Evolution is a word that tricks a lot of people. My biology teacher from school believes that it definitely cannot be explained by a single definition. Many do not know how to define evolution with just words. At first, I thought evolution is the start of a brand-new field in biology. This means that understanding evolution is just merely a beginning. I brought this idea with me and participated in the second session of Columbia University’s summer school.
In the first class, my teacher Mr. Resch asked me a very interesting question: What is the difference between evolution and natural selection? When I heard this question, I was very surprised. In my brain, natural selection and evolution are two completely different biological terms. There was no way I was able to find out or know the difference to answer the question. Mr. Resch saw my look of confusion and started to laugh a little bit. He told me that he already expected me to be a bit clueless as it is why I enrolled in the class. He then continued, “If you already know the answer, you can leave the classroom. Because in that case, you’ve already answered the final exam.”
Throughout the class, Mr. Resch asked me to do a lot of simulations. All of those simulations represent different species. For example, my first task was to determine what type of bugs can survive in the end when two birds were acting as the predator’s role. After figuring out the answer by running through the simulation, I explained why that specific type of bugs survived in the end. By doing activities like the simulations, I learned the first steps of evolution in a very fast and unnoticeable speed.
However, not everything came out very smoothly when I was doing a simulation of different colored fish. I suddenly realized that there was one type of fish that behaved very differently than others. It was so different that I thought that that kind of fish does not prosper in the same environment as others. Initially, having this thought seemed ridiculous as I could not find a reasonable explanation to back up my claim. In the next class, I asked Mr. Resch about my observation. His answer crushed my previous thoughts on evolution. Mr. Resch said: “When Biologists research evolution, mutation is a key point. When researching evolution without counting in the factor of mutation, no matter how surprising the finding of that research is, no one will count that as successful research.” After Mr. Resch told me why the simulation would not work, I began to understand that evolution is not a complete accident. Still, some natural selection pressure adds with mutation; then evolution will start to act as a vital role to all animal species.
All in all, from the second session of summer school, I learned a lot about evolution and how species adapt to its environment. Also, I was able to gain a unique perspective, thinking about the concept of extinction in species. Most people blame hunters and humans for the cause of the extinctions. However, what will happen if there is no human factor? Will those animals survive? Maybe those humans who killed animals are just a booster that makes those animals extinct faster. I think these ideas are fascinating to delve into. If I have more opportunities in the future, I would love to further research this topic. In the end, I want to thank Mrs. Alexander and Mr. Resch, as they are the first two teachers who opened my eyes to biological research. Biology is much more than just memorizing definitions.
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