Transcript Evolution

Evolution
Origin of species
3 billions years ago to today
Evolution – the theory
‘Natural selection’
Charles Darwin 1809-1882
1803180(Charles Darwin 1809-
Church versus science

It took over 50 years
for Darwin's theory to
be accepted. His
ideas went against
the ‘God created the
World’

He was ridiculed by
the press
Are our ancestors the apes?
Homo erectus
Erect man – as in standing
erect i.e. upright
(so put any other thoughts
out of your mind!)
The pelvis of primates
prevents them from walking
upright easily – homo
erectus is a link in the
evolutionary chain to modern
man from the primates
Evidence
Capacity of skull - brain
Evolution is the slow, continual change of
organisms over a very long time. All living
things on the Earth have developed from
the first simple life forms that arrived
3,000,000,000 years ago.
One of the effects of evolution is that species will become
better adapted to their environment. If these species
don’t adapt they may become extinct due to being unable to
deal with any of these factors…
1) Increased competition
2) Changes in the environment
3) New diseases
4) New predators
My key observations:
1) All living things produce more
offspring than survive to adulthood
2) In spite of this, population sizes
remain roughly constant
3) Variation exists among species
4) Characteristics can be passed on
from one generation to the next.
These observations led me to the
conclusion that species evolve over a
along period of time by a mechanism
called “Natural Selection”. The main
evidence for this is from fossil
records.
Natural Selection
1) Each species shows variation:
Shut it - shorty
2) There is competition within each
species for food, living space,
water, mates etc
Get off my
land, you
lanky git
Yum
Gutted!
3) The “better adapted” members of
these species are more likely to
survive – “Survival of the Fittest”
4) These survivors will pass on their
better genes to their offspring who
will also show this beneficial variation.
Darwin vs Lamark
LAMARK
Horse
Pentadactyl limb
Extinction – adapt or die