species but also within every natural population. The phenomenon of diversity has had a long history of study because so many of the variations that exist in nature are visible to the eye. 【F1】It has been suggested that sexual reproduction became the dominant type of reproduction among organisms because of its inherent advantage of variability, which is the mechanism that enables a species to adjust to changing conditions.New variations are potentially present in genetic differences, but how preponderant a variation becomes in a gene pool depends upon the number of offspring the mutants or variants produce(differential reproduction).【F2】It is possible for a genetic novelty(new variation)to spread in time to all members of a population, especially if the novelty enhances the population"s chances for survival in the environment in which it exists.Thus, when a species is introduced into a new habitat, it either adapts to the change by natural selection or by some other evolutionary mechanism or else it eventually dies off. Because each new habitat means new adaptations, habitat changes have been responsible for the millions of different kinds of species and for the heterogeneity within each species. The total number of animal and plant species is estimated at between 2,000,000 and 4,500,000; authoritative estimates of the number of extinct species range from 15,000,000 up to 16,000,000,000.【F3】Although the use of classification as a means of producing some kind of order out of this staggering number of different types of organisms appears as early as the book of Genesis—with references to cattle, beasts, fowl, creeping things, trees, etc. —the first scientific attempt at classification is attributed to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who tried to establish a system that would indicate the relationship of all things to each other.He arranged everything along a scale, or "ladder of nature", with nonliving things at the bottom; plants were placed below animals, and man was at the top.【F4】Other schemes that have been used for grouping species include large anatomical similarities, such as wings or fins, which indicate a natural relationship, and also similarities in reproductive structures.【F5】At the present time taxonomy is based on two major assumptions; one is that similar body construction can be used as a criterion for a classification grouping; the other is that, in addition to structural similarities, evolutionary and molecular relationships between organisms can be used as a means for determining classification. 【F3】