"Evolution is the change in heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations."
The process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.
Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution: A comprehensive understanding of Charles Darwin’s research and publications, including his famous book ‘On the Origin of Species.’.
Mechanisms of Evolution: Understanding the mechanisms of natural selection, genetic drift, mutation, and gene flow.
Evidence for Evolution: The different types of evidence for evolution, including fossil records, biogeography, comparative anatomy and physiology, molecular biology.
The Evolutionary History of Life: Understanding the history and evolution of life on earth, including the different eras and the important events during those eras.
The Origin of Life: How life arose on earth and the different alternative theories.
The Relationship between Evolution and Religion: The various ways that religion and evolution interact, the arguments for each side, and the historical context of the conflict between science and religion.
Human Evolution: How humans evolved from early primates to hominids and eventually modern humans.
Principles of Genetics: Understanding the basic principles and mechanisms of genetics, and how they relate to evolution.
Reproductive Biology and Evolution: The role of reproductive biology in evolution and how it can shape the evolution of organisms.
Evolutionary Ecology: How evolution relates to ecology, including the concepts of niche, biodiversity, and community structure.
Evolutionary Psychology: Understanding how our evolutionary history has shaped our psychology, behavior and decision making.
The History of Evolutionary Thought: Understanding the historical context of the development of evolutionary theory and the major figures that have played a role in its development.
Criticisms of Evolution: The various criticisms of evolutionary theory, including Intelligent Design and creationism, and how scientists address those criticisms.
Applications of Evolutionary Theory: How evolutionary theory is applied in different fields, including agriculture, medicine, and conservation biology.
The Future of Evolution: How our understanding of evolution is evolving, and what new research and discoveries are revolutionizing our understanding of the topic.
Biological evolution: Refers to the changes in the characteristics of a population of organisms over time through the process of natural selection, genetic drift, and mutation.
Cosmic evolution: Describes the evolution of the universe over time, including the formation of stars and galaxies, and the eventual creation of planets such as Earth.
Chemical evolution: Focuses on the origin and evolution of organic molecules, particularly those that are involved in the development of life.
Physical evolution: Deals with the changes in physical traits over time, such as the evolution of human body size, shape, and bone structure.
Cultural evolution: Explores how human cultures and societies have changed over time, including the development of language, technology, and social norms.
Creationism: Holds that God created the universe and all living organisms in their present form, appearing as described in the book of Genesis.
Intelligent Design: Suggests that life, particularly living organisms' complex structures, were designed by a higher intelligence or divine being.
Theistic Evolution: Incorporates the scientific principles of evolution into a religious framework, suggesting that evolution was a process directed by God.
Atheistic Evolution: Holds that evolution occurred without any divine intervention and, as such, is devoid of any religious implications.
"The processes that change DNA in a population include natural selection, genetic drift, mutation, and gene flow."
"The theory of evolution by natural selection was conceived independently by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in the mid-19th century."
"Evolution occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation."
"Certain characteristics become more or less common within a population over successive generations."
"The theory was an explanation for why organisms are adapted to their physical and biological environments."
"(1) more offspring are often produced than can possibly survive; (2) traits vary among individuals; (3) different traits confer different rates of survival and reproduction; and (4) traits can be passed from generation to generation."
"Evolution was combined with Mendelian inheritance and population genetics to give rise to modern evolutionary theory."
"All life on Earth—including humanity—shares a last universal common ancestor (LUCA), which lived approximately 3.5–3.8 billion years ago."
"The fossil record includes a progression from early biogenic graphite to microbial mat fossils to fossilised multicellular organisms."
"Existing patterns of biodiversity have been shaped by repeated formations of new species (speciation), changes within species (anagenesis), and loss of species (extinction)."
"Morphological and biochemical traits tend to be more similar among species that share a more recent common ancestor, which historically was used to reconstruct phylogenetic trees."
"Their discoveries have influenced not just the development of biology but also other fields including agriculture, medicine, and computer science."
"Researchers have constructed theories based on evidence from the field or laboratory and on data generated by the methods of mathematical and theoretical biology."
"Traits can be passed from generation to generation (heritability of fitness)."
"The processes that change DNA in a population include natural selection, genetic drift, mutation, and gene flow."
"Existing patterns of biodiversity have been shaped by repeated formations of new species (speciation)."
"In this synthesis, the basis for heredity is in DNA molecules that pass information from generation to generation."
"Different traits confer different rates of survival and reproduction (differential fitness)."
"Their discoveries have influenced not just the development of biology but also other fields including agriculture, medicine, and computer science."