Science

Autumn 1

Evolution is the way that living things change over time.

The first person who explained how evolution happens was Charles Darwin with his scientific theory of natural selection.

Evolution is the process by which living things change over long periods. This occurs as characteristics that help an organism survive are inherited by its offspring, who in turn passes them to their offspring and so on.

Over millions of years, these changes can cause new species to evolve and existing species to adapt to their environments.

What is inheritance and variation?

 Some traits, like eye colour or fur pattern, are passed from parents to offspring, but these traits can vary among siblings. • Traits are passed from parents to offspring through units called genes, which are found in DNA.

Variation

Variation is all the differences that exist in a population of the same species. These differences are caused by:

• Genetic variation - these are differences between individuals that are inherited from parents, such as the colour of your eyes, hair and skin.
• Environmental variation - these are differences between individuals that are not inherited but caused by the environment that the organism lives in, including scars and tattoos.
• Genetic and environmental variation - differences between individuals that are caused by both genetic and environmental factors, such as height and weight.

Gene inheritance

• Characteristics like eye colour and genetic diseases are inherited.
• A Punnett square can be used to work out the probability of offspring inheriting some characteristics.
• Heredity is the study of inheritance.

Working with their partner, the children discussed all the types of characteristics of each other and their families.

The children looked and discussed both a physical and behavioural adaptation observed in the animals below

Various answers, for example:

Penguins have waterproof feathers and huddle to keep themselves warm.

Lions have sharp incisors to rip apart meat and lie in wait to surprise their prey.

Plants have physical and behavioural adaptations that help them survive in their specific environments.

                Cacti have thick stems that store water, helping them survive in hot, dry environments

                       Mangroves have roots above the water to take in oxygen in areas with salty, muddy soil.

          Lichens stay dormant when it is cold or dry and only become active when moisture is available.

The children have been looking at different planets to understand  why plants adapt to their environments.

Carl Linnaeus is famous for his work in taxonomy: the science of identifying, naming and classifying organisms (plants, animals, bacteria, fungi and more).

Every species has its own unique scientific name that is chosen by the individual or team that discovers it. The name usually reflects something about the species itself.

Carl Linnaeus came up with the 'binomial' naming system, which means two names. Every species is known by two names. We are Homo sapiens (meaning wise man).