Deck 14: Evolution: Today and Tomorrow

Question 1

Recent genetic analysis shows that the gene for pale skin present in many Europeans can be traced to Homo sapiens' earliest migrations to Europe.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

There is no evidence that natural selection continues to play a role in our biology.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Stable isotopic analysis of oxygen from ice cores is used to document temperature change throughout history.Information for the Holocene indicates:

A)the last 50 yBP were the coldest period in the last 700,000 yBP.
B)the last 50 yBP were the warmest period in the last 9,000 yBP.
C)the last 50,000 yBP have been the warmest on record.
D)none of the above

Answer 3

the last 50 yBP were the warmest period in the last 9,000 yBP.

Question 4

Anthropogenic forces that contribute to greenhouse gases include all of the following EXCEPT:

A)burning of fossil fuels.
B)farming.
C)movements of the continental plates.
D)deforestation.

Question 5

Parents with asthma are more likely to have children with allergies.

Question 6

Some of the most compelling scientific evidence for global climate change is:

A)the 85% reduction in the size of ice fields atop Mt.Kilimanjaro,in Tanzania.
B)a 1.3°F increase in global temperatures during the last 100 years.
C)the increase of sea levels by 12 cm during the last 100 years.
D)all of the above

Question 7

Climate scientists predict a shifting pattern of precipitation with:

A)increasing dryness in the American Southwest and Midwest.
B)increasing wetness in the American Southwest and Midwest.
C)overall increased food supply.
D)reduced precipitation in the northern United States and in Europe.

Question 8

The record of human evolution over the last 5 myBP suggests that humans will develop the means for dealing with temperature change and with environmental disruption.

Question 9

Allergic reactions to food are a signal that the body is responding to something perceived as a foreign antigen.

Question 10

Endotoxins appear important in the development of a healthy immune system.

Question 11

Evidence for continued biological evolution in humans and in other organisms includes all of the following EXCEPT:

A)increasing numbers of antibiotic-resistant strains of tuberculosis.
B)high frequencies of the sickle-cell trait in malaria-endemic areas.
C)technological solutions for coping with climate change.
D)antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in hospitals.

Question 12

Reduction of biodiversity:

A)has few negative impacts for humans.
B)reduces our ability to produce food.
C)cannot be slowed.
D)all of the above

Question 13

The burning of coal is one of the main contributing factors to global warming.

Question 14

Health conditions considered climate-sensitive and likely to increase with increasing greenhouse gases include:

A)cardiovascular disease.
B)malaria.
C)malnutrition.
D)all of the above

Question 15

The United States will be relatively unaffected by the impacts of global warming.

Question 16

Burning of fossil fuels represents the earliest way in which humans began to alter their environment.

Question 17

Global warming affects us through all of the following EXCEPT:

A)potentially negative impacts on food production.
B)reduction of disease vectors.
C)melting ice masses and coastal flooding.
D)none of the above

Question 18

Climate changes bring about illness and death because of:

A)hot and cold temperature extremes.
B)declines in air quality and water quality.
C)evolution of disease-causing microorganisms.
D)all of the above

Question 19

Analysis by McKee and colleagues of changes in human growth rates and population density and the effects of those changes on biodiversity indicates:

A)human population growth rates are correlated with numbers of threatened species.
B)increases in human population density are strongly correlated with numbers of threatened species.
C)species extinction rates are not expected to increase with human population densities.
D)both A and B

Question 20

Geneticists have already identified a couple of dozen genes that appear to confer selective advantages to human carriers.

Question 21

According to the text,among Ribeirinhos communities in Brazil,involvement in the market economy resulted in:

A)increased levels of malnutrition.
B)adult males becoming more obese than females.
C)adult females becoming more obese than males.
D)none of the above

Question 22

The United Nations uses the term "silent tsunami" to refer to:

A)increasing urbanization and human population growth.
B)increasing infectious disease.
C)both A and B
D)none of the above

Question 23

According to the text,approximately what percentage of urban populations reside in slums without access to basic sanitation?

A)10%
B)75%
C)40%
D)25%

Question 24

Obesity is associated with all of the following health problems EXCEPT:

A)cardiovascular disease.
B)Tay-Sachs disease.
C)diabetes.
D)sleep disorders.

Question 25

Evidence of humankind's role in the evolution of other species includes:

A)DDT-resistant mosquitos.
B)antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
C)fish with slower and thinner bodies because of overfishing.
D)all of the above

Question 26

Life expectancy in the United States has:

A)increased since 1900,due largely to improvements in medicine and in sanitation.
B)decreased since 1900,because of fast food and sedentary lifestyles.
C)not been affected by nutrition.
D)decreased since 1900,due to a rise in infectious disease.

Question 27

What percentage of the world's population currently lives in cities?

A)25%
B)90%
C)75%
D)50%

Question 28

The epidemiologist who proposed the hygiene hypothesis found that:

A)hay fever and eczema were less frequent in families with more children.
B)allergies were more common in families with more children.
C)reduced exposure to infectious agents protected against the development of allergies.
D)dander from domestic animals caused allergies.

Question 29

Between 1961 and 1987 in the Soviet Union:

A)disease decreased because of increased access to medical technology.
B)cardiovascular disease and diabetes increased,linked to a dietary increase of both sugar and red meat.
C)HIV became a dominant cause of mortality.
D)none of the above

Question 30

Industrialization is associated with:

A)decrease in asthma.
B)increase in environmental pollutants.
C)decrease in processed and refined foods in the diet.
D)reduction of poverty.

Question 31

The hygiene hypothesis proposes that the allergy epidemic has been brought about by too many:

A)dirt particles in the environment.
B)industrial environmental pollutants.
C)endotoxins.
D)none of the above

Question 32

All adults experience age-related bone loss after about age:

A)40.
B)50.
C)60.
D)30.

Question 33

Climate change is expected to have a marked impact on human health by increasing illness and death due to all of the following EXCEPT:

A)extreme heat and extreme cold.
B)overpopulation.
C)decline in air quality and water quality.
D)the evolution of disease-causing microorganisms.

Question 34

One major threat from global warming is the flooding of low-lying areas from the melting of glaciers and of polar ice caps.Scientists predict that over centuries sea levels could rise by as much as:

A)10 m.
B)4-6 mm.
C)4-6 m.
D)none of the above

Question 35

The nutrition transition refers to:

A)shifts to higher protein diets.
B)shifts to higher fat,higher carbohydrate diets.
C)shifts to lower fat,lower carbohydrate diets.
D)none of the above

Question 36

Common allergens include all of the following EXCEPT:

A)dust mites.
B)cabbage.
C)dander from animals.
D)pollen.

Question 37

Researchers have discovered a genetic mutation at the CCR5 locus that reduces susceptibility to HIV-AIDS infection.The mutation appears:

A)less common in European than in Asian populations.
B)most common in African populations.
C)likely related to increased resistance to smallpox and plague in Europe about 5,000 yBP.
D)none of the above

Question 38

If human population density continues to increase unabated,by 2050 most nations are expected to see a ____________ reduction in biodiversity:

A)40%
B)75%
C)14%
D)none of the above

Question 39

Hip fractures in older adults are:

A)more common in modern societies than in previous ones.
B)related to increased longevity.
C)related to reduced activity levels in industrialized societies.
D)all of the above

Question 40

Since the Civil War period,body weight in the United States has increased because of:

A)increased height.
B)more protein in the diet.
C)increased body fat.
D)both A and C.

Question 41

Of the 6.8 billion people in the world today,____________ suffer from malnutrition.

A)10 million.
B)100 million.
C)1 billion.
D)3 billion.

Question 42

The H2 haplotype on chromosome 17 occurs in about 21% of European women.Natural selection is strongly implicated because:

A)H2 women are infertile.
B)H2 women have 3.5% more children than do non-H2 women.
C)H2 women have 25% more children than do non-H2 women.
D)H2 women suffer from high rates of tuberculosis.

Question 43

What are the most important forces shaping human biology today?

Question 44

Increases in technology result in all of the following EXCEPT:

A)alteration in cranial form.
B)increases in the prevalence of osteoporosis.
C)decreasingly gracile postcrania.
D)increases in malocclusions.

Question 45

After conducting stable isotope analysis of an ice core you record a high level of 18O at a particular layer.This suggests that:

A)the climate at this time was cold.
B)the climate at this time was warm.
C)the climate at this time was dry.
D)the climate at this time was humid.

Question 46

Pale skin has recently been linked to both a genetic mutation and selection in:

A)ancient Asian populations.
B)ancient African populations.
C)relatively recent European farming populations.
D)ancient European populations.

Question 47

A publication in the year 2020 reports on the results of autopsies of elderly people in three cultures.Of individuals in the study,90% showed signs of osteoporotic fractures and osteoporosis.The researchers suggest that these populations:

A)decreased the longevity of individuals through poor medical care.
B)increased the longevity of individuals using technological advances.
C)consumed fewer dairy products than individuals in other cultures,leading to bone conditions.
D)none of the above

Question 48

Discuss how the forces of evolution operate on human populations today.

Question 49

The changes observed in the peppered moth as a result of the Industrial Revolution were an example of:

A)evolution in action.
B)natural selection.
C)evolution as the result of anthropogenic influences.
D)none of the above

Question 50

Are we still evolving? What will human biology look like in the future?

Question 51

Compare and contrast the causes and effects of global warming during the Eocene with those occurring today.

Question 52

What are the biological consequences of global climate change,population increase,and technology?

Question 53

Among children in rural Oaxaca after the 1960s,shorter,rounder heads and narrower faces are likely related to:

A)increased intelligence.
B)higher amounts of protein in the diet.
C)softer,more processed corn and other foods.
D)none of the above

Question 54

The global warming that naturally occurred during the Eocene resulted in the rise of the primate order;the global warming that is taking place today will likely have negative impacts for humans such as:

A)changes in crop production as a result of decreased precipitation.
B)extinction of certain species unrelated to habitat loss.
C)lower sea levels,resulting in the addition of coastal lands on multiple continents.
D)none of the above

Question 55

One of the most common ways that humans adapt to changing circumstances is:

A)biologically.
B)genetically.
C)technologically.
D)none of the above