The Theory of Evolution in a
Modern world
Daniel L. Gebo
BOT Professor
Biological Change
Human Variation
Gallup Poll
2001
• 45% “God created human beings pretty much in
their present form at one time within the last 10,000
years or so”
• 37% “human beings have developed over millions of
years from less advanced forms of life but God
guided this process”
• 12% “humans beings have developed over millions
of years from less advanced forms of life, but God
had no part in this process”
Mismatch between science and the public
The Modern World & Evolutionary Biology
• Evolution & Gravity
• Modern Evolutionary Biology
(rats in NYC)
• Epidemeology
• Evolution-Biology-Medicine
Why worry about H1N1 flu virus or HIV variants if biological change does not happen?
Phylogeny
Orangs
Gorillas
Chimps
Humans
The Origin of Anthropoids
FAYUM (EGYPT)
Earliest Anthropoids in the 1980s
Monkey-like Anatomy
Hypocone
Body
Sexual Dimorphism
Aegyptopithecus
Anthropoid Origins
Catopithecus
Continent: Africa (Egypt: Fayum)
Time: Oligocene 30 mya
Size: Large or monkey-sized
Anatomy: Monkey-like
Diet: Fruits and leaves
Locomotion: Little Leaping
Questions???
Where do their ancestors come from?
When?
What do they look like?
Eosimias: basal anthropoid
(ASIA)
CHINA
Eosimias
Paraconid
No hypocone
Tarsiid
Eosimias
Tall mandibles
Tall Faces
Foot Bones from CHINA
NWM
Eosimias
Omomyid
Eosimias
Tiny
Anthropoid Origins Today
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Africa
Oligocene 30 mya
Large Sized
Monkey-like Anatomy
• Fruits and leaves
• Little leaping
Asia
Eocene 45 mya
Tiny
Not monkey-like,
Primitive Looking
• Insects and fruit
• Leaping (frequent)
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Drastic Change to the Story
Biological Change (Evolution): a
fundamental principle of science
Student Awareness: the good, the bad and the ugly
Students want to understand and learn about evolution
Laboratory setting
Field Opportunities
Engagement
Keep Looking