10 Great Books On Evolution Site
The Berkeley Evolution Site
The Berkeley site offers resources that can help students and educators learn about and teach evolution. The materials are organized into optional learning paths, such as "What did T. rex taste like?"
Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection states that in time, creatures more adaptable to changing environments survive and those that do not become extinct. This process of evolution in biology is the main focus of science.
What is Evolution?
The term "evolution" has a variety of nonscientific meanings. For instance "progress" or "descent with modification." Scientifically, it is a term used to describe a changing the characteristics of living organisms (or species) over time. In terms of biology, this change is based on natural selection and genetic drift.
Evolution is the central tenet of modern biology. It is an established theory that has withstood the test of time and a multitude of scientific tests. In contrast to other theories in science such as the Copernican theory or the germ theory of disease, evolution is not a discussion of religious belief or God's existence.
Early evolutionists, including Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Erasmus Darwin (Charles's grandfather), believed that certain physical traits were predetermined to change, in a step-wise manner, over time. This was referred to as the "Ladder of Nature" or scala Naturae. Charles Lyell used the term to describe this concept in his Principles of Geology, first published in 1833.
Darwin published his theory of evolution in his book On the Origin of Species, written in the early 1800s. It states that all species of organisms share the same ancestry, which can be traced through fossils and other evidence. This is the modern view of evolution, and is supported by numerous research lines in science, including molecular genetics.
Scientists aren't sure how organisms evolved but they are sure that natural selection and genetic drift is the primary reason for the development of life. Individuals with advantageous characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce. These individuals then pass their genes on to the next generation. Over time the gene pool slowly changes and develops into new species.
Some scientists also use the term evolution to refer to large-scale changes in evolutionary processes like the creation of the new species from an ancestral species. Other scientists, such as population geneticists, define it more broadly, referring to an overall variation in the frequency of alleles over generations. Both definitions are valid and acceptable, but some scientists believe that allele-frequency definitions do not include important aspects of evolutionary process.
Origins of Life
The birth of life is a crucial step in evolution. The emergence of life occurs when living systems start to develop at a micro level, such as within individual cells.
The origins of life are an issue in a variety of disciplines, including geology, chemistry, biology and chemistry. The question of how living things got their start is a major topic in science since it poses an important challenge to the theory of evolution. It is often referred to as "the mystery of life," or "abiogenesis."
The idea that life could emerge from non-living things was called "spontaneous generation" or "spontaneous evolutionary". It was a popular belief prior to Louis Pasteur's experiments proved that the creation of living organisms was not possible through an organic process.
Many scientists still believe that it is possible to make the transition from nonliving materials to living. The conditions necessary to create life are difficult to reproduce in a lab. This is why scientists investigating the origins of life are also interested in understanding the physical properties of early Earth and 에볼루션카지노사이트 other planets.
The growth of life is dependent on a variety of complex chemical reactions that are not predicted by basic physical laws. These include the transformation of long information-rich molecules (DNA or RNA) into proteins that perform some function and the replication of these complex molecules to produce new DNA or sequences of RNA. These chemical reactions can be compared with the chicken-and-egg issue: the emergence and development of DNA/RNA, a protein-based cell machinery, is required for the beginning of life. Although, without life, the chemistry needed to enable it does appear to work.
Abiogenesis research requires collaboration with researchers from different fields. This includes prebiotic chemists astrobiologists, planetary scientists, geologists and geophysicists.
Evolutionary Changes
Today, the word evolution is used to describe cumulative changes in genetic characteristics over time. These changes could result from the response to environmental pressures as explained in the article on Darwinism (see the entry on Charles Darwin for background), or from natural selection.
This is a method that increases the frequency of those genes in a species that confer an advantage in survival over other species which results in gradual changes in the overall appearance of a group. These changes in evolutionary patterns are caused by mutations, reshuffling genes in the process of sexual reproduction, and also by gene flow.
Natural selection is the process that makes beneficial mutations more common. All organisms undergo mutations and reshuffles of genes. As mentioned above, those who possess the desirable trait have a higher reproductive rate than those that do not. This differential in the number of offspring produced over a number of generations could result in a gradual change in the number of advantageous traits in a group.
This is evident in the evolution of different beak shapes for finches from the Galapagos Islands. They have developed these beaks in order they can get food more easily in their new environment. These changes in the shape and form of organisms could also help create new species.
The majority of changes are caused by a single mutation, but sometimes several occur simultaneously. Most of these changes can be neutral or even harmful however, a few can have a beneficial impact on survival and reproduction and increase their frequency over time. Natural selection is a process that causes the accumulating changes over time that lead to a new species.
Some people think that evolution is a form of soft inheritance, which is the idea that inherited traits can be changed by conscious choice or abuse. This is a misunderstanding of the biological processes that lead to evolution. A more accurate description is that evolution involves a two-step process, which involves the separate and often conflicting forces of mutation and natural selection.
Origins of Humans
Modern humans (Homo Sapiens) evolved from primates, a group of mammal species which includes chimpanzees as well as gorillas. The earliest human fossils indicate that our ancestors were bipeds - walking on two legs. Genetic and biological similarities suggest that we are closely related to Chimpanzees. In fact we are the most closely related to the chimpanzees within the Pan genus which includes bonobos and pygmy chimpanzees. The last common ancestor between humans and chimpanzees was 8 to 6 million years old.
Humans have developed a range of traits throughout time such as bipedalism, use of fire and advanced tools. It's only within the last 100,000 years that we have developed the majority of our essential characteristics. These include language, a large brain, the capacity to construct and use complex tools, as well as cultural diversity.
The process of evolution occurs when genetic changes enable members of an organization to better adapt to their environment. Natural selection is the mechanism that drives this change. Certain characteristics are more desirable than others. The better adjusted are more likely to pass on their genes to the next generation. This is how all species evolve and is the basis of the theory of evolution.
Scientists call it the "law of Natural Selection." The law states that species that have a common ancestor, tend to develop similar characteristics over time. This is because the characteristics make it easier for them to live and reproduce in their environments.
Every living thing has a DNA molecule that contains the information needed to guide their growth and development. The DNA structure is composed of base pairs which are arranged in a spiral, around sugar and phosphate molecules. The sequence of bases within each strand determines phenotype or the individual's unique appearance and 에볼루션 바카라 사이트 behavior. Variations in changes and reshuffling of genetic material (known as alleles) during reproduction causes variation in a population.
Fossils of the earliest human species, Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis, have been found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. These fossils, despite differences in their appearance all support the theory of the origins of modern humans in Africa. Evidence from fossils and genetics suggest that early humans migrated from Africa into Asia and 에볼루션 바카라사이트 게이밍 (you could look here) then Europe.