Mari Orikasa

ANTH 1020
Melissa Schaefer
February 6, 2015
ePortfolio
There was an experiment Find a convenient tool to pick sunflower seeds on a table in a
classroom on 27th January, 2015. There were 32 of students in a classroom. Each student was handed a
tool; tongs, chopsticks, cloth pin, large hairclips, tweezers, Binder clip, small hairclip, chip clip. The
students did not have a choice to pick up a tool. The students spread sunflower seeds on a table in a
classroom and picked the seeds as many in 60 seconds. The purpose of this experiment was to
understand the theory of evolution by natural selection and of the scientific (empirical) method.

Charles Darwin collected finches in Galapagos Island in 1835. He

collected 15 finches and organized them after the voyage.
Darwin did not notice that different islands had different finches.
Neither did he realize that the finches were closely related despite
their differences in beak shape. He did not match different beak
shapes to different diets. Even after his return to London, Darwin's
biographers note that he "remained confused by the Galapagos
finches...unaware of the importance of their different beaks...He
had no sense of a single, closely related group becoming
specialized and adapted to different environmental niches."
(p. 209, Darwin - A. Desmond and J. Moore).
Darwin did not have a clear the idea; Natural Selection through his finch collection, but he had
an awareness through his voyage. British biologists Peter Raymond Grant and Barbara Rosemary Grant
have been researching the finches in Daphne Island since 1977. Their data and research show that
natural selection can be happen in a short period of the time.
Peter and Rosemary Grant have spent twenty years proving that Darwin did not know the
strength of his own theory. For among the finches of Daphne Major, natural selection is neither
rare nor slow: it is taking place by the hour, and we can watch... Darwin's finches and come up
with a new understanding of life itself. (Buffalo & Eric Public Library)
Peter and Rosemary Grant also found that the origin of
the finch flew from the main island, and separated into 13
different kinds of finches.

Results: Data: 27 January, 2015

Beak Types
Tongs

Chopsticks

Beginning
#: 2

Round 1
#: 2

Round 2
#: 2

Round 3
#: 2

Round 4
#: 2

Round 5
#: 1

Freq:

Freq:

Freq: 6.25

Freq:

Freq:

Freq:

6.25%

6.25

6.25

6.25

3.13

#: 5

#: 7

#: 6

#: 5

#: 5

#: 4

Freq: 15.6

Freq:

Freq: 1.88

Freq:

Freq:

Freq:

15.6

15.6

12.5

21.88
Cloth Pin

#: 5

#: 3

#: 4

#: 4

#: 5

#: 2

Freq: 15.6

Freq:

Freq: 12.5

Freq:

Freq:

Freq:

12.5

15.6

6.25

9.38
Large Hairclip

#: 5

#: 5

#: 4

#: 4

#: 4

#: 4

Freq: 15.6

Freq:

Freq: 12.5

Freq:

Freq:

Freq:

12.5

12.5

12.5

15.6
Tweezers

Binder Clip

#:5

#: 6

#: 7

#: 8

#: 9

#: 10

Freq: 15.6

Freq:

Freq:

Freq: 25

Freq:

Freq:

18.75

21.88

28.13

31.25

#: 5

#: 4

#: 3

#: 3

#: 2

#: 2

Freq: 15.6

Freq:

Freq:9.38

Freq:

Freq:

Freq:

9.36

6.25

6.25

12.5
Small Hairclip

#: 5

#:5

#:3

#:5

#:4

#:4

Chip Clip

Freq:

Freq:

Freq:

Freq:

Freq:

Freq:

5.6

15.6

3.975

15.6

12.5

12.5

3.13

3.13

3.13

3.13

My Hypothesis were (1) Tweezers can pick the sunflower seeds the most, because tweezers
were invented to pick the small objects close to hands. (2) Large hairclip will be the worst, because the
shape of the tooth of the large hairclip is not for picking small objects.

Graph of the Result

Tweezer

Tongs
Series6

Sm, Hairclip

Series5

Lg, Hairclip

Series4

Clothpin

Series3

Chopsticks

Series2
Series1

Chip Clip
Binder Clip
0

10

12

The numbers of frequency changed as shown the data sheet and the bar graph. The number of
the tweezers changed from 5 to 10 (200% increased), tongs changed from 2 to 1 (50% deceased), small
hairclips changed from 5 to 4 (25% decreased), large hairclip changed from 5 to 4 (25% decreased), cloth
pins changed from 5 to2 (60% decreased), chopsticks changed from 5 to 4 (25% decreased), chip clip did
not change from 1 (0% change), and binder clips changed from 5 to 2 (60% decreased).
Conclusion:
My hypothesis, tweezers will do the beat was right, because the frequency number has
increased 200%, and my hypothesis, Large Hairclip will not do well was wrong, because cloth pin and
binder clip, both have decreased 60%.
I tell a few reasons why the numbers have changed through my experience of the experiment. I
used chopsticks and I became tired in the end of the experiments. My numbers of the sunflower seeds
decreased in the end. I think large hairclip might be easy to handle for long time, because it has proper
handles for hands. People use the handle of the cloth clips and the binder clips for short time. It means
it was not designed to use for long period of the time, and also these tools are not for picking the small
objects. The handler might get a wright or wrong tool.
If the results become same all of the time after the experiments, you can set a theory can be
valid. But if the results change many times, it is hard to find the theory. You might have to try the
experiments many times till the results settle.

What is the scientific method?

It is the way to find the answer when you have question through experiments. First, find a
question, make your own hypothesis, then try the experiments. Check the results and find the answer.
The experiments will be repeated many times to collect the data.
The scientific methods are used in many fields. For example, in medical field how the medicine
works to different patients? In psychology field how the mental dysfunction occurs in different brain
area?
c. It used research, development, and comparisons to determine the best result.

Theory of evolution by natural selection: *Pictures are from (Understanding Evolution)

There are the same species but with different colors.

Predators ate all of the particular color of

the species.

The species which the predators ate reduce in population.

The species which the predators did not eat increased in

population.

The population of the species change depends on the environments.

The experiments in the class showed the sample of the natural selection. The strong handler
who had the right tool picked the sunflower seeds the most. There are many kinds of tools to pick up
the sunflower seeds in the class. The right tool which was invented to pick the small objects did the best.

It means if the finch has the right beak to survive the environment at the time, could increase in
population. Another example, the binder clip was not invented to pick up small objects. It is for bundling
paper, not for picking up the small objects. It means the finch has the wrong beak, it will be hard to
survive the environments, and the population could be deceased. If the experiment was what is the
best tool to pick up the sunflower seeds on the ground, the result would be different. I think the tongs
will do the best. The results will be change, if the environment were different.

Work Cited
"Dawrin's Fichies." Truthinscience. Truth in Science, 1 Jan. 2005. Web. 1 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.truthinscience.org.uk/tis2/index.php/evidence-for-evolution-mainmenu-65/53-darwinsfinches.html>.
Johnathan, Weiner. "The Beak of the Finch : A Story Evolution in Our Time." SUMMARY. Buffalo & Eric
County Library, 1 Jan. 1994. Web. 1 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.buffalolib.org/vufind/Record/793145/Reviews>.
"Natural Selection." Understanding Revolution. Web. 4 Feb. 2015.
<http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_25>.