Evidence for Evolution

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Evolution and Diversity

Evolution and Diversity

The foundation for the theory of evolution was laid by Charles Darwin (Rose, n.d.). He developed hypotheses about natural selection which helped scientists develop the theory. Evolution is a theory and not a hypothesis because evolution has been proven by vast amounts of scientific data, research, and testing. The definition of a hypothesis is an educated explanation that needs to be researched and tested but has not yet been proven (Earman, 1984). There has been no scientific evidence to disprove the theory of evolution.

The fossil record is evidence of evolution. Fossils are often fingerprints of evolution. They help scientists track how species evolved over millions of years (2010). Historical biogeography is responsible for determining the geographical origin of a species and history (Guiterrez-Garcia, 2010). They often trace the origin of a new species due to an isolation in geography or the movement to a new location, and evolved into a new distinct species. Comparative anatomy began even before the theory of evolution. Scientists researched how species were similar, organ systems developed, and limbs evolved (Abdala, 2010). This can help scientists start to understand how or why a species separated. Comparative anatomy is scientific proof of evolution. Embryology is similar to comparative anatomy. Embryology studies the similarities among embryos (Hall, 2010). Animal embryo cells develop similarly regardless of species until certain point when differences begin to develop. These markers are evolutionary evidence for when species began to separate. Molecular biology uses the analysis of RNA and DNA to mark the evolution of a species ...

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...eography: Designing Studies while Surviving the Process. Bioscience, 61(11), 857-868. doi: 10.1525/bio.20l1.61.11.5

Hall, B. K. (2010). Charles Darwin, embryology, evolution and skeletal plasticity. Journal Of Applied Ichthyology, 26(2), 148-151. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0426.2010.01394.x

Hlodan, O. (2011). Molecular Insights into Classic Examples of Evolution. Bioscience, 61(4), 264-267. doi:10.1525/bio.2011.61.4.4

Petren, K. K., Grant, P. R., Grant, B. R., & Keller, L. F. (2005). Comparative landscape genetics and the adaptive radiation of Darwin's finches: the role of peripheral isolation. Molecular Ecology, 14(10), 2943-2957. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02632.x

Rose, M. R. (n.d). Darwin's Spectre : Evolutionary Biology in the Modern World.

Smith, T. M., & Smith, R. L. (2009). Elements of ecology (7 ed.). San Francisco, Calif.

Pearson / Benjamin Cummings.

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