The Theory of Evolution and Survival of the Fittest Essay

Evolution is a change in the characteristic of living organism through time. Modern synthesis, one of the greatest intellectual achievements of biology, could explain how mutations and natural selection could produced large-scale evolutionary change. There are 4 mechanisms for evolution to occur; mutation, gene flow, genetic drift and natural selection.
Although, there are a number of misconceptions about evolution; it does not explain the origins of life, it is not progressive, natural selection is not about the survival of the fittest individuals in a population, humans are not currently evolving, it does not make organism better designed nor does it gives organism what they need to survive. This essay will describe further, 3 common misconceptions

There have been many theories of evolution and how it is brought about and what it is exactly. Charles Darwin a scientist who came up with his theory of evolution and how it works. Darwin felt as though evolution to him was that it occurred through natural selection. Natural selection is the process of only traits that will survive are passed to the next generation. Species selection operates on variation provided by the largely random process of speciation and favors species that speciate at high rates or survive for long periods and therefore tend to leave many daughter species (Stanley, 1975 ). So Darwin believed that the next generations of animals or different species were created by taking only the traits of species

A more simplistic way of thinking of evolution is “descent with modification” which is essentially stating, over many generations, organisms change. Charles Darwin and Jean Baptiste Lamarck are often referred to as the fore founders of evolution. Of course, many, many other scientists had differing theories regarding evolution, but Darwin and Lamarck receive the most modern attention- both deserving credit for their concepts. They’re famous not for the propositions of evolution- that had already been theorised. They’re famous for providing a reasonable explanation for how evolution occurs- natural selection. In which we will delve into later.

According to Ms. Witsaman, evolution is not the theory of how life began, which is a common misconception nowadays, but the theory of how life has changed over time. Theories are predictions which are backed up by several evidences and supported by scientists. The evidences that scientists use now to prove include fossils, homologous structures, analogous structures, vestigial structures, embryology, biogeography, and biochemicals. Fossils are the remains of living things that once roamed the Earth. Homologous structure are structures shared by different organisms that have similar structure but different functions. Analogous structures are the opposite, they have similar functions but completely different structure.Vestigial structures are

There is proof of this evolution all around us. Man itself has evolved over thousands and thousands of years in direct relation to the changing environment surrounding them. There are facts and proof to back up the theory of evolution, but that does not mean that it is the only way that explains development of living things.

Natural selection is the process in which heritable traits that make it more likely for organisms to survive and successfully reproduce become more common in a population over successive generations. Each of us individuals is specifically shaped and formed by our own genetic pattern. We inherit this pattern half from are mother and half from are father. The cause of this is the proximate cause that led it’s phenotype to ultimate causes. Much of we know today about evolution derives from the late great pioneer, Charles Darwin. Charles Darwin was an english naturalist that even from an early age was very interested in outdoor pursuits. Early in his prep career his father tried sending him to the University of Edinburg to pursue his medical

Evolution is the idea of a living organism adapting or mutating to gain beneficial physiological, psychological and structural features. The genetic makeup of all living things is constantly changing, due to DNA replication errors or outside factors, some of these changes impact drastically on the organism changing it for the better or worse. Typically when an organisms genetic code is changed for the better and it reproduces and outlives its unchanged counterparts this process is called evolution.

The formal “Theory of Evolution” thought to have come about by Charles Darwin, is built on the premise that all life is related and has descended from a common ancestor; meaning the birds and the bananas, the fishes and the flowers are all related (“Darwin’s Theory of Evolution”). In a nutshell, as random genetic mutations occur within an organism's genetic code, the beneficial mutations are preserved because they aid survival. This process is formally known as "natural selection." These beneficial mutations are passed on to the next generation. Over time, beneficial mutations accumulate and the result is an entirely different

“If no such variations exist, the population rapidly goes extinct because it cannot adapt to a changing environment” (O’Neil, 1998-2013). Scientists call this reproductive success. “Within a specific environment context, one genotype will be better than another genotype in survival or reproduction for certain reasons having to do with the way its particular features relate to the environment or relate to other organisms within the population” (Futuyma, 2000-2014). The theory of evolution is explicable through various kinds of scientific research.

What is natural selection? Natural selection whether or not people ever think about it, is what has brought everyone to where they are today. There are three main types of natural selection as read in the article (Natural Selection) at Berkley. With these types come particulate heredity along with variation of traits, and differential in reproduction. Because of these, people are very reliant upon nature. Therefore people do not only have a spiritual, but physical relationship with nature.

Fossils. Paleontologists study fossils using tools such as carbon dating show a pattern and a timeline of emergence supporting the concept of evolution (Khan Academy, 2018). Although there are significant gaps in the fossil records, what does exist supports the theory of

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.

Years ago Charles Darwin created the theory of natural selection. He attempted to explain how evolution worked, and his theory is now regarded as correct. Natural selection states that animals with traits that are better suited to their environment will survive and reproduce more. This would explain how evolution works. Groups of animals with the most beneficial traits survive and are able to reproduce. While the other group has difficulty surviving and would therefore reproduce less. The variation between that type of animal would come from a random mutation which turned out to be useful. An animal may get a mutation which is either beneficial or disadvantageous to the organism (1). As time progresses there are a larger amount of animals with the beneficial trait, while there is a lot less animals with the older trait. Natural selection correlates to the phrase “survival of the fittest” meaning that animals with beneficial traits will survive, while those without will die (2). Theoretically, this could lead to an entire change of the population; leaving only the group that can survive easily and produce more offspring.

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution centres on the idea that species compete to survive, and favorable characteristics are passed on from one generation to the next. Darwin said that evolution took place by a process of natural selection or survival of the fittest. This meant that the animals and plants best suited to their surroundings survived and were able to pass on their genes to their offspring. The ones that weren't best suited died off and didn't get the chance to reproduce.

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