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Similarities Between Charles Darwin And The Tree Of Life

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Regarding “Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life”

When Sir Charles Darwin set sail on the Beagle in 1831, the way in which humans view the biological world began its shift towards where it currently sits today. The observations which Darwin made during the voyage set the stage for his formulation of the theory of Natural Selection, resulting in a shake-up of the standing scientific establishment, and in the way in which humans view the world in which they live. During the many stops which the Beagle made on its multi-year journey, Charles Darwin documented and collected samples of the native species present at the places where the ship dropped anchor. In so doing, Darwin was able to witness and document a wide range of species across a wide …show more content…

In part, Darwin came to this conclusion because of anatomical patterns which are present in several different animal families. In a way, it is possible to track the relative progression of animal life on earth based upon the similarities and differences of different groups. Darwin noticed that Reptiles, Amphibians, Birds, and Mammals all share similar patterns in the way in which their skeletons are constructed. In nearly all cases, the basic pattern for limbs consists of a “One bone, two bone, lots of little bones” type pattern, as well most possessing at least five digits on the hand. This pattern points to all of the members of these groups, both living and extinct, tracing their lineage back to a single ancestor which migrated to land at some point millions of years previously. As well as anatomical patterns, evidence from the fossil record also points to a singular origin. The discovery of Bird like Dinosaurs such as Archaeopteryx, a species of Dinosaur which displayed features associated with both Birds and Dinosaurs such as feathers adapted for flight, clawed hands, and a mouth with teeth. Though species such as Archaeopteryx were primitive in their flying capabilities, they provide for a good approximation point of the beginning for the only family of Dinosaur which exists today, the Birds. By connecting similarities in existing and extinct species, it becomes …show more content…

For example, Amphibians have evolved from fish to be able to live both on dry land, and in water. However, because of this dual lifestyle Amphibians are not able to travel far away from a large source of water. This is due to the need of Amphibians to keep their skin moist at all times, as well as their need to lay their eggs in water. However, this problem has been solved by Reptiles, which have evolved from Amphibians to be able to live full time on land, due to their dry, non-permeable skin, as well as their ability to lay eggs inside of a protective shell which holds in the moisture necessary for the young to

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