history of science california state university …加利福尼亚州立大学科学史….ppt

Uniformitarianism James Hutton : came up with the observation Lyell made the ideas popular. Sir Charles Lyell (1797 – 1875)  Wrote: Geological Evidence of the Antiquity of Man in 1863 and Principles of Geology Lyell argued that presently observable Geological processes were adequate to explain geological history; the action of the rain, sea, volcanoes, earthquakes, etc., explained the geological history of more ancient times. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829) Inheritance of acquired characteristics Georges Cuvier (1769-1832) Catastrophism Opposed Lamarck Convinced others that extinction was a fact Known as the father of Comparative anatomy Extinction Cuvier’s work demonstrated that some species had become extinct ? this raised two issues: 1) Why would God allow some of his creations to disappear. 2. Young earth theory: how could so many strange species go extinct, be covered by sediments, if the earth was young? Sequence of Fossil types By the 1830’s there was general recognition that fossils had been organisms. Further, it was apparent that older strata contained very simple animals. As one moved through time, the organisms became more and more complex. There was no reason to believe that catastrophes had occurred . . . . Existence of Rudimentary Organs By the late 1700s, biologists recognized that some animals retained parts they didn’t use snakes with vestiges of limbs Flightless insects retained stunted wings. These observations contradicted the argument from design theory. Structural similarities A human hand, fin of seal, wing of bat, etc. all show similar structure. While Creationists argued that this was evidence of the uniform plan of God, evolutionists would argue that this was due to a common evolutionary past. Embryological development 18th century comparative anatomists noted that as animals went through embryonic development, it was difficult in the early stages to tell what type of animal it was. Chicken, lizard and h