Microevolution and macroevolution are related phenomena in evolution, with the former referring to small changes within a species and the latter to changes that create new species. Creationists use the distinction to argue against evolution, but most scientists see it as a matter of scale rather than a fundamentally different process. Examples of microevolution include […]
Amphibians evolved from lobe-finned fishes and primitive tetrapods about 340 million years ago. Early tetrapods lacked amphibian characteristics and are classified as basal tetrapods. The earliest amphibians were temnospondyls, which grew in size and diversity during the Carboniferous Period. Lissamphibians, the group that includes all modern amphibians, emerged about 9 million years ago. Amphibians are […]
Convergent evolution is when unrelated species develop similar traits to adapt to challenges. Examples include the wings of pterosaurs, bats, and birds, and the body shape of the crocodile. Spines and similarities between marsupials and placental mammals are also common examples. Convergent evolution is a common theme in animal evolution. It occurs when two unrelated […]
Stellar evolution involves the formation, burning, and death of stars, which can be observed through various stages on a graph. Stars form in molecular clouds and evolve based on their chemical composition, eventually dying as white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes. The Sun is a main-sequence star that will become a red giant in […]
Grass only appeared in the fossil record 67 million years ago, long after the first plants. Grass became abundant after the extinction of dinosaurs, but it took more than 10 million years to become widespread. Grass is a characteristic feature of the Cenozoic era, and many mammals coevolved with it. Humans lack the necessary adaptations […]
Software evolution is the continuous updating, maintenance, and improvement of a program driven by external business and consumer needs. Imperial College London created the three fundamental laws of software evolution, which have expanded to eight. The evolution of software is similar to natural changes, and the program must adapt to meet current real-world business conditions. […]
Lamarck was the first to propose the theory of evolution, observing changes in invertebrate fossils and arguing that organisms adapt to survive in their environments. His theory included the idea of passing on acquired traits to offspring. Lamarck’s theory was not well respected during his time due to his lack of belief in a deity […]
Dinosaurs evolved 230 million years ago from archosaurs, after the Permian-Triassic extinction event. They became dominant due to better strategies for coping with arid environments, and quickly represented 50-90% of terrestrial fauna. The two main types, theropods and sauropods, occupied most ecological niches and became progressively larger. Dinosaurs evolved about 230 million years ago, splitting […]
Mammals evolved from synapsids, a group of non-amphibian tetrapods, branching off from reptiles in the Carboniferous period. Pelycosaurs were the first terrestrial amniotes of large size, evolving into therapsids, which evolved into true mammals over 70 million years. After the extinction of dinosaurs, mammals diversified and became the dominant land vertebrates. Mammals represent the last […]
Grasses, which make up 20% of the Earth’s surface, are only 65 million years old and were thought to be 55 million years old until grass fossils were found in dinosaur feces. Grasses are important for food, industry, and grassland, with grains providing half of human calories and 70% of plant crops. Herbs might be […]
Evolutionary theory has evolved since Darwin’s publication in 1859. Lamarckism, the idea that body changes can be passed down, has been proven false. The modern synthesis, combining Darwinian natural selection with Mendelian genetics, is the predominant theory. The “gene-centric” view of natural selection proposes organisms are built to pass on genes, not for their own […]
Life on Earth began 4 billion years ago during the Hadean Aeon. The origin of life, called abiogenesis, is still not fully understood. The earliest known life forms were prokaryotic cells, followed by photosynthetic cyanobacteria that caused the oxygen catastrophe. Eukaryotic cells evolved 2.1 billion years ago, and complex multicellular organisms emerged 600 million years […]
Fish evolved 530 million years ago, with the oldest known being Pikaia gracilens. Jawed fish evolved 420 million years ago, with placoderms dominating until the Devonian period. Many modern and extinct forms evolved during this period, including sharks, rays, and lobe-finned fish, which eventually evolved into terrestrial vertebrates. Acanthodians became extinct, while lobe-finned fish became […]
Plants’ evolutionary history began with algae over a billion years ago, but land plants emerged 700 million years ago. The first land plants were non-vascular bryophytes, followed by vascular plants and seed-bearing plants. The “Devonian explosion” saw huge forests of seed-bearing plants, and angiosperms emerged during the Cretaceous period, with grasses evolving just 35 million […]
The creation vs. evolution debate is about how life was created and what should be taught to children. Creationists believe in God’s creation as described in the Bible, while proponents of Darwin’s theory of evolution believe in incremental evolution over millions of years. The controversy is mostly a U.S. phenomenon, with Christians and Jews in […]
Theistic evolution is the belief that God created the universe and uses evolution to generate biological complexity. It is compatible with Jewish, Christian, and Muslim teachings. Some believe in God’s intervention, while others believe he set initial conditions. The Bible’s creation story is seen as allegorical by some, but others take it literally. Many denominations […]
The relationship between evolution and religion is often contentious, with some religious figures challenging the theory of evolution. However, many scientists argue that evolution and religion can coexist, and that evolution does not make a statement about any kind of deity. The conflict between evolution and religion stems from the fact that the theory of […]
The evolutionary history of insects is unclear, but recent genetic studies suggest they detached from crustaceans about 410 million years ago. The earliest known specimen is the Devonian fossil Rhyniognatha hirsti, which suggests it had already developed flight. The origins of insect flight are still a mystery, but one researcher suggests it evolved from skimming […]
