The Theory Of Evolution And The Origin Of Species

A scientific theory is an explanation of an aspect of the world, based on facts that have been frequently confirmed through observation and experiment or is often just speculations. Is evolution just a theory? Evolution is considered a valid scientific theory as it cannot be expressed in a concise mathematical equation so it is referred to as a theory, which does not make it more accurate than a law. Natural selection, comparative embryology, comparative anatomy, DNA and scientific contributions all support the theory of evolution.

In order to understand evolution and natural selection you have got to know where it came from and how it came to be. First, let’s go all the way back to two of the four most commonly known, and most important, natural historians that encouraged the belief of an evolutionary process. Georges Buffon was a French naturalist during the 1700s. He was one of the first to reject the idea of a 6000 year old Earth. Instead, he believed it had to be much older. Buffon also proposed the idea that species did not arise separately, but rather shared common ancestors. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who was also a French naturalist, did not think that species became extinct, but that they evolved into different forms. He thought that changes in the environment triggered this evolving into different forms and that the evolving into different forms caused either a greater use or disuse of a structure. Both of these

Every since The Origin of Species was published in 1859, a lot of controversy as surrounded it. It created some division throughout the word. Many people felt as if Darwin was a modern atheist and others questioned their faith as Christians based on his evolution theory. In fact, the famous ethologist, Richard Dawkins stated “Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist (D’ Souza, pg 1)." Even though, people may be under the assumption that Darwin’s is an atheist based on his belief system, he doesn’t consider himself an atheist and is a dedicated agnostic ( D’Souza, pg 2). According to Michael Sherma, an Evangelist Christian studying at Pepperdine University, gave up his Christian faith based on his research on the evolution

The theory of evolution by natural selection is developed by English naturalist Charles Darwin. Evolution is defined as, all living species are descendants of ancestral species and are different from modern-day organisms due to the process where there are physical and/or behavioural changes made over time———Natural selection occurs when these changes allow the organism to evolve and better adapt to its environment. This effecting the occurring populations of the species to adapt and change to different behaviour and physical traits. Darwin often describes it as “survival of the fittest”, “fitness’ referring to an organisms ability to survive and reproduce.——— Around 50-60 million years ago, there was thought to be around 350 different species

Darwin was born in England and is most famous for his work on natural selection. He brought about the idea that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors. This process involves favourable traits participated in the process and became more common in successive generations of living things. At the same time, unfavourable features became less common. He presented compelling evidence from his detailed research that included a five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle, besides developing the idea of natural selection.

Evolutionary scientists mock creation by saying that it is unscientific because it is unobservable and lacks the ability to be tested. Evolution denies a need for God to be involved int he universe; they believe that it is all random design. Their theory is untested as well. Were they there one billion years ago? Did they observe how it happened? Both positions must be accepted by faith.

Charles Darwin was the creator of Darwinism which is, “the theory of evolution by natural selection” (Junker 1). In school we are often taught that natural selection is survival of the fittest or the strongest wins. What seems to be a simple topic is actually one of the leading theories on the side of evolution in the highly controversial debate on Darwinism vs. Creationism. Darwinism states that certain genes in a population change through individuals. These “strong” genes are then produced more and are better able to survive making them the fittest. According to natural selection this process of evolving “usually takes place over many years, but in fast-breeding organisms it can occur rapidly, for example the spread of antibiotic resistance in some bacteria” ("Natural Selection” 1).

Even though evolution is an ancient concept, Charles Darwin brought up a new idea focusing on naturalistic modification of a population over time. He believed that species differ over time and space. In other words, after a period of time creatures undergo genetic mutations in their genetic code in which the beneficial mutations are preserved and the disadvantage mutations are eliminated. This concept he termed as natural selection. According to natural selection, all species have common ancestry and their diversity comes as a result of descent modifications. A species that develops functional advantages would pass the same traits to their offspring

The beginning of life on earth was always thought out as Gods creation and evolution was just a mystery in itself. Many people have always been interested in their origins and have found explanations using evidence that validates the story, but where is the proof? In 1859 a man by the name of Charles Darwin wrote a novel called the Origin of Species basically expressing the theory of evolution by natural selection. An extremely complicated story, but a very effective explanation of life as we know it. We can get more into that later. The world is evolving rapidly and in evolution we are trying to uncover hidden mechanisms inside creatures body’s that can explain extraordinary transformations that produce many different offspring’s.

“Survival of the fittest” is one of the greatest concepts discussed by Charles Darwin (who is known as the father of evolution) and which has also affected many species throughout the world over the years, including us! As presented in his theory of evolution, Charles Darwin explains how those with advantageous traits will be able to better survive than their fellow counterparts. In other words, organisms with traits best suited for their environment will have higher chances of surviving than those without those certain traits. According to The Living Environment Holt textbook it states “For example, he suggested that all of the finch species descended from one ancestral finch species that migrated from South America. Then, the descendant

Darwin first presented his theory of evolution by natural selection through his book called ‘On the Origin of Species’. The book was released in 1859 and it explained the process of how organisms changed over time through the result of changes in heritable physical or behavioural traits. These changes allow an organism to adapt to the environment that it inhabits so that the organism’s chances of survival improve and produce more offspring (Than, 2015). However, biological evolution does not simply mean a change over time. It is believed that the central idea of biological evolution is that all organisms on Earth share a common ancestor (Understanding Evolution, 2015). Darwin’s theory ‘presumes the development of life from non-life and stresses a purely naturalistic (undirected) ‘descent with modification’’ (All About Science, 2015). Mutations that aid the survival of an organism are preserved and that is a process called natural selection. The beneficial mutations are passed on to the next generation and over time, the beneficial mutations accumulate and the result is variation between organisms (All About Science, 2015). The fact that there are numerous species that are living and extinct shows that there must have been a reason why one organism had the ability to survive and the other did not. Their survival depended on their adaptability to their environment (American Museum of Natural History, 2015).

Biological evolution is the name for the changes in gene frequency in a population of a species from generation to generation. Evolution offers explanation to why species genetically change over years and the diversity of life on Earth. Although it is generally accepted by the scientific community, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution has been studied and debated for several decades. In 1859, Darwin published On The Origin of Species, which introduced the idea of evolutionary thought which he supported with evidence of one type of evolutionary mechanism, natural selection. Some of the main mechanisms of evolution are natural selection, mutation, and genetic drift. The idea that all life on Earth shares a common ancestor has been around for

In 1859, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species, introducing the theory of evolution. One hundred and fifty-six years later, scientists still accept this senseless philosophy. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay states, “Our school systems teach the children that they are nothing but glorified apes who are evolutionized out of some primordial soup” (Snyder). Schools worldwide have presented exactly this to the young, impressionable minds of your future doctors, engineers, scientists, and presidents. They assure us that if we give a small amount of mud enough time it can, by itself, bring about the art of da Vinci, the plays of Shakespeare, the music of Mozart, and the brilliant mind of Einstein.

Since the publication of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species, in which the theory of evolution has risen, people have debated the merits of the theories of creationism and evolution. The theory of is reinforced through scientific studies using DNA, genetics and its mutation, the fossil record and the change in earlier species that has been encountered, and the distribution of related species of animals over a broad geographical range.

Since Charles Darwin suggested the theory of evolution by natural selection in this best-known work, On the Origin of Species, controversy has followed. As a (computer) scientist, this student has no personal problem with the theory of evolution. However, since the debate of whether or not evolution actually exists is still alive and well today, a brief exploration of the arguments against is not only interesting, but also increasingly necessary. Why is there such disparity over this topic over one hundred and fifty years later? In order to understand the contrary side of this debate, the question must be asked: “why would evolution not be possible?”. This student will walk through possible reasons someone might not accept evolution as a scientific theory, as well as some of the more well-known arguments , and provide responses to those arguments from the side of evolutionary science .