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The Berkeley Evolution Site

The Berkeley site offers resources that can assist students and teachers understand and teach evolution. The resources are arranged into different learning paths such as "What did T. rex taste like?"

Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection explains how in time, creatures more adaptable to changing environments do better than those that are not extinct. Science is concerned with this process of evolutionary change.

What is Evolution?

The word evolution has many nonscientific meanings, such as "progress" or "descent with modification." It is a scientific term that is used to describe the process of changing characteristics in a species or species. In terms of biology this change is due to natural selection and genetic drift.

Evolution is one of the fundamental tenets of modern biology. It is a theory that has been tested and proven by a myriad of scientific tests. Unlike sell like the Copernican theory or the germ theory of disease, evolution is not a discussion of religious belief or the existence of God.

Early evolutionists like Erasmus Darwin (Charles’s grandfather) and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck believed that certain physical characteristics were predetermined to evolve in a step-like fashion over time. They called this 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.

Darwin published 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 common ancestors that can be traced using fossils and other evidence. This is the modern view on evolution, and is supported by a variety of disciplines, including molecular biology.

Scientists do not know the evolution of organisms, but they are confident that natural selection and genetic drift is responsible for the evolution of life. People with traits that are advantageous are more likely to survive and reproduce, and they pass their genes on to the next generation. In time, this results in an accumulation of changes to the gene pool which gradually lead to new species and forms.

Certain scientists use the term"evolution" to refer to large-scale changes, like the formation of a species from an ancestral one. Others, like population geneticists, define the term "evolution" more broadly by referring to a net change in allele frequencies over generations. Both definitions are valid and reliable however some scientists believe that the allele-frequency definition is missing essential aspects of the evolution process.

Origins of Life

The emergence of life is a key stage in evolution. This occurs when living systems begin to develop at a micro-level - within cells, for instance.

The origin of life is an important topic in many fields such as biology and chemistry. The origin of life is a subject of great interest in science because it challenges the theory of evolution. It is sometimes referred to as "the mystery" of life or "abiogenesis."

The notion that life could emerge from non-living matter was known as "spontaneous generation" or "spontaneous evolutionary". It 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 believe it is possible to make the transition from nonliving substances to life. The conditions needed to create life are difficult to reproduce in a lab. page interested in the origins and development of life are also keen to learn about the physical characteristics of the early Earth as well as other planets.

The development of life is dependent on a number of complex chemical reactions which are not predicted by simple physical laws. These include the transformation of long, information-rich molecules (DNA or RNA) into proteins that perform a function, and the replication of these complex molecules to create new DNA or sequences of RNA. These chemical reactions are often compared with the chicken-and-egg problem of how life began: The appearance of DNA/RNA and protein-based cell machinery is essential to the birth of life, but without the development of life, the chemistry that makes it possible is not working.

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

Evolutionary Changes

The term "evolution" is commonly used today to describe the accumulated changes in genetic characteristics of an entire population over time. These changes can be the result of adaptation to environmental pressures as discussed in Darwinism.

This process increases the frequency of genes that confer an advantage for survival in the species, leading to 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.

Natural selection is the process that allows beneficial mutations to become more common. All organisms undergo changes and reshuffles in their genes. This happens because, as we've mentioned earlier those with the beneficial trait tend to have a higher fertility rate than those who do not have it. Over the course of many generations, this difference in the numbers of offspring born could result in an inclination towards a shift in the average amount of desirable characteristics in a particular population.

This can be seen in the evolution of different beak shapes for finches from the Galapagos Islands. They have developed these beaks in order that they can access food more quickly in their new home. These changes in the shape and appearance of organisms can also aid in the creation of new species.

Most of the changes that occur are caused by one mutation, but occasionally several will happen at once. Most of these changes can be harmful or neutral, but a small number could have a positive impact on the survival of the species and reproduce with increasing frequency over time. This is the process of natural selection, and it could eventually result in the gradual changes that ultimately lead to an entirely new species.

Many people mistakenly associate evolution with the concept of soft inheritance that is the belief that traits inherited from parents can be changed through deliberate choice or misuse. This is a misunderstanding of the nature of evolution, and of the actual biological processes that cause it. It is more precise to say that evolution is a two-step independent process, that is influenced by the forces of natural selection as well as mutation.

Origins of Humans

Humans of today (Homo sapiens) evolved from primates - a species of mammals that includes chimpanzees, gorillas, and bonobos. Our ancestors walked on two legs, as demonstrated by the earliest fossils. Genetic and biological similarities suggest that we are closely related to chimpanzees. In fact our closest relatives are chimpanzees from the Pan genus. This includes pygmy as well as bonobos. The last common human ancestor as well as chimpanzees was born between 8 and 6 million years ago.

Humans have developed a range of traits throughout time, including bipedalism, the use of fire, and the development of advanced tools. It is only in the last 100,000 years or so that most of the important characteristics that differentiate us from other species have emerged. They include a huge brain that is sophisticated, the ability of humans to build 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. Natural selection is the process that drives this change. Certain characteristics are more desirable than others. People with better adaptations are more likely to pass their genes to the next generation. This is how all species evolve and the basis of the theory of evolution.

Scientists refer to this as the "law of natural selection." The law says that species that have a common ancestor, tend to develop similar characteristics over time. This is because these characteristics make it easier for them to survive and reproduce in their environments.

Every living thing has a DNA molecule, which contains the information needed to direct their growth and development. The structure of DNA is made of base pairs that are arranged in a spiral around sugar and phosphate molecules. The sequence of bases within each strand determines phenotype which is the person's distinctive appearance and behavior. Variations in a population are caused by mutations and reshufflings in genetic material (known collectively as alleles).


Fossils from the first human species, Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis have been found in Africa, Asia and Europe. These fossils, despite a few differences in their appearance, all support the theory of the origins of modern humans in Africa. Genetic and fossil evidence also suggest that early humans moved out of Africa into Asia and then Europe.

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