The Natural Selection Song

Details

Description

Project for Bi213H at Oregon State

Lyrics:

Intro:
Today the world is a beautiful place, it’s got
Bugs, birds, mice, and manta rays,
But how did the earth get this way?
With all the fun creatures we see today?

Chorus:
Natural selection!
The good things get more common
And the bad things fade away.
Descent with modification!
Parents pass their genes down
To their kids, and now we say:
Thanks to Charles Darwin we know,
Evolution’s how the earth became this way.

Verse 1:
Now I’ll tell you a story of a gorilla named Gary,
Who wanted to know how he got so hairy,
Did his parents get cold?
And grow some extra fur?
No, that’s called Lamarkism, and now we know that’s silly.

Chorus 1:
Natural selection!
Hair helped the gorillas,
Over time it came to stay.
Descent with modification!
Gary’s parents passed their genes down
For his hair and now we say,
Thanks to Charles Darwin we know,
Evolution’s how Gary got this way.

Verse 2:
Now I’ll tell you a story of a snake named Sue,
Who wanted to know what her hip bones used to do,
Why does she have these bones?
If she doesn’t have legs?
They’re called Vestigial Structures, and this is why they stay:

Chorus 2:
Natural selection!
Over time less legs were better
To do snake stuff like catch prey.
Descent with modification!
Through divergent evolution
Legs are lost but hip bones stay,
Thanks to Charles Darwin we know,
Evolution’s how Sue got this way.

Verse 3:
Now I’ll tell you about a ground finch named Frederick,
Who had a smaller beak than the tree finch Kendrick.
It has to do with Niches
That each type of finch chose,
That caused the speciation, where differences arose.

Chorus 3:
Natural selection!
Their homes and types of seeds they ate
Caused differences today.
Descent with modification!
The finches’ beaks changed separately,
And this is why we say
Thanks to Charles Darwin we know,
Evolution’s how Frederick got this way.

Verse 4:
Now my final story is a cautionary tale,
About a flying squirrel and a sugar glider named Gail.
They look almost the same,
But don’t be fooled,
It’s just convergent evolution, analogous structures are to blame.

Chorus 4:
Natural selection!
Separately, they both got
flaps that help them glide and play,
Descent with modification!
They aren’t all that related,
But they look like it today.

Thanks to Charles Darwin we know,
Evolution’s how Gail got this way.

And thanks to Charles Darwin we know,
Evolution’s how the earth became this way.