Emily's Take on Evolution

 In my own words I would explain evolution as changes in the heritable traits of a population of organisms across successive generations (I know this might sound close to what we discussed in class but I promise I didn't look at the definition haha). Natural selection is a mechanism by which evolution functions but they are not necessarily interchangeable terms despite what many people believe. For instance, a trait such as higher muscle mass might be highly favorable and allow those individuals with that trait to survive (a.k.a. natural selection), however if that trait was acquired through diet/exercise it is not heritable and therefore does not constitute evolution. I for a time believed the two to be almost the same so this is very interesting information to me and I am glad I have already learned something new. Although evolution may be seen as a progression or "climbing of a ladder" if you will, it is not always completely linear. Random events in nature, migration,...

 Hello everyone! My name is Emily Davoren. I am from Overland Park, Kansas. I am a biology major starting my senior year here at KSU. I hope to become a nurse practitioner that specializes in pediatrics. I have no clue exactly where that career will take me geographically, but getting out of Kansas at some point is the goal. I love traveling and I'd love to use my career as an avenue for doing so. I am very passionate about caring for others and using medicine to do so.  I love kids and being able to work with them and improve their quality of life in any way that I can is what I believe will be most fulfilling for me. The complexity of life itself and the way organisms function has always drawn me to biology. No matter how much you know or think you know, there is always something new to uncover. It might sound nerdy, but I love that! Evolution relates to my daily life because the world I live in is constantly changing. And as that world is changing, living things are continu...