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Evolution Overview

According to fossil evidence, Life began on Earth at least 3.5 to 4 billion years ago. Evolution is a change in the characteristics of living things over time. Evolution occurs by natural selection. Random mutations create diversity. Better creatures can reproduce and pass their characteristics from one generation to the next through their genes. Natural selection gradually selects lifeforms that are best suited to their environments.

ev•o•lu•tion n.

the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.
any process of change over time. Evolution is a change in the traits of living organisms over generations, including the emergence of new species. Since the development of modern genetics in the 1940s, evolution has been defined more specifically as a change in the frequency of alleles in a population from one generation to the next. Evolution is a change in the heritable traits of a population over many generations.
The theory is that groups of organisms change with the passage of time, mainly as a result of natural selection, so that descendants differ morphologically and physiologically from their ancestors.

Charles Darwin

Charles Robert Darwin, was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution, the idea that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors.

He took a 5-year trip on a boat called the HMS Beagle to study the natural world. He visited Australia, Brazil, Chile, the Falkland Islands, and the Galapagos Islands. On this trip, he amassed evidence for his theory of evolution. He proposed that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors. Today, evolution is widely accepted and considered a foundational concept in science.

Galapogos Islands

Charles Darwin is most famous for his work on natural selection. This process favors traits that benefit organisms. Over time, the better traits are kept and passed down to future generations. Organisms with less-favorable traits die off.

Charles Darwin studied 15 different species of finch on the Galapagos Islands. These different species have very different beaks - each best suited for each species.