The Berkeley Evolution Site<br /><br />Teachers and students who visit the Berkeley site will find a wealth of resources to help them understand and teach evolution. The resources are organized into different learning paths for example "What does T. rex look like?"<br /><br />Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection explains that in time, creatures more able to adapt to changing environments thrive, and those that do not become extinct. Science is concerned with this process of biological evolutionary change.<br /><br /><br /><br />What is Evolution?<br /><br />The term "evolution" can have many nonscientific meanings, including "progress" or "descent with modification." It is a scientific term that is used to describe the process of change of characteristics in a species or species. In biological terms this change is due to natural selection and genetic drift.<br /><br />Evolution is the central tenet of modern biology. It is an accepted theory that has stood up to the test of time and a multitude of scientific studies. Evolution doesn't deal with God's presence or spiritual beliefs, unlike many other scientific theories such as the Copernican or germ theory of diseases.<br /><br />Early evolutionists like Erasmus Darwin (Charles’s grandfather) and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck believed that certain physical characteristics were predetermined to evolve in a stepped-like manner over time. They called this 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.<br /><br />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 common ancestors that can be traced through fossils and other evidence. This is the current perspective on evolution, which is supported by a variety of scientific fields, including molecular biology.<br /><br />Scientists don't know how organisms have evolved but they are sure that natural selection and genetic drift is responsible for the development of life. People with desirable traits are more likely than others to survive and reproduce. These individuals transmit their genes on to the next generation. Over time the gene pool gradually changes and develops into new species.<br /><br />Some scientists also use the term"evolution" to refer to large-scale changes in evolutionary processes like the creation of an entirely new species from an ancestral species. Others, like population geneticists, define the term "evolution" more broadly by referring an overall change in allele frequencies over generations. Both definitions are accurate and palatable, but some scientists argue that allele-frequency definitions miss important aspects of the evolutionary process.<br /><br />Origins of Life<br /><br />The emergence of life is a crucial stage in evolution. This happens when living systems begin to develop at the micro level - within individual cells, for example.<br /><br />The origin of life is an important subject in a variety of fields that include biology and chemistry. The question of how living things started is a major topic in science since it poses an important challenge to the theory of evolution. It is often called "the mystery of life," or "abiogenesis."<br /><br />Traditionally, the notion that life could emerge from nonliving things is known as spontaneous generation, or "spontaneous evolution." This was a popular belief prior to Louis Pasteur's experiments showed that it was impossible for the emergence of life to be a result of the natural process.<br /><br />Many scientists believe it is possible to go 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 keen to understand the physical properties of the early Earth and other planets.<br /><br />Furthermore, the growth of life is dependent on a sequence of very complex chemical reactions that can't be predicted from the fundamental physical laws on their own. These include the reading and the replication of complex molecules, like DNA or RNA, in order to make proteins that perform a particular function. These chemical reactions are comparable to the chicken-and-egg issue which is the development and emergence of DNA/RNA, protein-based cell machinery, is essential for the beginning of life. But without life, the chemistry needed to make it possible is working.<br /><br />Research in the area of abiogenesis requires collaboration among scientists from various fields. This includes prebiotic chemists, astrobiologists, planetary scientists geophysicists, geologists, and geophysicists.<br /><br /><a href="https://evolutionkr.kr/">에볼루션사이트</a> , the word evolution is used to describe the cumulative changes in genetic characteristics over time. These changes could result from the response to environmental pressures as described in the entry on Darwinism (see the entry on Charles Darwin for background), or from natural selection.<br /><br />This is a process that increases the frequency of those genes that confer an advantage in survival over other species which results in an ongoing change in the overall appearance of a population. The specific mechanisms responsible for these evolutionary changes include mutation and reshuffling of genes in sexual reproduction, and also gene flow between populations.<br /><br />Natural selection is the process that makes beneficial mutations more frequent. All organisms undergo mutations and reshuffles in their genes. This is because, as we've mentioned earlier those who have the advantageous trait are likely to have a higher reproductive rate than those without it. This difference in the number of offspring produced over many generations can cause a gradual change in the average number advantageous traits within the group.<br /><br />This can be seen in the evolution of different beak shapes for finches from the Galapagos Islands. They have developed these beaks so they can get 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.<br /><br />The majority of changes are caused by one mutation, however sometimes multiple occur simultaneously. The majority of these changes are neutral or even detrimental to the organism, however a small portion of them could have an advantageous impact on the longevity and reproduction of the species, thus increasing the frequency of these changes in the population over time. Natural selection is a mechanism that could result in the accumulation of change over time that eventually leads to the creation of a new species.<br /><br />Many people mistakenly associate evolution with the concept of soft inheritance, which is the idea that inherited traits can be changed by conscious choice or by abuse. This is a misunderstanding of the biological processes that lead to the process of evolution. It is more precise to say that evolution is a two-step independent process, which involves the forces of natural selection and mutation.<br /><br />Origins of Humans<br /><br />Humans today (Homo sapiens) evolved from primates - a species of mammals that includes chimpanzees and gorillas and bonobos. The earliest human fossils show that our ancestors were bipeds. They were walkers 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 that includes pygmy and bonobos and pygmy chimpanzees. The last common ancestor of modern humans and chimpanzees was born between 8 and 6 million years ago.<br /><br />Humans have developed a range of traits over time such as bipedalism, use of fire, and the development of advanced tools. It's only within the last 100,000 years that we've developed the majority of our essential characteristics. These include a large brain that is complex human ability to construct and use tools, and cultural variety.<br /><br />The process of evolution occurs when genetic changes enable members of a group to better adapt to their environment. Natural selection is the process that drives this adaptation. Certain traits are preferred over others. The ones with the best adaptations 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.<br /><br />Scientists refer to this as the "law of natural selection." The law states that species which have a common ancestor are likely to develop similar traits as time passes. This is because those characteristics make it easier for them to survive and reproduce in their environments.<br /><br />Every organism has the DNA molecule, which contains the information necessary to direct their growth. The structure of DNA is composed of base pair which are arranged in a spiral, around sugar and phosphate molecules. The sequence of bases within each strand determines phenotype, or the individual's characteristic appearance and behavior. Different changes and reshuffling of genetic material (known as alleles) during reproduction causes variation in a group.<br /><br />Fossils from the early human species Homo erectus, as well as Homo neanderthalensis have been found in Africa, Asia and Europe. Despite some differences, these fossils all support the notion that modern humans first appeared in Africa. The genetic and fossil evidence suggests that the first humans left Africa and migrated to Asia and Europe.<br /><br />