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The Berkeley Evolution Site

Teachers and students who browse the Berkeley site will find a wealth of resources to aid in understanding and teaching evolution. The resources are arranged into different learning paths like "What did T. rex taste like?"

Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection explains how over time, animals that are better able to adapt biologically to changing environments thrive, and those that are not extinct. Science is concerned with this process of biological evolution.

What is Evolution?

The word evolution has many nonscientific meanings. For instance "progress" or "descent with modification." Scientifically, it is a term used to describe a change in the characteristics of living organisms (or species) over time. The reason for this change is biological terms on natural selection and drift.

Evolution is an important tenet in the field of biology today. ???? ??? is a well-supported theory that has stood the test of time and thousands of scientific studies. It does not address spiritual beliefs or God's presence like other scientific theories such as the Copernican or germ theory of diseases.

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

Darwin revealed his theory of evolution in his book On the Origin of Species which was written in the early 1800s. It states that all species of organisms have a common ancestry, which can be proven through fossils and other lines of evidence. This is the current view of evolution, and is supported by many research lines in science which includes molecular genetics.

While scientists don't know exactly how organisms evolved, they are confident that the evolution of life on earth is a result of natural selection and genetic drift. People with traits that are advantageous are more likely to survive and reproduce, and these individuals pass their genes on to the next generation. As time passes, this results in a gradual accumulation of changes to the gene pool which gradually create new species and forms.

Some scientists use the term evolution in reference to large-scale changes, like the formation of one species from an ancestral one. Certain scientists, such as population geneticists, define evolution in a broad sense, using the term "net change" to refer to the change in the frequency of alleles across generations. Both definitions are acceptable and precise however some scientists believe that the allele-frequency definition omits essential aspects of the evolution process.

Origins of Life

The birth of life is an essential stage in evolution. This happens when living systems begin to develop at the micro level - within cells, for example.

The origins of life are an issue in a variety of disciplines such as geology, chemistry, biology and chemistry. The question of how living organisms began is a major topic in science since it poses a major challenge to the theory of evolution. It is sometimes referred to as "the mystery" of life or "abiogenesis."

Traditionally, the belief that life could emerge from nonliving things is known as spontaneous generation or "spontaneous evolution." This was a common belief before Louis Pasteur's research showed that it was impossible for the development of life to happen through a purely natural process.

Many scientists still believe that it is possible to transition from nonliving materials to living. The conditions necessary to create life are difficult to reproduce in a lab. Researchers interested in the origins and evolution of life are also eager to understand the physical properties of the early Earth as well as other planets.

The development 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 functions and the replication of these complex molecules to produce new DNA or sequences of RNA. These chemical reactions are often compared with the chicken-and-egg problem of how life first appeared with the development of DNA/RNA as well as proteins-based cell machinery is vital for the onset of life, however, without the development of life the chemical reaction that is the basis for it is not working.

Abiogenesis research requires collaboration between scientists from various fields. This includes prebiotic chemists, astrobiologists, planetary scientists, geologists and geophysicists.

Evolutionary Changes

Today, the word evolution is used to describe gradual changes in genetic traits over time. These changes could result from adaptation to environmental pressures, as explained in the article on Darwinism (see the entry on Charles Darwin for background), or from natural selection.

This mechanism also increases the frequency of genes that offer a survival advantage in a species, resulting in an overall change in the appearance of an entire group. The specific mechanisms behind these changes in evolutionary process include mutation or reshuffling genes during sexual reproduction, as well as gene flow between populations.

Natural selection is the process that makes beneficial mutations more frequent. ???? ?? undergo changes and reshuffles of genes. This occurs because, as we've mentioned earlier those with the beneficial trait tend to have a higher reproduction rate than those with it. Over the course of many generations, this variation in the number of offspring born can result in gradual changes in the average amount of desirable characteristics in a particular population.


This is evident in the evolution of different beak designs on finches that are found in the Galapagos Islands. They have created these beaks to ensure 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, however sometimes multiple occur at once. The majority of these changes could be negative or even harmful however, a few can have a beneficial impact on survival and reproduction with increasing frequency as time passes. This is the mechanism of natural selection, and it is able to eventually result in the cumulative changes that eventually result in an entirely new species.

Many people confuse the concept of evolution with the idea that traits inherited can be altered by conscious choice or by use and abuse, a concept known as soft inheritance. This is a misunderstood understanding of the nature of evolution, and of the actual biological processes that lead to it. A more precise description is that evolution is a two-step process involving the independent and often antagonistic forces of natural selection and mutation.

Origins of Humans

Humans of today (Homo Sapiens) evolved from primates, a group of mammal species which includes chimpanzees and gorillas. Our ancestral ancestors were walking on two legs, as shown by the oldest fossils. Genetic and biological similarities suggest that we are closely related to Chimpanzees. In actual fact we are the most closely with chimpanzees in the Pan genus which includes bonobos and pygmy chimpanzees. The last common ancestor of modern humans and chimpanzees dated 8 to 6 million years old.

Humans have developed a range of traits over time including bipedalism, the use of fire, and the development of advanced tools. However, it is only in the last 100,000 years or so that the majority of the important traits that distinguish us from other species have been developed. They include a huge brain that is sophisticated human ability to construct and use tools, and the diversity of our culture.

The process of evolution occurs when genetic changes allow individuals in a group to better adapt to their surroundings. This adaptation is triggered by natural selection, which is a process by which certain traits are favored over other traits. The more adapted are more likely to pass their genes on to the next generation. This is how all species evolve, and the basis for the theory of evolution.

Scientists refer to it as the "law of Natural Selection." The law states that species which have a common ancestor are likely to acquire similar traits as time passes. This is because these characteristics make it easier for them to live and reproduce in their environment.

Every living thing has a DNA molecule, which contains the information needed to direct their growth and development. The DNA structure is composed of base pairs which are arranged in a spiral, around phosphate and sugar molecules. The sequence of bases found in each strand determines the phenotype, the appearance and behavior of a person. Variations in mutations and reshufflings of the genetic material (known as alleles) during sexual reproduction cause variations in a population.

Fossils from the early human species Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis have been found in Africa, Asia and Europe. While there are some differences between them, these fossils all support the notion that modern humans first came into existence in Africa. The fossil and genetic evidence suggests that the first humans left Africa and moved to Asia and Europe.

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