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Essay on evolution theory
An article on the theory of evolution
Essay on evolution theory
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How life came to be is a mystery that baffled the minds of even the smartest researchers. Although the researchers found no definite answers throughout the centuries, they had created many theories that could explain the origin of modern organisms. Evolution is a prominent theory among others, as supported by ancient ancestry, fossil evidence, and genetics. Evolution is the correct theory because the evidence, which is ancestry, fossil evidence, and genetics, proves evolution to have a solid argument.
First, fossils of organisms and their ancestors differ in order to fit the needs to survive, which explains evolution by showing that their skeletons change over a long or short period of time; this is similar to the definition provided by Dictionary.com. Two primary examples of fossil evidence would be shown through the whale skeletons throughout the centuries and ancient lizard fossil. The skeletons of whales have changed over time, from fossils showing that whales once had four limbs and were capable of walking on land. The modern whale skeleton has bones on the lower back, which are limb remnants of its prehistoric ancestor. The whale was not the only animal that lost its limbs; according to National Geographic, a 95 million year old fossil of a lizard with miniscule legs may be the ancient ancestor of the snake. The vestigial limbs show that the lizard was closer to evolving into the snake. In short, the changes of fossils which belong to the snakes and its predecessors show variations that allows one to believe that evolution had occurred.
Along with fossil evidence which shows the similarities between the skeletons over an extended period of time, geographical distribution is a strong point for evolution because it explains ...
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... to evolution and that people share DNA with other animals and plants.
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"Genetic Research Reinforces Theory Of Evolution." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 02 Aug. 2006. Web. 14 Dec. 2013.
"Geography." Lines of Evidence:. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.
"How Genetics Discoveries Affect Evolution Theories." How Genetics Discoveries Affect Evolution Theories. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013.
"Human Evolution Evidence." Human Evolution by The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
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"Top Ten Creationist Arguments (& How To Disprove Them)." Rainbow of Chaos. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013.
"Why Evolution Is True." Why Evolution Is True. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013.
... that was obtained on skull measurements was only on H. ergaster, H. erectus and H. sapiens. The evidence that ultimately decided the positioning of species were the muzzle angles, brain and body weight. The reason to choose this evidence as a primary source was because this data was the only data that covered the whole phylogeny.
Shubin, N.H., & Marshall, C.R. 2000. Fossils, genes and the origin of novelty. Paleobiology, 26(4): 324-340.
What is evolution? Evolution in modern terms is fairly easy to understand. Evolution is the theory that life on earth began with a single celled organism that lived more that 3.5 billion years ago that slowly evolved into many diverse creatures over time. When you break down this theory into sections you get 6 factors: evolution, gradualism, speciation, common ancestry, natural selection and nonselective mechanisms of evolutionary change.
The concept of transitional species is an important and complex notion in evolutionary biology. To begin with, there is no such thing as transitional species since all living things were always evolving in the past, not stopping at one stage or another, and they will continue to evolve in the future. In terms of evolutionary biology, we use the concept of transitional species as a way to dim ambiguity. Much like the use of the Linnean taxonomic system of species, we come up with concepts like transitional species to organize and classify species in order to understand their evolutionary roots and how those species changed through life’s history to become what they are today. “In the same way that the concept of species can be provisionally meaningful to describe organisms at a single point in time, the concept of transitional species can be provisionally meaningful to describe organisms over a length of time, usually quite a long time, such as hundreds of thousands or millions of years” (111). Though it can be difficult to distinguish what can be considered an ancestral species from another, the fossil record can show us how species change through time as they develop ways to adapt to stresses found in their environments. “In the modern sense, organisms or fossils that show intermediate stages between ancestral and that of the current state are referred to as transitional species” (222). The concept of transitional species is, in essence, fairly straight forward. This paper will outline the concept of transitional (or sometimes termed intermediate) species and the latter’s role in evolutionary biology, as well as go in depth about several common transitional species: Tiktaalik, an animal at the cusp between life in the water and ...
In the article "How the Snake Lost Its Legs," Carl Zimmer wrote about the common theory of snake evolution is about to be questioned. All vertebrates that live on land whether mammalian or reptilian are known as tetrapods. In most animals these feet evolved into other limbs, like arms for humans and into wings for birds; however, the snake lost its four feet altogether. The only sign that snakes ever had four feet is a remaining hip located within the rib cage. Paleontologists and herpetologists alike find it difficult to retrace the ancestry of snakes. Because of their scales, eggs, and subtle features of the skull, some scientists believe that snakes are descendants of lizards. However, this still does not explain how snakes lost their legs.
In order for a species to survive, its population has to evolve. Evolution is the process of gradual change driven by natural selection to improve survival. Evolution is the explanation of how life got to its current state. Before the idea of evolution, the Bible gave the explanation of how things came to be, the Theory of Creation. Charles Darwin is credited for developing the theory of evolution.
One could argue that our species does everything it can do secure a future for ourselves and our future generations. We have traveled to the stars and back, we explore every inch of our land and travel to the deepest depths of our oceans, and we probe the earth for any resources we can find, all in order to find the best possible option for the human species to survive. But are we really doing the right thing for our species to survive?
The evolutionary theory is the concept that species evolve over time through the mechanism of natural selection of survival and reproduction. Natural selection means acting on the assumption that various living organisms were produced by genetic diversity and mutation. The evolution theory may also be referred to as the philosophizing science. This theory states that all phenomena are derived from natural causes and can be explained by scientific laws without reference to a plan or purpose.
Creation Vs Evolution “The greatest mystery of existence is existence itself” (Chopra). Chopra, a world-renowned author, perceives the existence of life as a truly mystifying celebration. The pending question that many scientists, and even theists, attempt to answer is how life ultimately began. Currently, the mystery is left with two propositions, evolution and creation. While both approaches attempt to answer the origins of life, evolution and creation are two contrasting concepts.
The purpose of this experiment was to determine if the number of skull characteristics shared between humans and other hominid species indicates evolutionary distance. It was hypothesized that if there is a large number of similar skull characteristics shared between humans and other hominid species, then the species diverged recently from a common ancestor because there would not be a lot of time for the species to evolve differently if there was a short evolutionary distance. This hypothesis was supported because when comparing the cladogram data and the experimental data, the number of similar skull characteristics did indicate how recently the species diverged from a common ancestor. According the the cladogram, Homo Neanderthalensis and
Understanding how life began is a crucial part of understanding and dissecting everyday questions. How could evolution explain the origin of life without creationism? Scientists and creationists need to start locating the similarities opposed to the differences.
According to Stringer and Andrews, the Out-of-Africa Model suggests that there is a fairly recent common ancestor that shares many of the anatomical characteristics displayed by modern Homo Sapiens (1263). This version is more parsimonious with regard to the fact that it ...
Evolution is the complexity of processes by which living organisms established on earth and have been expanded and modified through theorized changes in form and function. Human evolution is the biological and cultural development of the species Homo sapiens sapiens, or human beings. Humans evolved from apes because of their similarities. This can be shown in the evidence that humans had a decrease in the size of the face and teeth that evolved. Early humans are classified in ten different types of families.
Without evolution, and the constant ever changing environment, the complexity of living organisms would not be as it is. Evolution is defined as a process that results in heritable changes in a population spread over many generations (8).Scientists believe in the theory of evolution. This belief is based on scientific evidence that corroborates the theory of evolution. In Figure 1 the pictures of the skulls depict the sequence of the evolution of Homo-sapiens. As the figure shows, man has evolved from our common ancestor that is shared by homo-sapiens. The change of diet of homo-sapiens over time has thought to contribute to the change in jaw structure and overall skull shape.
You have seen evolution. Evolution is a fact, not a theory. How long evolution has occurred, under what circumstances, and what drives it are theories. Evolution is not the theory, HOW life has been shaped by evolution is the theory. When a scientist says "the theory of evolution", it's not the "theory that evolution occurred," it's the "theory of how evolution occurred" that's being spoken of.