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The Berkeley Evolution Site

The Berkeley site contains resources that can help students and educators understand and teach evolution. The materials are arranged in optional learning paths like "What does T. rex look like?"

Charles Darwin's theory on natural selection describes how species who are better equipped to adapt biologically to changing environment survive over time and those that do not become extinct. This process of evolution is what science is all about.

What is Evolution?

The word evolution can have a variety of meanings that are not scientific. For instance it could refer to "progress" and "descent with modifications." It is an academic term that is used to describe the process of change of traits over time in organisms or species. The reason for this change is biological terms on natural selection and drift.

Evolution is a fundamental concept in modern biology. It is an accepted theory that has stood the tests of time and thousands of scientific tests. Contrary to other theories of science such as the Copernican theory or the germ theory of disease, evolution does not address questions of religion or the existence of God.

Early evolutionists, such as Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Erasmus Darwin (Charles's grandfather) believed that certain physical characteristics were predetermined to change in a gradual way, over time. This was called the "Ladder of Nature", or scala Naturae. Charles Lyell used the term to describe this idea in his Principles of Geology, first published in 1833.

In the early 1800s, Darwin formulated his theory of evolution and published it in his book On the Origin of Species. It asserts that all species of organisms have a common ancestry which can be traced through fossils and other evidence. This is the current understanding of evolution that is supported by numerous lines of research in science which includes molecular genetics.

While scientists do not know exactly how organisms developed but they are certain that the evolution of life on earth is a result of natural selection and genetic drift. Individuals with advantageous characteristics are more likely to live and reproduce. They pass on their genes on to the next generation. Over ??????? and develops into new species.

Some scientists also use the term"evolution" to describe large-scale evolutionary changes such as the creation of an entirely new species from an ancestral species. Other scientists, like population geneticists, define evolution more broadly by referring an overall variation in the frequency of alleles over generations. Both definitions are valid and palatable, but some scientists believe that allele-frequency definitions omit important features of evolution.

Origins of Life

A key step in evolution is the appearance of life. This happens when living systems begin to evolve at the micro level, within individual cells, for instance.

The origin of life is an important issue in a variety of disciplines such as biology and chemistry. The question of how living things started is of particular importance in science because it is a major challenge to the theory of evolution. It is sometimes referred to as "the mystery" of life or "abiogenesis."

The notion that life could arise from non-living things was called "spontaneous generation" or "spontaneous evolutionary". This was a common belief prior to Louis Pasteur's tests showed that the creation of living organisms was not possible through a natural process.

Many scientists still think it is possible to transition from living to nonliving substances. However, the conditions needed are extremely difficult to replicate in a laboratory. Researchers investigating the nature of life are also interested in understanding the physical properties of early Earth and other planets.

Furthermore, the growth of life depends on a sequence of very complex chemical reactions that can't be predicted from basic physical laws alone. These include the reading of long information-rich molecules (DNA or RNA) into proteins that carry out a function and the replication of these complex molecules to create new DNA or RNA sequences. These chemical reactions can be compared to a chicken-and egg problem which is the development and emergence of DNA/RNA, a protein-based cell machinery, is necessary for the onset life. But, without life, the chemistry that is required to make it possible does appear to work.

Research in the field of abiogenesis requires collaboration between scientists from many different fields. This includes prebiotic scientists, astrobiologists and planet scientists.

Evolutionary Changes

The term "evolution" is typically used today to describe the cumulative changes in the genetic traits of an entire population over time. These changes may result from adaptation to environmental pressures, as explained in the article on Darwinism (see the entry on Charles Darwin for background) or may result from natural selection.

This process increases the frequency of genes that confer a survival advantage in a species, resulting in an overall change in the appearance of a group. These changes in evolutionary patterns are caused by mutations, reshuffling of genes during sexual reproduction and the flow of genes.

While mutation and reshuffling of genes occur in all living things The process through which beneficial mutations become more common is known as natural selection. This occurs because, as we've mentioned earlier those with the advantageous trait are likely to have a higher fertility rate than those who do not have it. This differential in the number of offspring born over a long period of time can cause a gradual change in the number of advantageous traits in the group.

This can be seen in the evolution of different beak designs on finches that are found in the Galapagos Islands. They have developed these beaks so that they can eat more quickly in their new home. These changes in shape and form could also help create new organisms.


The majority of changes are caused by a single mutation, but sometimes several occur at once. Most of these changes can be neutral or even harmful however, a few may have a positive effect on survival and reproduction and increase their frequency as time passes. This is the way of natural selection, and it could eventually result in the accumulating changes that eventually result in a new species.

Many people confuse evolution with the idea of soft inheritance, which is the idea that traits inherited from parents can be changed through conscious choice or by abuse. This is a misunderstanding of the biological processes that lead up to evolution. A more accurate description is that evolution involves a two-step process, that involves the distinct, and often competing, forces of mutation and natural selection.

Origins of Humans

Humans today (Homo sapiens) evolved from primates, a group of mammals that includes chimpanzees and gorillas and bonobos. The earliest human fossils show that our ancestors were bipeds. They were walking on two legs. Genetic and biological similarities suggest that we are closely related to Chimpanzees. In actual 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 modern humans and chimpanzees was 8 to 6 million years old.

Humans have evolved a wide range of traits throughout time including bipedalism, the use of fire and advanced tools. It is only within the last 100,000 years that we have developed the majority of our key traits. These include language, large brain, the capacity to build and use complex tools, and cultural diversity.

Evolution occurs when genetic changes allow members of a population to better adapt to their environment. Natural selection is the process that drives this adaptation. Certain characteristics are more desirable than others. The more adaptable are more likely to pass their genes on to the next generation. This is the way all species evolve and is the foundation for the theory of evolution.

Scientists refer to it as the "law of natural selection." The law states that species that share a common ancestor tend to develop similar traits over time. This is because these traits allow them to live and reproduce in their environment.

Every organism has the DNA molecule, which contains the information necessary to direct their growth. The structure of DNA is composed of base pair that are arranged in a spiral around phosphate and sugar molecules. The sequence of bases within each strand determines the phenotype or the individual's unique appearance and behavior. Variations in changes and reshuffling of genetic material (known as alleles) during sexual reproduction can cause variation in a group.

Fossils of the earliest human species, Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis were discovered in Africa, Asia, and Europe. These fossils, despite some differences in their appearance, all support the idea of modern humans' origins in Africa. The fossil and genetic evidence suggests that early humans left Africa and migrated to Asia and Europe.

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